Cast: Bean Reid, Adeline Lowe, Matty Finocho, Bob Frasier, Seth Isaac Johnson, Kendra Anderson, and Kevin McNulty
Directed By: Jem Garrard
Release Year: 2025
Studio/Streaming: Tubi
Audio Description provided By: Descriptive Video Works
Written By:
Narrated By:
What Is it?: Based on a tale from RL Stine’s The Haunting Hour, a family moves to a small town in the middle of a farming community, and right around Halloween something strange is happening with the biggest farm in town. There’s a pumpkin that just doesn’t look right, and when Sam’s older brother goes missing, he’ll unlock a terrifying truth about the town and what happens to the kids in it.
Why It Almost Worked: There’s a solid chance your kids will like it. I grew up on RL Stine. I’m just the right age for the debut of Goosebumps, and I remember heading to the book store every time a new one came out like kids did when a comic book store had their pull list. I have at least 30 of them, before eventually growing out of the series, as well as the Give Yourself Goosebumps series, Fear Street, and the Goosebumps adjacent Fear Street books for younger kids. I even read his first book he wrote for adults.
I remember the goosebumps TV series, and as is with most things, the books were better. And, I also consumed Are You Afraid Of The Dark as a kid. So I sort of understand this weird decision to have strong child actors,but weak adult actors playing caricatures of types of people. They’re human adjacent, not quite like the Sheriff, or the Farmer, or the Mother, or… the guy living in a van down by the river, but poorly crafted imitations.
I found those performances grating. I also wonder what age range this is for, since there were a few more shocking moments than I expected. Pumpkinhead’s transformation is creepy enough, but to find a decapitated head at one point is a bit unnerving.
That being said, the kids were great. the plot is very similar to Dark Harvest, but instead of a hunt, the kids just become forgotten and lost to time. The movie has a bold ending, all things considered, since most films like this choose to end on a happy note. So, why did this just barely miss out on a fresh score?
because I believe you can actually do both. I think you can have a story with effective adults, and kids, and a great story. hell, Debbie Reynolds was in Halloweentown, and that was just a Disney Channel film. But what about the ladies in Hocus Pocus? Iconic. Anjelica Huston in the Witches? I’m living for it. If actresses like Oscar nominees Bette Midler, Anjelica Huston, and Debbie Reynolds can jump into spooky fare for kids, why can’t Pumpkinhead find or direct appropriate talent? This shouldn’t immediately read as that guy must be evil, or this guy is a doofus. find layers, and challenge kids to watch a competently made film that doesn’t dumb it down for them. they are already likely watching complicated and terrific animated films as well as live action films aimed at them that aren’t spooky. So, why make this feel cheap?
The Audio Description: I was so happy to experience audio description on Tubi, as it is so few and far between. Tubi has been doing audio description for a few years, and yet instead of growing their list of titles over that period to compete with other streaming services, they seem to maintain about the same number. Descriptive Video Works did some cool stuff here with Pumpkinhead, and the way some of the mechanics work. the adult actors think they are in a preschool movie,but the film is a bit more PG-13, and the audio description reflects that.
Why You Might Like it: Tubi is free. This has audio description. If you are strapped and can’t pay for streaming and simply just have the internet, you can watch a creepy film for Halloween that is new, and accessible.
Why You Might not Like it: the adults killed it for me. I’m not saying the film itself is Shakespeare, but the decision to have them all acting like they needed to overtelegraph their intentions to the audience just treats its demographic like they’re a bunch of drooling babies.
Final Thoughts: The child actors far out perform their adult counterparts, who either can’t act, or are poorly directed, ultimately keeping you from being able to truly invest in an otherwise fun spooky film.
Rotten: 5.9/10
