guilfisher-1
This was not a bad movie. Some of it was predictable but so what. I liked the idea and for Halloween it's a good offer. Teen slashers are always produced with the same thought. Good looking young actors, girls in skimpy outfits, screaming, and blood and guts. This one doesn't let you down. However, there were some victims I could hardly wait for their demise, they were that annoying. Won't go into the story as that has been reviewed enough. I did like the old man who was stalking and making himself menacing. I also liked Michael Zara. Sort of reminded me of the guy who plays superman on TV. He had a hard part to play and did a fairly good job. Plus he's a good looker on top. The sister annoyed me. Also the girl friend who screams very well. And that's about it. I give it a 2 for the old man and Zara.
slayrrr666
"The Pumpkin Karver" is a rather surprising and fun modern slasher.**SPOILERS**Following a tragic Halloween accident, Lynn, (Amy Weber) and Jonathan Starks, (Michael Zara) move to a new town to forget their past. Meeting up with locals Tammy Boyles, (Minka Kelly) and her friends Amber, (Lindsey Carpenter) Connie, (Rachelle Clune) Vicki, (Briana Gerber) Joe, (Thomas Hurn) Lance, (David Austin) and A.J., (Jonathan Conrad) who are trying to prepare for a special party. As he's still being haunted by the incident from his past, where he mistakenly killed a man in self-defense wearing a Halloween mask, he begins to believe that someone wearing the same mask is following him around in town. When a series of murders around town make the others start to believe that his stories are true, the real reason is blamed on a town legend involving a spirit known as The Pumpkin Karver, and they race to stop it before it's too late.The Good News: There's actually some good stuff in this one when it counts. The film has a really impressive and unique looking killer, with a rotting pumpkin mask that actually has worms and other things sticking out of it, leaving a really great impression with it's wicked smile and twisted glare. There's also one of the greatest back-story set-ups ever, with the opening murder scene. It's one of the greatest accidental murders in the genre, coming across as a genuine, only-one-way-to-take-it accident and is actually a fun scene in it's own right, making it appear even better than just being the one great moment. The film also manages to get it's killing moments into the last half, giving that a whirlwind pace which gets the film ending on a high note. From the last forty minutes are full of fun, brutal, suspenseful action-packed moments all rolled together to make it very fun. The first attack, inside the parking lot, is a fun little mini-sequence that end on a pretty nice gore moment, the wander through the pumpkin patch has very little that doesn't work for it including a little suspense and bloody gore, and the big fight in the garage at the very end is rather interesting. There's also a really fantastic stalking sequence thrown in through the garage before it happens which gets some pretty tense moments in, a couple interesting confrontations and an incredibly interesting and original conclusion to it. It even has a really nice and sleazy scene in the middle to throw in some nudity in it as well. All of these here make the film watchable.The Bad News: This one here doesn't have that many flaws, but they are there. One of the main ones is that the film has a pretty low body-count for such a big cast. This one here manages to put up a respectable-sized amount for the actual killing, places them in an isolated location with a maniac that has a unique weapon of choice, and yet there's almost none in here outside of a couple near the middle. This one had a perfectly nice amount to knock off yet there's too many left at the end who don't get knocked off. There's also the fact that the mythology for the killer's return is a little confusingly handled, as there's a back-story given but there's no real follow-up from it to the others. The biggest flaw, though, is that there's a real slow part to get going. There's a lot going on in it, introducing all the characters in the town and then the family relationship which takes up a lot of time. Then ingraining them into the town's traditions and practices takes up a little more time, and before it's all done, there's about half the time in the film before anything happens at all. It's slow-going is made up for with it's fun second half, but the wait to get there is a little much. Otherwise, these here are the film's only flaws.The Final Verdict: An enjoyable, if somewhat flawed modern slasher that offers up at least elements of entertainment mixed in with the other facets it has. Give this a shot if interested in the more modern slashers or don't mind a slightly flawed film, otherwise heed caution with this one.Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language and Brief Nudity
joeyforun
I just rented this at Blockbuster the other night and really thought it was a very cool Halloween spoof. I totally got off on all of the Halloween stuff in the movie, especially the cheesy costumes. For those of you who thought this was going to be a dark, realistic, slasher film like Hostal or Texas Chainsaw, it's not. It's really just a spoof on itself. I mean, come on, when the guy gets his head cut off and then ends up peeing all over it, classic. For a low budget it had a lot going for it. The sets looked first rate, especially the old guy's barn. The acting was pretty good. I really liked the old guy and all of his weird rambling speeches on carving. The babes were totally hot, although there was no real nudity. That was okay, I mean if I really want to see naked chicks I'll rent some porn. Hey it had Amy Weber in it. What more do you want? And did anyone notice Tony Little, the workout madman from the infomercials? He's one of the cops at the end. Very funny. The story was great because it always kept you guessing. I liked what the director did with what he had to work with, low budget and all. All in all, I was really chilling with it and I'll rent it again next Halloween. It's going to be one of those little cult classics that you will watch every year. And for those who are thinking too much about this movie and cutting it down, GET OVER IT! It's only a movie. And a pretty cool one at that.
