Tom Hanks Resurrects David Pumpkins in Halloween ‘SNL’ Appearance

Christian Zilko
·2 min read
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Tom Hanks made yet another return to “Saturday Night Live” this weekend, suiting up as David Pumpkins in what is rapidly becoming a Halloween tradition for the long-running sketch show.

Per usual, the sketch followed a group of horror enthusiasts on a haunted-house style carnival ride that shows them different horror villains in each room. Classic film characters like Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, and Pennywise the Clown all showed up in the sketch. But the ride quickly becomes saturated with appearances by David Pumpkins, a man in a pumpkin-patterned suit (who is apparently from Ibiza) and two dancing skeletons. Rather than try to scare the guests, he dances before cryptically asking if they have “any questions?” This time, Jack Harlow was on the ride. The rapper (and star of the upcoming “White Men Can’t Jump” remake) handled “SNL” hosting duties this week, and played a rider who actually enjoyed David Pumpkins.

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David Pumpkins debuted on “Saturday Night Live” in 2016, with Hanks returning to reprise the role several times since then. He also starred in “The David S. Pumpkins Halloween Special,” an animated special that aired on NBC in 2017.

For some of the show’s younger audience members, Hanks might be more recognizable for playing David Pumpkins than he is for his four decade film career and two Oscar wins. Hanks probably wouldn’t be offended by that, considering his affection for the character and his recent assertion that he’s only made four good movies.

“No one knows how a movie is made — though everyone thinks they do,” Hanks said in a recent interview. “I’ve made a ton of movies (and four of them are pretty good, I think) and I’m still amazed at how films come together. From a flicker of an idea to the flickering image on screen, the whole process is a miracle.”

He added, “Movie-making is very hard work over a very long period of time that consists of so many moments of joy slapped up against an equal number of feelings of self-loathing. It is the greatest job in the world and the most confounding of labors that I know of.”

Watch “David Pumpkins Returns” below:

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