Synopsis
In Ghoulies, a young man inherits a run-down home, only to succumb gradually tohis warlock legacy, summoning the title creatures and turning them loose on his friends. TheGhoulies strike back in the sequel, this time finding their way into a carnival and creating no endof havoc there. Neither film takes itself seriously — how could they, with little rubbery puppetsfor monsters. There is something likeable about the enthusiastically silly cheese up there on thescreen…
Audio
Ghoulies is in mono, its sequel in 2.0. Neither track is stellar, but the low budgetshould be accounted for. Nevertheless, there is a fair bit of dialogue distortion on the mono track,and the 2.0 generates inappropriate surround voices (sometimes quite severely). There is somedecent left-right separation on Ghoulies II, and the rear effects aren’t too bad either. Thetracks are still very much those you would expect from cheap films from the late 80s.
Video
Full 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfers, and the films look as good as they would haveon theatrical release. The prints are in fine shape, and there is no grain to speak of. Mostimpressive are the contrasts, and most of all the work done on the blacks and reds, which aredeep and strong enough to make the movies look rather more expensive than they really are.
Special Features
The menus are basic, and the only extras are the theatrical trailers.
Closing Thoughts
Not the most classic of double-bills, but enough, I would submit, to stir thoughts of cheesynostalgia among genre fans who were growing up in the 80s.
Special Features List
- Theatrical Trailers
