When Ghoulies came out at the start of 1985, the film became a bit of a phenomenon. First is did exceptionally well in theaters. The movie’s reputation grew when it arrived at the videostores. People who dropped by the Videorama looking for Gremlins in the horror section saw the VHS box with the Ghoulie popping out of the toilet and “They’ll Get You In The End!” slogan. How could they not want to see what this indie film had to offer versus once more renting the big Hollywood Studio film. Ghoulies was a big enough success that it launched Charles Band’s Empire Pictures that released low budget horror films to theater and straight to video. This success meant there was going to be a sequel. In the summer of 1987, theatergoers got another dose of ghoulies as Ghoulies II opened with another reason to avoid going to the restroom.
The ghoulies have left the estate from the first film and have hit the road as part of a travelling carnival. They hide out inside a horror themed funhouse ride. This turns out to be a great cover since if they’re spotted, people think they’re just part of the ride. The carnival is having a bit of trouble. The original owner has died. Their Yuppie child has taken control of the operation. He’s all about the money and announces that he’s evaluating what rides are making money and which ones are taking him for a ride. He is not easily amused with this business. He’s eager to downsize the carnival to save cash. The good news is that the ghoulies have made their funhouse the top attraction on the midway. What’s the bad news? The little buggers are attacking the customers. This puts a major dent in repeat business. Things get even more out of control when a huge ghoulie appears. Nobody is going to forget this carnival. Ghoulies II puts the main focus on the ghoulies. The entire save the carnival plot gets pushed away when the little demonic critters take a bite out of customers and the carnies. Will anyone survive the carnival of the damned?
Ghoulies II sticks to the element that made the first one such a sensation: the little buggers with the sharp teeth. By transporting the action to a carnival, there’s a fun element when they go on the rampage. The lights are blinking. There’s popcorn and cotton candy. You’re never sure if the screams are from people on a thrill ride or having their bodies bit by ghoulies. You can’t tell until you get closer and that might be the wrong move. Ghoulies II played on MeTV’s Svengoolie during July in a version that had been snipped to not freakout younger viewers. The Blu-ray shows how the cute ghoulies can be so deadly. The ghoulie puppets are rather primitive in their expressions and motions. All that matters is their tiny jaws and claws can dig into people and they can emerge from toilets. Ghoulies II show that they are extra creepy one more time.
The Video is 1.85:1 anamorphic. The ghoulies once more look slimy and nasty up close in the 1080p resolution. The Audio is LPCM 2.0 Stereo. You’ll hear the little noises made by the creatures. The movie is subtitled in English, French and Spanish.
Introduction by Screenwriter Dennis Paoli (1:15) has him welcome you to the screening fun.
More Toilets, More Terror: The Making of Ghoulies 2 (16:50) covers Ghoulies II. They shot the film in Italy with the carnival set up inside a soundstage to not have to worry about night shooting and weather. Charles said it was kind of nuts with their budget.
Under A Magic Moon: Interview with Dennis Paoli (33:36) gets into his long friendship with Stuart Gordon that started in high school. He gets into how the duo ended up at the University of Wisconsin with a production of Peter Pan as a hippie who gets the Darling children high before they fly off to Neverland. Dennis worked on the scripts for Re-Animator and From Beyond before writing Ghoulies II. He wrote the script in two weeks. Charles Band gave him the rough elements he needed and off Paoli went to type away. He talks about writing up to the edge.
Deleted Scenes (2:43) is a bit more gory than what ended up in the film. Those ghoulies are just plain evil. These bits would have made the movie R-rated and limited who could rent the tape at Videorama.
Photo Gallery (1:50) has press photos, publicity photos of the toilet, behind the scenes shots and the poster.
Theatrical Trailer (1:23) promises more toilet scares. There’s also trailers for Ghoulies, Vampire’s Kiss, Swamp Thing and Return of the Swamp Thing.
Collectible Mini-Poster with the Ghoulies in a toilet. This is perfect for framing and hanging in your bathroom.
MVD Rewind Collection presents Ghoulies II. Directed by Albert Band. Screenplay by Dennis Paoli. Starring Damon Martin, Royal Dano, Phil Fondacaro, J. Downing, Kerry Remsen. Running Time: 90 minutes. Rating: Rated PG-13. Release Date: September 12, 2023.
