Following a twelve-year gap since “Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings,” the third film in the series finally appeared in 2006. Like its predecessor, it bypassed theaters and initially aired on the Sci Fi channel (now SyFy), followed by a video release five months later. The subsequent entry, “Blood Feud,” quickly arrived on Sci Fi just 3½ months after that, early in 2007. The way they were distributed isn't hugely significant, especially given that the original theatrical film wasn’t made with a massive budget to begin with. Its production cost $3.5 million, while this one came in near $6 million. When you adjust for inflation over eighteen years, it amounts to roughly the same amount of money. The most noticeable distinction between “Ashes to Ashes,” “Blood Feud,” and the first two films is that they were filmed in rural Romania instead of Southern California’s backwoods (specifically Topanga Canyon and Santa Clarita). However, this doesn't make a huge difference because the story could realistically take place almost anywhere in America’s remote areas, not just SoCal. For example, the fourth film, which is also not great, features a conflict that recalls the Hatfields and McCoys, who were from Appalachia. My personal favorite of the series is probably “Blood Wings,” mainly because I find its story more engaging than the first movie. Plus, it had a stronger female cast (Soleil Moon Frye and Ami Dolenz). I’d place this one second to “II” and possibly even on the same level. While the narrative could have been less complicated, I appreciate that the filmmakers treated viewers with some respect by letting us figure out what was going on (which isn't too difficult, really). The locations in southeastern Europe also contribute a certain atmosphere that’s missing from the first two films. Transylvania was only about three hours away to the north/northwest. Take the mortician’s unusual house, for instance; you won’t see anything like it in SoCal. Speaking of the mortician, Doug Bradley, who is known as Pinhead, plays him. Lance Henriksen also returns as Ed Harley, though he appears as a ghostly figure this time around, and the character Bunt makes an appearance too, played by a different actor. Ioana Ginghina, with her dark hair, stands out as Ellie Johnson, and Lisa McAllister is worth mentioning for her role as the Goth girl Dahlia. The film’s runtime is 1 hour and 34 minutes and was shot in 2006 at Castel Film Studios, which is north of Bucharest in southeastern Romania. GRADE: B-/B

Source on TMDB