Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Cheesy, low-budget '80s horror film has violence, cursing.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Ghoulies
What's the Story?
GHOULIES begins as a man with eerily glowing green eyes and wearing a long robe tries to sacrifice his own baby son before a crowd dressed in white, KKK-ish robes. The baby is saved and the action flashes forward 25 years to the grown son's arrival at the spooky house where the aborted ritual was staged. Jonathan (Peter Liapis) has no idea who his parents were but slowly the evil of the house seeps into him until he's spouting Dad's mumbo jumbo in a Hebrew-Latin mix and calling up bloodthirsty creatures from the ground and water on the property. These guys have sharp yellow teeth and drip saliva while grinning at the prospect of evil to come. Jonathan becomes obsessed with gaining the power his deceased father relinquished in death. He gets his minions to hypnotize girlfriend Rebecca (Lisa Pelikan) into being his accomplice. More rituals unleash creatures under the young man's control and they bloodily attack house guests. Jonathan seems to want to make love to Rebecca while creatures watch, but she says uh-uh and leaves. Two Little Persons in Viking-like costumes rein in Rebecca and get her to host an evening that leaves some friends dead and raises Jonathan's dad, Malcolm (Michael Des Barres), from his grave. Malcolm just wants his kid to kiss his dear old dad so he can drain the youth from his son's lips. Jonathan, Rebecca, and their one still-living friend escape in a car that is, unbeknownst to them, full of grinning creatures.
Is It Any Good?
It would be a surprise if the director, producers, or actors involved in the making of this movie had any interest in cinematic excellence. If they did, surely they abandoned it pretty early on. According to the director's claims, Ghoulies' "unevenness" arises from the fact that he only saw the actual special effects creatures shortly before filming began. He realized then that they were too silly-looking to be used in the serious film he supposedly originally planned, so gags were added (a creature pops up from a toilet -- so hilarious!) to create the supposed "horror-comedy" that resulted. Bercovici also denies that this was a rip-off of the earlier Gremlins. In any case, the movie doesn't make sense, as a whole or even by its own internal logic. Is it a comedy? It certainly seems unintentionally funny, but that's not really how comedy works. Watch out for Mariska Hargitay of Law & Order: SVU in a small role.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why audiences like horror films. What do you think is the appeal of watching bloody, scary, and/or violent movies?
Do you think Ghoulies was meant to be funny, or does it just seem amusing because it's so poorly made?
What's your favorite scary movie? How does this one compare?
Movie Details
- In theaters : January 18, 1985
- On DVD or streaming : April 11, 2016
- Cast : Peter Liapis , Michael Des Barres , Lisa Pelikan
- Director : Luca Bercovici
- Studio : 101 Films
- Genre : Horror
- Run time : 81 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : July 27, 2022
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