Back in the ’80s, the MPAA ratings meant a lot more than it does now. Streaming doesn’t really care about a viewer’s age. Four decades ago, the ratings had a bit more ability to block out certain age groups. If your movie was given an R rating; it meant most high schoolers couldn’t get into the film when it played the local twin theaters unless they had a cool parent. The arrival of the megaplexes in the ’90s meant kids could buy a ticket for a G-rated Disney flick and try to sneak into your theater. This meant you didn’t get a piece of the admission fee. Nobody wanted this financial nightmare.
When Ghoulies arrived at the start of 1985, it was angling itself to be disturbing indie version of the previous summer’s big studio hit Gremlins. While both were considered horror films, Gremlins received a tame PG Rating which mean teens could buy a ticket without a parent or guardian. Ghoulies originally received an R rating. After barely 12 seconds of cuts, the movie was issued with the newly created PG-13. The meant a kid had to be at least 13 to attend without a parent which was still the prime market. The rating drop allowed teens to flock to the film. It became a massive hit. The kids were excited about a film featuring the tiny demonic creature popping out of the toilet with the slogan “They’ll Get You In The End.”
While people had to wait years for Gremlins 2 to hit theaters, Ghoulies II arrived only two years later. It also had to be trimmed slightly to get the precious PG-13. Besides the theatrical release, the rating was important for access in the video rental stores. The PG-13 allowed teenagers to rent the VHS tape without having to get a parent’s permission. Now the Unrated Cut of Ghoulies II is arriving on 4K UHD. While the safe PG-13 version ran 89:43, the restored snipped snippets make the Unrated cut 91:19. While that’s not much time, those precious seconds reveal how vicious the wicked creatures were. You might want to go to the bathroom before hitting “play” since you’ll be avoiding the toilet during the screening of Ghoulies II.
The ghoulies have left the creepy mansion from the first film and hit the road as part of a travelling carnival. They hide out inside a horror themed funhouse ride called “Satan’s Den.” This turns out to be a great cover since 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 coming to town. Ghoulies II puts the main focus on the ghoulies. The entire save the carnival plot gets pushed away when the little demonic critters nibble on customers and 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. 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 played on MeTV’s Svengoolie last July in a version that had been snipped even further to not freakout younger viewers. Getting to see the Unrated version of Ghoulies II on 4K UHD is more thrilling that any of the rides at the carnival.
The Video is 1.85:1 anamorphic. This is a new 4K transfer using a 16-Bit scan of the original camera negative. The ghoulies look even more slimy and nasty up close on the 4K UHD. 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.
Blu-ray that has the previous transfer of the film and most of the bonus features.
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: Collector’s Edition. Directed by Albert Band. Screenplay by Dennis Paoli. Starring Damon Martin, Royal Dano, Phil Fondacaro, J. Downing & Kerry Remsen. Running Time: 90 minutes & 91 minutes. Rating: Rated PG-13 & Unrated. Release Date: July 9, 2024.
