Jack-O is the third in a trio of movies directed by Steve Latshaw in the early-to-mid-1990s. The film was straight-to-TV and video, and was later rereleased in 2005 as a special-edition DVD.
Plot
The Kelly family lives in the fictional town of Oakmoor Crossing, just before and during Halloween. The family, consisting of father David, mother Linda, and son Sean, live a normal suburban life, but are eventually visited by a stranger who identifies herself as Vivian Machen. Both the Machens and the Kellys have a long ancestral history in Oakmoor Crossing, and Vivian reveals that one of the Kelly's ancestors hanged a supposed warlock named Walter Machen, who raised up a pumpkin-headed demon, Jack-O, from hell to take revenge on the Kellys. The Kelly ancestor ended up burying the demon in a shallow grave, but through the antics of several teenagers Jack-O is raised again and seeks revenge on the Kellys.
Jack-O features few recognizable actors, however, several popular low-budget film staples are present. Linnea Quigley and Rebecca Wicks play dominant roles, and both Cameron Mitchell and John Carradine make poorly-spliced cameos because they had died before the film's production began. Steve Latshaw had several cast and crew members that joined him on all three of his major projects during the early 1990s. Fred Olen Ray was the producer for all three of Steve Latshaw's films, and Patrick Moran, who played Jack-O, had writing credits on all three as well. As well, Rebecca Wicks and Catherine Walsh both appeared in Jack-O and Biohazard: The Alien Force. And Ryan Latshaw, the director's son, appeared in all three of Steve Latshaw's early-90s films.
Critical response
Jack-O received largely negative reviews and carries a 2.4 rating on IMDb. The film received a 10th Anniversary edition DVD release, with commentary by Steve Latshaw and Fred Olen Ray, and numerous other special features, including the original "theatrical" trailer, and film from a failed project by Steve Latshaw known as "Gator Babes".
