Pumpkinhead
Lance Henriksen is Ed, whose young son is killed accidentally by a group of dirtbiking teens so he goes to a local witchy woman and conjures up a vengeance demon, like you do. Paring the story down to just those essentials doesn't do the movie justice, however, as it has more on its mind than you might expect.
Vengeance takes a toll, as Ed learns rather too quickly here. He's clearly regretting his decision to conjure a murdermonster as soon as it starts killing people. While I'm impressed with the movie's take on the morality of the situation, it also seems like it may have been a bit more effective if Ed had enjoyed his vengeance for a moment before he realized what it made him into. By having him immediately regret it there's nowhere to take his character, he just kind of hangs out as the rest of the (mostly innocent) teens are ripped to pieces. It's not a dealbreaker, and it's certainly a more thoughtful movie than you might expect. Henriksen is great in the lead, which is nice since he so rarely gets to play sympathetic.
The creature design is excellent (because Stan Winston), especially as the movie goes on and Lance and the creature start to take on each other's attributes. Lots of moody blue and orange lighting heightens the unreality of it all but also helps to give it a distinctive look. I liked it quite a bit, I just wish I felt more of an emotional connection to anybody, either Ed or the kids. I did learn not to conjure any demons, so there's that I suppose.
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