Pumpkinhead: Ashes to Ashes (2006)

Pumpkinhead: Ashes To Ashes is a 2006 made for television sequel in the Pumpkinhead franchise of horror films. The film is directed by Jake West (Evil Aliens), who co-wrote the movie with Barbara Werner. It follows 1988's Pumpkinhead and 1994's Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings.

Plot
Pumpkinhead: Ashes to Ashes plotline follows more closely to the first film, with townspeople angered over the local mortician stealing and selling the organs of their loved ones and then dumping the corpses in a swamp, rather than cremating them. When the townspeople find out, they have the old witch Haggis summon Pumpkinhead through the mummified body of Ed Harley (played by Lance Henriksen, who reprises his role from the first film). Pumpkinhead then proceeds to go on his killing rampage murdering all those responsible for the desecration, while Doc Frasier (played by Hellraiser's Doug Bradley) hurries to murder those who summoned Pumpkinhead, which will effectively kill the demon in the process.

Cast

 * Doug Bradley as Doc Fraser
 * Douglas Roberts as Bunt Wallace
 * Lisa McAllister as Dahlia Wallace
 * Tess Panzer as Molly Sue Allen
 * Emanuel Parvu as Oliver Allen
 * Ioana Ginghina as Ellie Johnson
 * Lance Henriksen as Ed Harley
 * Radu Iacobian as Richie
 * Catalin Paraschiv as Ronnie Johnson
 * Dan Astileanu as Sheriff Bullock
 * Aurel Dicu as Tiny Wallace
 * Iulian Glita as Junior Wallace
 * Lynne Verrall as Haggis
 * Emil Hostina as Lenny
 * Philip Bowen as Reverend McGee
 * Valentin Vasilescu as Deputy Ben
 * Bart Sidles as Fred
 * Mircea Stoian as Agent Bensen
 * Radu Banzaru as Agent Black
 * Liviu Gherghe as Stan

Production
Initially announced as Pumpkinhead 3, it was filmed back-to-back with another sequel titled Pumpkinhead 4 in Bucharest, Romania. The films were renamed Pumpkinhead: Ashes To Ashes and Pumpkinhead: Blood Feud, respectively, before their release.

The film effectively ignores the events portrayed in the Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings sequel with Lance Henriksen returning as the ghost of Ed Harley, his character from the first film. Doug Bradley, well known to horror fans as the Cenobite Pinhead from the Hellraiser films, also stars in the film as Doc Fraser. The movie received mixed reviews with a lot of the criticism focusing mainly on the film's poor CGI.

Release
Pumpkinhead: Ashes to Ashes premiered on SCI FI on October 28, 2006.

Reception
 Ian Jane of DVD Talk rated it 2/5 stars and criticized its "cheap, shoddy filmmaking". Dread Central rated it 2/5 stars and wrote: "Despite the cast and crew’s obvious devotion to the original, Ashes to Ashes hits every pitfall in the low-budget realm". Virginia Heffernan of The New York Times called it unmemorable and "rote slasher stuff". In an interview with youtuber Comic Book Girl 19, Lance Henriksen expressed his disappointment with the film.