Ghoulies I & II

The Gremlins movie was the starting point for tons of other uninspired eighties directors to start their own goofy creature feature series, balancing between horror/fantasy and pure comedy. Ghoulies was one of them. It was the full feature debute by Luca Bercovici and not more than three years leater it was time for the sequel, directed by Albert Band. I’ll be taking a look at both of these films and who knows… they might be really good!

Ghoulies I

The first film starts of rather cheesy. It’s your typical eighties ritual gone wrong, complete with overacting and funny clothing. The story continues as we see a young man and his girlfriend move into the man's old mansion home, where he becomes possessed by a need to control ancient demons. There’s plenty of room for some simple, silly but entertaining nonsense.

The biggest problem with the first film is; it never lives up to its potential. The ‘ghoulies’ look pretty cool but they aren’t getting nearly enough screentime as they should. Also, the main plot just doesn’t work out that well, the magic is dull and the protagonists remain to feel empty throughout the entire film.

They took a shot but they missed their target. Although, it does show a lot of possibilities for the sequel.

Score: 5/10

Ghoulies II

Right of the bat, this is the better one. Ghoulies II picks up a short time after the first movie, a few of the little nasties stow away on an amusement park ride and bring big bucks to a dying fair. The creatures are mad after an attempt to kill them, so the creatures go on a rampage through the fairgrounds, ultimately leading to an explosive conclusion!

For this sequel, Albert Band had a good look at the first and sensed what was missing: fun. By simply changing the setting and by simplifying the story, it created more room for the ghoulies to mess around all they want. And a carnival seems like the perfect setting to do so.

The kills are, pretty much like the first one, rather decent. The ending, though, really stands out in the sequel. I loved the giant rubber suit swallowing all of the little demons. It’s an improvement on all aspects, the cast is more sympathatic and the creatures have finaly served their purpose.

Score: 7/10