Ghoulies 1 & 2

Back in the day, there were enough Gremlins rip-offs to fill up an entire wall of the local video store.  From Critters to Spookies to Munchies to Trolls, it’s more than a little ironic that these copycats wound up producing dozens of sequels while the original film could only manage one.  Courtesy of Empire Pictures, Ghoulies(1984) was first out of the gate, shot concurrently and released the same year as Joe Dante’s original.  Producer Charles Band was keen to design a low-budget studio system that could share talent – and resources – to crank out genre films with signature appeal…on a rubber stamp budget.

 

After inheriting a mansion from his deceased parents, Jonathon Graves (Peter Liapis) moves in with his girlfriend Rebecca (Lisa Pelikan), who’s more than a little trepidatious about the place.  And with good reason!  The basement was used for satanic rituals by Malcolm Graves (Michael Des Barres), Jonathan’s father, and an evil power still lingers below.  Jonathan uses a housewarming party as an excuse to raise some hell – literally – by summoning pint-sized demons who have waited a generation for their freedom.

 

Using almost a slasher-like structure, the Ghoulies – which include slimy, distorted variations on rats, cats, bats and a swamp monster – pick off partygoers in formulaic, but PG-13 fashion.  Guests include future SVU star Mariska Hargitay and David Lynch regular Jack Nance as a good-natured warlock handyman.  But it takes quite a while to get there.  Most of the script focuses on Jonathon’s slow turn to the dark side and Rebecca’s understandable frustration when he tries to impregnate her with his demon spawn.  Hey, every relationship has its issues.

 

What Ghoulies gets right is the Empire formula, adding a dash of ‘80s cheese and so-bad-they’re-good special effects in such a way that no one walks away disappointed.  The titular creations, designed by John Carl Buechler, are essentially misshapen Muppets with less personality.  But the film uses them in such a way that the audience is in on the joke…even if they’re about as realistic as props in a low-rent spook house.

 



Speaking of which, that’s exactly where the little monsters end up in Ghoulies 2 (1987), a shot on an Italian soundstage sequel that actually feels more expansive than the first film.  Hitching a ride on a carnival truck, the creatures wind up inside Satan’s Den, part of a run-down traveling carnival that’s on its last legs.  But the appearance of real demons causes a boost in tickets sales…and a dramatic loss in customers’ lives!

 

Amplifying the monster action – if not the quality of the effects – Ghoulies 2 is certainly not without its charms.  The carny community reflects the feel of the film itself: supportive, charming and willing to do anything for a buck.  A few scenes of stop-motion animation breath new life into Buechler’s designs and the carnival set – complete with rides and Italian extras – provides a much-needed sense of space.  I mean, how much more can you really expect out of five ratty puppets…send them to college?!  

 

Oh wait, that happens in part three. 

 

Now released both on 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray two-disc collector’s edition - as part of the MVD Rewind Collection, Ghoulies 1 and 2 are beyond amazing to look at, pulled from a 16-Bit scan of the original camera negative.  It’s more than fans, or pretty much anyone, ever asked for!  Extras include two archival commentaries, interviews with director Luca Bercovici, Ted Nicolau, and Scott Thompson, half-hour Making Of and collective mini-poster.  

 

Extras on Ghoulies 2  include another Making Of, interview with Dennis Paoli, image galleries, a matching mini-poster and the restored unrated cut that adds back in a couple of minutes of gore.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tormented

Image
The west coast always struggled to create a creepy atmosphere on screen.  All that southern California sunshine just doesn’t lend itself to ghostly apparitions or gothic castles.  But  Tormented  (1960) gives it a good try, staging its opening scene in an abandoned lighthouse where blackmail turns into murder - and one cover up leads to another.  Director Bert I. Gordon, better known for his giant-sized - but low-budget - monster movies, works well at this level, turning in a film that delivers small scares but perhaps his most  professional finished product. Tom Stewart (played by genre regular Richard Carlson) is a fairly successful jazz pianist whose impending marriage to Meg Hubbard (Susan Gordon) will put him in an entirely new tax bracket.  Trouble is his old flame, Vi (Juli Reding), isn’t taking this lying down.  After  allowing  her to fall to her death in the opening scene, Tom is haunted by disembo...
Read more

All Ladies Do It / Frivolous Lola

Image
Every semi-professional review of erotica probably starts off with the same question:  what’s the difference between porn and art?  The internet age has essentially done away with foreplay; sex is merely the act of completion itself, minus the threat of any malware or suspicious browser activity.  But the work of Italian director Tinto Brass, for all its leering upskirt shots of derrieres and pubic hair, still communicates something that websites like Pornhub never will:  the art of seduction.  All Ladies Do It  (1992), a breezy sexual adventure, follows Diana (Claudia Koll) whose marriage is threatened by her fantasies of dalliances with other men, stories her husband believes are nothing more than exciting role play.  But her loose definition of adultery inspires plenty of promiscuous hook-ups, taking advantage of any (ahem)  loophole  that provides a quick thrill.   Flirting with some hardcore sequences (there...
Read more

The Cat and the Canary

Image
My favorite directors have always been showoffs:  Hitchcock, DePalma, Spielberg (when he’s feeling frisky) and gonzo auteurs like Sam Raimi.  There’s just something about their cinematic ambition, constantly reminding the audience that, yes, there actually  is  someone behind the camera calling the shots.  And that directorial discontent shines through even in the early days of the medium, such as Paul Leni’s 1927 adaptation of  The Cat and the Canary .  While the rest of the industry was still learning the basics of visual language, Leni fills his frame with tracking shots, POVs and dramatic lighting that set the standard for every spook show to come!  Gathered for the reading of the last will and testament of eccentric recluse Cyrus West,  the potential heirs meet up in his decrepit mansion to discover who will inherit the estate and family jewels.  Predictably there is some petty jealousy when young Annab...
Read more