GHOULIES II (1988)
I'm listening to WASP as I write this review. They appear on the soundtrack for Ghoulies II, so I guess I'm trying to recreate the film's atmosphere. It could be said that I try to recreate Ghoulies II's atmosphere every day. I mean, that's partially true. This movie hits the spot, man. In my review for Ghoulies, I said that if you "hope to see the little rapscallions act in mischievous ways, you might be disappointed." And that's true, although I don't mind defending Ghoulies to anyone who will listen. The point stands. If you were hoping to see the Ghoulies act like Ghoulies, Ghoulies II was made with you in mind. Plus, this is a sequel that rocks extra hard because it's set at a carnival. You can practically smell the corndogs in attendance (as for whether I'm referring to food or people, I'll leave that up to you). The plot is achingly simple. Larry and his uncle are in charge of Satan's Den, but when a miserly, penurious investor visits the campgrounds, he threatens to axe the spookshow exhibition. Thankfully, a bunch of ticket-buying wassailers are going to die before that can happen.
Wait, I think...I think I may have botched the synopsis. Larry doesn't want folks to die, but the Ghoulies do! That should have been the tagline. John Carl Beuchler's special effects are greater in number this time around. They're simply greater period. The Ghoulies themselves seem to enjoy tinkering with mechanics. I motion that they be classed as gremlins henceforth. On second thought, that might cause confusion. Yeah, they should definitely be classed as gremlins. The human cast members are likeable enough. Royal Dano is outstanding as a besotted bibber. Phil Fondacaro rules as a Shakespeare-quoting...um, I'm not sure that he has a title. He wears a monster mask and goes "ouawerfwhf!" The pace is zippy. Everything just clicks. Ghoulies II is one of those movies where if you caught it on television back in the day, you would have to stop what you were doing and watch. I know; it happened to me on one occasion. Oh, the climax. It's awesome. If I had it my way, every film would end with a giant Ghoulie emerging from the earth and eating everyone in sight. Even babies (especially babies)!
No comments:
Post a Comment