Ghoulies (Luca Bercovici, 1984, USA)

Ghoulies is a 1985 film directed by Luca Bercovici. From indie horror powerhouse producer Charles Band, the film is one of the many “little creature” features that took off in the mid-80s following the success of Gremlins. Having just watched Critters, Ghoulies feels low-budget by comparison. The creatures in Ghoulies are a bit more worn, a bit more static, a bit less impressive. The Satanic subplot feels like something out of a 60s B-movie more than something from the 1980s. And yet, Ghoulies does have some charm in its stupidity. Maybe there is also something sentimental about seeing the late David Lynch collaborator Jack Nance in a key role here. How can you hate Jack Nance?

The film tells the story of Jonathan Graves, whose father was a Satanist. He inherits his father’s estate and gradually becomes enveloped in its evil seduction. The Ghoulies are Jonathan’s demonic little servants who serve to execute his will as his power grows. We also have Jack Nance playing a character named Wolfgang, as well as two dwarves - Grizzel and Greedigut. John Carl Buechler is the star of the film as the creator of the titular ghoulies. Buechler was no doubt a talented artist who often made the best of the limited budgets he was given to work with. Many of his creations have stood the test of time. See Stuart Gordon’s Dolls for a standout example of his work.

While it is easy to view Ghoulies as a cheap Gremlins knock-off cash-in for the burgeoning home video market of the 1980s, something about the Charles Band productions - even the worst ones - conjures a level of nostalgia. Ghoulies is mercifully brief at about 80 minutes. Thankfully, it does not overextend its welcome. We are looking forward to evaluating the film’s many sequels.      

4/10