Pumpkins

The Great Pumpkins

Like many people, I bought a set a set of pumpkin carving tools and patterns in 1990. It was fun, but the patterns were just a little too cutesy for my taste. The following year, I began making my own patterns…which grew more and more elaborate as the years went on. Pumpkin carving is a transient art form—each carving pictured below reflects about 3 hours’ work, and only lasts about three days—so each year I seek to reflect in my pumpkins the transience of pop culture by choosing subjects which are topical and appropriate for Halloween that year.

When I lived in Royal Oak, MI, neighbors eagerly shuffled by on Halloween to see the latest creations; but I’ve since moved to more spread out locales, where very few can enjoy this pumpkin art. So I started this page to share the various designs–some successful, others less so–of Halloweens past. Alas, pumpkins are hard to photograph in the dark and these photos do not do any of them justice; in person, these carvings have a startling 3D look.

Several early pumpkins from 1991-2002 are by L. Page Brunner, with whom I shared many carving sessions. I attempt to identify the ones that I recall her having carved, but it’s hard to remember them all. Regardless, these photos are © and may not be reproduced without permission.

Click on any image so see a larger image.

2021

Keanu Reeves as Neo from the forthcoming Matrix 4: Resurrections (or John Wick, if you prefer).

Dream (aka Morpheus) in anticipation of the forthcoming Netflix adaptation of Neil Gaiman & co.’s Sandman.

Nandor the Relentless (Kayvan Novak) from What We Do in the Shadows.

2020

Between COVID-19 cancelling trick-or-treating and personal matters demanding my attention at Halloween time, no pumpkins this year.

2019

Pennywise from the movie adaptation
of Stephen King’s It.

Commemorating Stan Lee of Marvel Comics,
who died this past year (November 12, 2018). Excelsior!

A sullen-looking Daenerys Targaryen
from the eighth and final season of Game of Thrones.

2018

Freddie Mercury of Queen,
subject of biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.

John “Jack” Whiteside Parsons,
rocket scientist, Thelemite, Strange Angel.

2017

Gal Gadot
as Wonder Woman.

Hela (Cate Blanchett)
from Thor: Ragnarok.

The pumpkin known only as
Emo McAngryface.

2016

Benedict Pumpkinpatch Cumberbatch
as Doctor Strange.

The Sanctum Sanctorum
of Doctor Strange.

Margot Robbie as

Harley Quinn.

2015

Chris Squire (1948–2015),

bass guitarist with Yes.

Destiny Jones from The Billionth Monkey

(after a photo of Stoya by steve prue)

2014

Hail Hydra!

(from S.H.I.E.L.D. and

The Winter Soldier)

Edgar Allan Poe

(Baltimore legend)

Maleficent

(portrayed by Angelina Jolie)

2013

Wolverine

(from The Wolverine)

Sandra Bullock

(from Gravity)

Death Star

Carved by our local squirrel

2012

This year was pretty much a bust thanks to Superstorm Sandy.

2011

Aleister Crowley

at age 23

Peter Vincent

(David Tennant from Fright Night)

John Lennon

Just because (the world is round)

2010

Aleister Crowley ca. 1902

(see Perdurabo p. 107)

Harry Potter

(Daniel Radcliffe from The Deathly Hallows)

Bellatrix Lestrange

(as portrayed by Helena Bonham Carter

in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows)

2009

The Comedian

(Jeffrey Dean Morgan from The Watchmen)

Rorschach

(Jackie Earle Haley from The Watchmen)

Where the Wild Things Are

(from the book by Maurice Sendak, which was made into a movie in 2009)

2008

The Joker
(In memoriam Heath Ledger from The Dark Knight)

Indiana Jones

(in memoriam of better films than The Crystal Skull)

2007

Sirius Black

(Gary Oldman from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix)

Elizabeth Swann

(Keira Knightley from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End)

King Leonidas

(Gerard Butler from 3oo)

2005

Victor Van Dort
(Voiced by Johnny Depp in Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride)

Aleister Crowley

(The annual Crowley pumpkin tradition continues,

with “The Flame” from the original Rites of Eleusius promo booklet)

Emily, the Corpse Bride

(Voiced by Helena Bonham Carter in Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride)

2002

Aragorn

(Viggo Mortensen from Lord of the Rings)

Arwen

(Liv Tyler from Lord of the Rings., by Page Brunner)

O.T.O. Lamen

(one of the hardest carvings I’ve ever done)

Aleister Crowley

from the cover of Perdurabo: The Life of Aleister Crowley)

2001

Planet of the Apes

(from Tim Burton’s remake)

Solid Snake

(from the videogame Metal Gear Solid, by Page Brunner.)

Spike

(James Marsters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, by Page Brunner)

T’Pol

(Angela Blalock from Enterprise)

1999

Queen Amidala

(Natalie Portman from The Phantom Menace)

Darth Maul

(Also from Phantom Menace…easily the hardest pumpkin yet)

Neo

(Keanu Reeves from The Matrix)

Michael

(Roy Dupuis from La Femme Nikita, by Page Brunner)

Blair Witch Project

(bad photo of a bad pumpkin…you can’t win ’em all!)

Aleister Crowley

(or if you prefer, Yul Brenner inThe 10 Commandments …which many trick-or-treaters that year thought)

1997

The film of this year’s pumpkins was lost in developing. Subjects included “Agent K” (Tommy Lee Jones from Men in Black), “Ripley” (Sigourney Weaver from Alien: Resurrection), “7 of 9” (Jeri Ryan from Star Trek: Voyager…whom nobody recognized from the neck up), the mask from Scream, and yet another Aleister Crowley.