#1 - Pumpkinhead (1988)

Pumpkinhead (1988)

(dir. Stan Winston)

After a group of city teenagers (who are headed to a remote cabin in the woods, naturally) accidentally run down a boy with a motorcycle, the boy's father summons a vengeance demon to hunt them down.  Once the demon is loose, however, the man (Lance Henrikson) realizes that he has gone too far, and joins the teens in trying to stop the monster.  The story is decent, and Henrikson is great, but the fantastic creature design and effects are really the main attraction here.  Pumpkinhead is huge, creepy, and one of the most memorable movie monsters of the 80's.

Stan Winston had an impressive career, but not as a director - he was a special effects and make-up wizard who worked on some of the most well-known horror and sci-fi films of the 80's.  Amongst others, his credits include Aliens, Predator, the

Terminator series, and even The Thing.  This whole movie is basically just a vehicle for his awesome creature, and it does not disappoint.  There are a lot of really great sets, too, including a dilapidated old church and a foggy, overgrown graveyard.

Highly recommended.   Great practical effects, a creepy monster, and Lance Henrikson being a badass - what's not to like?