Ghoulies had a massive comeback over the summer when the creepy creatures rose up on televisions across America thanks to Svengoolie. The MeTV horror host had both the original and sequel on his show. This might have been the biggest audience for Ghoulies since the film’s very successful theatrical run in the winter of 1985. There’s probably a lot of new converts to the disturbing little supernatural creatures after back-to-back Saturdays. There have to be quite a few people outside of Berwin with a fear lifting up the toilet seat to a surprise attack. For viewers curious about that they saw on a hot summer night, Ghoulies is now out on 4K UHD with a resolution high enough to feel like they were conjured into their living rooms.
The fierce little creatures watch a candlelit demonic ritual led by Malcolm Graves (Michael Des Barres from Heroes & “The Most Gracious Star in Showbiz”)/ The robed figure puts a little baby on his altar. Malcolm’s eyes glow green as he raises a dagger over the baby for what appears to be a human sacrifice. A woman in the crowd attempts to ruin the ceremony, but is persuaded to put the baby back. Malcolm’s plans get ruined once more, but this time for something from the baby. The ceremony is ruined and Wolfgang (Eraserhead‘s Jack Nance) takes the baby to safety. The woman who stopped the ceremony gets a major surprise to bring the ritual to an end. Years pass and Malcolm’s son (Peter Liapis) has inherited the family’s vast estate. While digging through the dad’s effects, he finds various spell books, sacred vestments and a dungeon space. He livens things up at the house by inviting his pals over for a wild party. The guest list includes Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: SVU). Things start out promising with extreme breakdancing. When the festivities hit a lull, Jonathan decides to raise a little Hell with the forbidden words and rituals instead of playing Trivial Pursuit. His pursuit of the dark arts and spells eventually leads to the arrival of the ghoulies. They creepy critters don’t get along when they meet his friends. The mayhem leads to a father and son reunion that might not end in hugs.
Ghoulies is a perfect ’80s party film. Viewers will delight in the extreme ’80s hairdos used by the cast. The breakdance scene conjures up more evil laughter than the ritual. The Ghoulies come out of the shadows around the 30-minute mark and don’t disappoint. They have such nasty realistic teeth. They are extremely puppet-looking, but they’re more interesting to watch than a pile of CGI creations. Even though you know the moment is going to happen, it’s gross when the ghoulie pops out of the toilet. It’s such an authentic nightmare. The film’s short running time keeps things from getting bogged down. If you watched Ghoulies on Svengoolie, there were a few edits to the film to make sure the visuals weren’t too much for their family audience. Now you can get the whole view of what happened when the party was crashed by the little demon creatures and Jonathan’s dad. For viewers that go hooked over the summer, you’ll get a fresh and deeper view of Ghoulies on 4K UHD.
The Video is 1.85:1 anamorphic. The 4K UHD transfer is a16-Bit Scan of the Original Camera Negative. This higher resolution makes the Ghoulies look twice as nasty. They audio is English DTS-HD MA mono 2.0. You’ll hear the little noises around the estate. The movie is subtitled.
Audio commentaries include an archival 2015 track with director Luca Bercovici. There’s also a 2016 commentary by director Luca Bercovici moderated by Jason Andreasen of Terror Transmission. He has plenty of tales about making the leap from acting in Charles Band films to becoming the director.
Collectible “4K LaserVision” Mini-Poster of the Ghoulie in the Toilet. Perfect for hanging in your bathroom.
Blu-ray with the movie, both commentary tracks and all the bonus features.
Video Introduction by Luca Bercovici (0:51) has him amazed that nearly 30 years later, he’s talking about the movie.
Editing an Empire: Interview with Ted Nicolau (27:30) gets into his love of horror movies on TV while growing up in Dallas. He must have gotten a kick out of seeing Ghoulies on Svengoolie. He started in college wanting to be a doctor. That all changed when he saw a few art films. He went from pre-med to film at the University of Texas. He worked sound on Texas Chainsaw Massacre. He ended up on the infamous Roar (the crew was attacked by the big cats). He became an editor. He next worked on Tourist Trap with Charles Band. When Empire started, he came back to splice way. This led to Ghoulies. Eventually he got to direct on The Dungeonmaster and TerrorVision. He talks about how editing gives you a good sense of what you need from your cast and crew when you’re directing.
The Mind Is A Terrible Thing to Waste: Interview with Scott Thomson (22:02) has the actor who played Mike discuss working with Luca on Parasite. He gets into how they next ended up in Frightmare. The two got along so well that Luca wanted him for Ghoulies. He talks about how the film was rather loose in letting the creativity flow.
“Just Cos Of The Chick, Man!” interview with Luca Bercovici (33:46) has him explain how he auditioned for a play to hang out with a girl. He found his calling as the play went on. His dad adapted the book and produced the Shogun miniseries and had Luca working dialogue with the Japanese actresses. He did a lot of bad guy work in TV which frustrated him since they didn’t have much depth on the shows. While working with Charles Band, Luca got the idea that he could get a low budget film produced by the guy. So he and Jefery Levy came up with the script for Ghoulies. He can’t quite remember who decided to put in the creatures, but he won’t deny it could have been Charles. The film had a few issues when Charles made Luca fire his wife for a leading role. Later they ran out of cash for the budget and had a shutdown.
From Toilets to Terror: The Making of Ghoulies (29:49) has Michael Des Barres discuss his role. The morning DJ on Little Steve’s Underground Garage puts this film into perspective for his career that includes To Sir With Love. Charles Band gets into his relationship with Stan Winston. They originally had an idea called Beasties, but they only had a few sketches. They stopped working on the project when Stan got too busy with major Hollywood projects. After Gremlins became a hit, Band got a bit more serious about a film involving little nasty little creatures. The success of Ghoulies led to him establishing Empire. He talks about how part of the film was supposed to be 3-D, but they abandoned the process after a few days. Luca Bercovici worked for Band on Parasite and came up with the script and got to direct.
Photo Gallery (3:32) has the press photos, posters. ads, VHS boxes and special effects shots,
Theatrical Trailers (1:55) for both Ghoulies (1:55) and Ghoulies II (1:23). Ghoulie’s II is also coming out on Blu-ray.
TV Spots (1:25) has four creepy commercials with “They’ll get you in the end” tagline.
MVD Rewind Collection presents Ghoulies: LaserVision Collection. Directed by Luca Bercovici. Screenplay by Luca Bercovici & Jefery Levy. Starring Peter Liapis, Lisa Pelikan, Michael Des Barres, Scott Thomson, Mariska Hargitay & Jack Nance. Running Time: 81 minutes. Rating: Rated PG-13. Release Date: September 12, 2023.
