Hack-O-Lantern

"The power is in the blood."

1988 1h 36m EN

😐

5.0

MID

★5.0TMDB · 61

HorrorThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When Tommy was a boy, he saw his grandpa, the leader of a vicious satanic cult, murder his father in a brutal ritual on Halloween night. Now he is 18, and grandpa is ready to indoctrinate him into the ways of the black arts.

“The power is in the blood.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Hy Pyke
Grandpa Drindle
Gregory Scott Cummins
Tommy Drindle
Katina Garner
Amanda
Carla Baron
Vera Drindle
Jeff Brown
Roger
Michael Potts
Bill
Patricia Christie
Beth
Larry Coven
Brian

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jag Mundhra
Writers: Dave Eisenstark, Carla Robinson
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

38 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jag Mundhra, shot by Stephen Ashley Blake. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Greg Haggard. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Tom Atchison shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Hy Pyke and Gregory Scott Cummins and Katina Garner carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The power is in the blood.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0093135 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 61 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jag Mundhra directs. Stephen Ashley Blake behind the camera. Greg Haggard scores. Tom Atchison cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

138 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by Jag Mundhra, shot by Stephen Ashley Blake. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Greg Haggard. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Tom Atchison shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Hy Pyke and Gregory Scott Cummins and Katina Garner carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "The power is in the blood.".
7IMDB entry: tt0093135 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 61 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Stephen Ashley Blake
Original score: Greg Haggard
Editing: Tom Atchison
Production design: Thomas Atcheson
Costume design: Frank Billecci
Runtime: 96 min · 1h 36m
Status: Released
Budget: $5,500,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Hack-O-Lantern (1988)

Also by

Jag Mundhra

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2024-11-29
★ 5/10
A bad 80’s Halloween flick, but at least it tries to entertain As Tommy grows up in rural SoCal, he’s negatively influenced by his dubious grandfather (Hy Pyke). When he’s 21, the old man has a ritual scheduled for him on Halloween night. Naturally, his mother (Katina Garner), sister (Carla B.) and cop brother (Jeff Brown) oppose this. Everything culminates at the town’s Halloween party. Shot in the second half of November, 1986, "Hack-O-Lantern" wasn’t released until late March, 1988, and then only in the UK, although it was eventually released to video. Alternative titles include “Halloween Night,” “Death Mask” and “The Damning.” Despite its low-budget vibe, it actually cost a whopping $5.5 million. I say ‘whopping’ because the hailed “Halloween” was shot just 8.5 years earlier and only cost $325,000. Yet don’t expect the sense of artistry of that popular film. This is cartoonish and low-rent by comparison, characterized by the hammy acting of Hy Pyke as grandpa. Meanwhile Gregory Scott Cummins is a little too long in the tooth to portray 21 years-old Tommy (he was 30 during shooting), but that’s a minor cavil. If you can roll with the cheesiness, there are several highlights. For instance, the soundtrack features the catchy song “Devil’s Son” by DC Lacroix from Seattle/Los Angeles, who released two albums in the mid-80s before disappearing. Their style is akin to WASP meets The Runaways, basically catchy hanging chord anthemic hair metal. Meanwhile the cut “Against the Law” is performed by no-name band The Mercenaries at the Halloween party. Both tracks resurface for the closing credits. The other songs and score were done competently enough by Greg Haggard. Comedian Bill Tucker is thrown in for a surprise routine outside the party, which is amusing (“Gobble, gobble”). Sharp blonde Carla B., aka Carla Baron, stands out on the feminine front as the protagonist. Jeanna Fine is also alluring as Nora, the one with the short wild hair; she’s unnecessarily shown fully nude, no doubt in an attempt to make up for subpar filmmaking. She unsurprisingly dabbled in porn before marrying a Hebrew and converting to Judaism. The rest of the exploitive nudity could be classified under what Seinfeld called “bad naked.” It runs 1 hour, 27 minutes, and was shot in the rural outskirts of Los Angeles. GRADE: C

Production companies