Plot
Alexandra attempts to raise the demon Faust but
inadvertently releases two Ghoulies into the world. Jonathan Graves, who
encountered the Ghoulies years earlier, now works as a police detective in
LA. It isn't long before both Alexandra and the Ghoulies come looking for
him and the crystal he wears around his neck.
Review
The Ghoulies were the product of classic 80s low
budget horror film making. Clearly rip-offs of the Gremlins, the Ghoulies
were also small, aggressive, mischievous creatures intent on causing havoc
and mayhem. They looked rubbish, the films were rubbish and they should have
been consigned to the scrap heap for all eternity after the first film But
there was always heart to it and I actually felt sorry for the Ghoulies
because of how shoddy they looked, especially the green one who always
popped out of the toilet. They tried, bless them. And someone thought that
they were popular enough to spawn a couple of sequels. So they were
resurrected in 1988 and 1991 and now again with this third sequel.
Only they didn't resurrect
them. This time there's no sign of the creatures that plagued the university
in the last instalment or wreaked havoc at the fair apart from a few
flashbacks (no doubt to remind you that you are actually watching a sequel).
This time the Ghoulies are played by two very small actors with ridiculous
troll masks and jive talking accents. They look like they just walked off the set of Troll or
are a couple of kids on their way to a Halloween fancy dress party. They
have changed their ways too, now siding with good against evil. They're not
the main focus of the film and are more of a side act for the majority of
the running time. They're not in it that much which is a good thing or bad
thing depending on whether you assume more of them would have made the film
more enjoyable (it wouldn't, believe me). This whole film would have
probably worked better as Troll 3 to be honest. The "black humour"
apparently featured in the film is mainly restricted to the antics of these
two creatures as they attempt to find a way back to their own dimension.
It's about as funny as getting a wisdom tooth removed.
The film is one of those that
is literally unwatchable because of how atrocious it is. It's boring and
plodding. It's
got a lousy script which goes for the "buddy cop" feel instead of little
creatures causing havoc. It's got terrible overacting from some people and drama
school acting from others. The special effects consist of the usual low
budget 80s bright lights and smoke machines.
This one tries to compensate for the lack of Ghoulies by linking in with the
first film and pretending that the last two didn't happen. It does mean that
there is a bit of story present but I'm sure that the handful of people (and
I mean handful) who ever watched the original wouldn't really have cared if
they continued the story or not. It hardly feels like a Ghoulies movie at
all. The "highlight" is the
constant sigh of that chick on the front cover wearing a PVC costume. She's
the villainess but how could any warm-blooded male actually want to dislike
her? She does look like a porn star or stripper in the outfit and it's easy
to see why she was cast. Peter Liapis reprises his role from the original in
the attempt to get some continuity into the series.
Verdict
Ghoulies IV is helmed by a hack director
notorious for his terrible films (many of which I'd watched!) and filled
with the sort of inane film making that I'm sure would give guys like Rogert
Ebert living nightmares. The previous three films may not be classics but at
least they had Ghoulies in them and despite them looking like toys from a
junk shop, at least they were entertaining in their own way.
