The “Ghoulies” film series is the predecessor to Charles Band’s obsession with miniature terrors, and it took a long time before he could perfect the formula. Somewhat before the “Troll” movie debacles, the “Ghoulies” movies are recognizable not so much for their iconic monsters but for the monsters coming out of toilets in every single movie poster they’ve inhabited. Scream Factory packs in a twofer feature with new and interesting extras that the movies deserve far too little.
“Ghoulies” is a terribly boring and pretty forgettable movie that attempts to market on the Gremlins fame but comes up very short. Instead it’s a long and drawn out horror movie about killer dwarves, tiny monsters that barely make an appearance at all, and human sacrifice. When a local caretaker gathers his friends for a party, he discovers the powers of the ghoulies and decides he’s willing to knock them off and turn them into his own personal zombie people in the process. “Ghoulies” has a high concept with no real delivery, and it’s a shame because a movie about little monsters running around and killing people is ripe for fandom. “Ghoulies II” is great eighties horror and a movie that the former should have been. A local carnival is trying to make money and is due to shut down Satan’s Den, a horror ride that isn’t attracting its fair share of carnival goers. All in favor of a more alluring attraction like mud wrestling.
I vote for the mud wrestling! When the monsters begin running amok in the ride, they begin knocking off hapless customers left and right. Despite their murderous habits they attract the attentions of a few kids that love the Ghoulies and are willing to lure people in to the ride. What ensues is a chaotic and pretty fun little monster movie that demonstrates “Ghoulies” penchant for being an enduring horror series, considering its simplistic premise. When it stops being convoluted and strips down to the basic idea of monsters running around and killing teens, it can be a fun ride.
Director Luca Bercovici lends his voice for an audio commentary that unfortunately drags, there’s “From Toilets to Terror” chronicling the making of “Ghoulies” which began life as “Beasties” with Stan Winston on board for SFX. “More Toilets, More Terror – The Making of Ghoulies II is a sixteen minute look at the sequel, its shooting in Rome, and the language barriers that made it hard for the cast to work. There are some HD alternate scenes that features a lot of the gore cut for a PG-13 rating. Finally, there’s the theatrical trailer and a still gallery.