GHOULIES (1985)
I don't know if this is common knowledge or not, but Ghoulies was in pre-production well before Gremlins. If it weren't for the fact that producers ran out of money halfway through principal photography, the film would have beaten Gremlins to theaters. So really, Gremlins is the knock-off. Does that change your opinion of Ghoulies? Probably not. It still feels like the low-rent surrogate of "tiny monster" vehicles. I get it, but to be honest, I prefer Ghoulies. And I'm not just trying to be the contrarian in the room. I completely understand if you're not a fan. After all, the creatures themselves are mere bystanders in the story. Speaking of which, Ghoulies is full of horror tropes, well-worn clichés that are both old-fashioned and familiar to purveyors of 80's popcorn clusters. Jonathan inherits a regal estate and finds curious books in the basement. Why, it's a veritable athenaeum of tomes on alchemy and black magic how-to guides. Y'know, sorcery. That kind of stuff.
Anyway, ol' Jon decides to conduct an arcane ritual for his friends. Bad idea, as he unwittingly opens a portal to the netherworld. It's never clear where exactly the Ghoulies hail from, a frustrating detail that the series refuses to address all the way up to the fourth entry. Thankfully, this is not the fourth entry. Every time I watch this flick, I have fun with it. Peter Liapis is committed in the lead role. He takes the task seriously, no matter how wacky his surroundings become (and you better believe his surroundings become wacky). This movie contains the second greatest wizard duel in history. If you're curious, Vincent Price and Peter Lorre are in pole position thanks to 1963's The Raven. I also love John Carl Beuchler's special effects. Maybe I just love John Carl Beuchler. If you watch Ghoulies hoping to see the little rapscallions act in mischievous ways, you might be disappointed. Truth be told, they aren't the stars of the show. I was able to get my fix, however.
Ghoulies comes close to being a 4-Z'Dar firecracker, but hold on. I'm saving the big guns for the bigger gun.
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