Review - Ghoulies

Proving once again that the occult and black magic are nothing to fool around with, Ghoulies is a campy little B film that goes just a little over the top with the cheese . . .


When we start out this film an infant is being transported under cover of darkness by Wolfgang (Jack Nance) away from some sort of occult filled house. This is where we first meet Malcolm Graves (Michael Des Barres) who you can tell from even this tiny glimpse, is one evil dude.

Flash forward 18 years and we meet up with Jonathan Graves (Peter Liapis) and his girlfriend Rebecca (Lisa Pelikan) walking the decaying grounds of the Graves estate which has been left to Jonathan by a father that he never knew. But never fear, these young lovers know that this old place just needs a little loosening up - and what better way to loosen up an old place than to have a party? So Jonathan and Lisa invite a bunch of their friends over to christen the place with their shenanigans. Toward the end of the evening, everyone is getting a bit bored so Jonathan suggests they do a "ritual". (It seems he's been a little busy reading up on his father's notes.) One thing to remember about a ritual is that if you start it, make sure you finish it. This includes dismissing the demons you conjure up, even if you don't really see them!

It is after this initial ritual that Jonathan goes a little berserk. He drops out of school vowing to fix the house up but after a few weeks, Rebecca gets suspicious when Jonathan has started acting very strange and begins fasting. She also catches him in an odd robe conducting a ritual in the basement. This is when she decides she's had enough. After she leaves, Jonathan spirals even deeper into the occult world and conjures up not just Ghoulies, but other strange beings as well. Grizzel (Peter Risch) and Greedigut (Tamara De Treaux) promise undying allegiance just as the Ghoulies did, but are they all trying to trick Jonathan into awakening their true master - Malcolm Graves?

Jonathan and his minion get Rebecca back and they invite their friends over for what Jonathan thinks is a ritual to strengthen his power. (In case I forgot to mention it is a ritual complete with funky sunglasses and a roast a-la-ghoulie) Unfortunately, Malcolm has other ideas as he feeds on the misfortunes of Jonathan's house guests one by one. A battle between good and evil ensues as Wolfgang returns to again save the boy he had rescued as an infant from his father's clutches.

All in all Ghoulies was very entertaining. Even though for me it was more cheese than horror, it definitely had it's scary moments. Especially the part with the evil looking clown doll! Again, something about evil dolls is terrifying - ten times more terrifying still if they are evil looking clown dolls!

A definite watcher, but don't expect serious horror.

Ghoulies Movie Cast and Credits

Directed by
Luca Bercovici

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Luca Bercovici
Jefery Levy

Cast (in credits order)
Peter Liapis .... Jonathan Graves
Lisa Pelikan .... Rebecca
Michael Des Barres .... Malcolm Graves
Jack Nance .... Wolfgang
Peter Risch .... Grizzel
Tamara De Treaux .... Greedigut
Scott Thomson .... Mike
Ralph Seymour .... Mark (Toad Boy)
Mariska Hargitay .... Donna
Keith Joe Dick .... Dick
David Dayan .... Eddie
Victoria Catlin .... Amanda
Charene Cathleen .... Robin
Bobbie Bresee .... Temptress
Jamie Bronow .... Jonathan Graves, as a child
Brian Connolly .... Ghoulie (voice)
Annie Stocking .... Ghoulie (voice)
Craig Talmy .... Ghoulie (voice)