Hello everyone, Matthew here with some more reviews. I mentioned before that I was going to discuss some of the films that I had the opportunity to watch while I was bedridden with COVID. Well, I figured why the hell not kick things off with doing just that. There weren't a lot of them. But there were one or two.
It absolutely boggles my mind to think that there are people out there that will never have the opportunity of going to their local video store. It’s also incredibly saddening. I have countless memories of going into our local video store on a Friday Night after school. The sensation of perusing the shelves as the waves and waves of VHS covers flowing oer you. It was calming to do. The VHS covers alone were always amazing. Yes, even Friday The 13th Part V: A New Beginning. The DVD and Blu Ray covers nowadays cannot even hold a candle to those VHS covers. I will give them some credit that they try at times. Shout! Factory/Scream Factory is fantastic with giving you those original covers if you’d like the option.
Some of those VHS covers that I remember so vividly are Ghoulies, Ghoulies II, The Gate 2, Ice Cream Man and Dr. Giggles to name a few. Each of them just having those striking visuals. It just immediately was able to capture your attention and imagination. The next thing you know, you’d find yourself just wondering what the film was about. Then if you managed to pass on them, they would still stay in your memory til your next trip. Almost challenging you to take a chance and check them out.
Imagine my surprise when I was reading Nat Brehmer’s Puppet Master Complete and hearing about Charles Band’s Empire Pictures days. For those that don’t know, Charles Band is responsible for Full Moon and in those last days for Empire - he also was behind Ghoulies and Ghoulies II. His whole motto was to craft a marketing plan that would be so enthralling that it’d grab your attention and not let go. With Ghoulies that was definitely the case as the cover illustrated the forementioned Ghoulie popping up out of a toilet. In one image, it was able to sell you on exactly the type of film you were in for.
One day, I found myself choosing 10 movies to pick up for the weekend. Out of the corner of my eye, that cover was drawing my attention. I whisked it up along with the sequel and eight other films. At that time, my mother was with me and didn’t really care what rented. There’s a lot more to that story but won’t get into it here. The next morning, I found myself unsure of what exactlly I had watched. Ghoulies and Ghouies II had creatures in them. I was certain of that. It was one of the reasons why I had enjoyed it so much. But other than that, the first film was all but a blur. The second film I knew was more focused around a carnival. But one thing I do know is that I had watched those two films more than any of the others I had rented that weekend.
In the years since, I kept remembering Ghoulies and Ghoulies II. It was just one of those fond memories of when times were a bit easier and was able to have movie marathons on the weekends. There’s honestly nothing else like it. Some may even say it’s like a warm comforting blanket.
So when I became bed ridden with COVID, I thought one day that I’d take a look into what was available on TUBI. Tubi is a wonderful free streaming app that has so much variety to its offerings. You can watch Batman ‘66 with Adam West one minute and the next find yourself taking a stroll in Springwood with Freddy’s Nightmares. I know a lot of people have been praising Tubi and saying that it’s one of the best streamers available and I’d happily agree. Shudder and Tubi are two of the best streamers for Horror. ScreamBox is getting there now. But I found myself browsing the horror selection and found Ghoulies and Ghoulies II. Immediately, I was hit with those warm nostalgic feelings and hit play.
The first Ghoulies honestly didn’t hold up for me. It felt like such a mish mash of several different elements striving to come together to tell a story. It’s a story about a man discovering himself and aspects of himself that he never knew of. It’s a story involving small creatures terrorizing a group of people at a party. It’s a story involving a reincarnated Wizard or Warlock(?). Is that the best way to describe the zombified weirdo that comes up from the ground? The feeling that the film evoked felt so familiar with something I had watched this past year. I just couldn’t manage to place a finger on it. Then when the credits rolled, I felt like I was slapped in the face. Spookies.
For those that remember, I covered Spookies last year for the 31 for 31 Halloween I did. It was just such a bizarre film that was made up of various different elements. Whether or not that managed to succeed in a good film, that’s up to the viewer to decide. I know it has managed to find an audience in the years since its release. And honestly, I’d recommend a Ghoulies/Spookies double feature.
It’s not to say that Ghoulies is bad. It’s obvious that it was made with a certain plan in mind. Low budget guerilla filmmaking. It’s something that we honestly don’t see much of nowadays and that’s a shame. Hopefully one day, we will be able to see that type of filmmaking make a return. It just feels like it’s unsure of itself. Does it double down on the creatures or does it double down on the magic? Does it double down on trying to establish the characters or does it double down on the fact that these are cookie cutter characters? Does the film have stakes? These were all questions I found myself asking.
For the most part, I would say that the creatures are the most memorable aspect in this first film. They each have their own unique design. I know I’ve found myself loving the Cat Ghoulie to the point where I’ve been looking at the Replicas that have been made by Trick Or Treat Studios. They are evil demonic entities. They do whatever they want and however they want as long as it serves their master’s wishes.
Other than that, the first film’s story just didn’t leave a lasting impression on me. I found myself a little confused as the story progressed to the point where I rewatched part of the film to figure out exactly what was going on. There is some gore in the film and some frightening images. However by the end of the film, I was hoping that there’d be more stakes. It felt like things just were undone and characters were all saved for a happy ending. Why? Why couldn’t there be consequences for character’s actions? It did give a good Haunted House feeling to the film though. I will give it that. However with Ghoulies, I don’t know if I’ll return to it again.
After the first film finished, I took a deep breath and hit play on the second installment. Yes, I did see that Ghoulies III and Ghoulies IV are also available on TUBI. No, I haven’t watched them yet and unsure if I’ll get to them. Maybe on another bedridden day, I’ll decide to.
Ghoulies II immediately was a whole new bag of tricks. It immediately tossed aside the surviving cast of the first film. Instead, we find a priest running to a warehouse with a bag full of Ghoulies. His whole goal is to attempt to boil them in acid before they can inflict any harm to anyone else. Noble goal. However, it doesn’t last long for him and he’s knocked into the acid by a flying Ghouie. Yes, we have more Ghoulies in this film. Except the big different this time around, they don’t have a master to serve. So the kid gloves are off for them. They are able to inflict any harm on anyone they wish.
The Ghoulies find themselves into the back of a truck of Royal Dano’s Carnival Magician and his nephew. They arrive at a travelling carnival. And then things are off to the races. The Ghoulies manage to blend in to Royal Dano’s attraction schtick - House of Horrors. Royal Dano is honestly the one actor that I managed to remember the most besides Phil Fondacaro. Everyone else delivers an okay performance to make the most out of the film.
It was honestly so refreshing to see the Ghoulies able to enact mayhem and have it have consequences. Characters die in this film and by the end, don’t return. There’s not necessarily a happy ending. There’s no undo button. Things happen and the blood flies. I would say the interesting solution to the Ghoulie problem: How does one kill a Ghoulie? By summoning an even bigger Ghoulie. That was pretty interesting. Yeah, it’s a man in a monster suit. But ya know what? Who cares. It’s fun. It definitely makes the film very memorable and dare I say it - surpasses the first film.
Overall, Ghoulies II was a lot of fun. It’s in on the joke. It knows that it’s B-Movie over the top goodness. It knows exactly what people want to see going into it and delivers. It doesn’t overstay its welcome with a plump runtime - no we get a lean mean 1 hour 20 minute machine. And it’s effective.
Ghoulies Rating: 2.5 Cat Ghoulies out of 5.
Ghoulies II Rating: 3.75 Cat Ghoulies out of 5.
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