COLLECTOR'S CRYPT - GHOULIES II (MVD REWIND BLU RAY)

When is a sequel better than its predecessor? Putting aside as much subjectivity as possible, most direct horror sequels (2nd films in a franchise) are close in adoration to the film that precedes them. This isn’t always the case, and while some direct sequels are better than they should be not many of them will eclipse the first film in terms of opinion and popularity. From HALLOWEEN II to HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II, the 2nd in a series may be a personal preference for some even if doesn’t carry the same recognition and weight as the former does. More often than not, direct sequels that are superior are the byproduct of the previous film being somewhat underwhelming. Any improvements, marginal or massive can instantly make the sequel a better film. This dovetails nicely into today’s selection from the crypt, GHOULIES II on BLU RAY from the MVD REWIND COLLECTION. Is this sequel better than the film before it, or is it a downgrade from the original?

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

The demonic, toilet-dwelling goblins are back! Stowed away in 'Satan's Den,' the traveling House of Horror operated by carnival workers Larry and Uncle Ned, the Ghoulies merrily devour the sideshow attraction's patrons... until Larry realizes his horror house is for real and tries to flee the scene!

HOW IS IT?

Despite my affection for the first GHOULES film, it isn’t what one would consider a “masterpiece”. While it can be difficult for a sequel to re-capture the magic of the first film, for Ghoulies it would seem there was only one direction to go, and that’s up. The good news is that Ghoulies II succeeds in not only being a better “ghoulies” film than the first one but also sets a weird tone that the series will carry forward for at least two more films. This is not to imply that Ghoulies II is some revelation, but rather that this time around we get a lot more ghoulies and a lot more goofiness.

The premise behind the sequel is pretty much what the first movie should have been, ghoulies terrorizing people because they are ghoulies. While there is an attempt at creating continuity around the cult aspect at the start, it is nothing more than a vehicle for the ghoulies to move from the mansion to a traveling carnival haunted house. There really isn’t a better setting for this kind of thing, and the location is never put to waste as the ghoulies use it to hide, dispose of, and torture anyone they can lay their claws on. The simplicity of the plot is a marked improvement over the first film which seemed crammed to the brim with ideas and very little ability to do them all justice, all at the expense of not having a lot of ghoulies on screen. Ghoulies II acknowledges this and makes them the stars of the show throughout the film's entire 90-minute runtime. Another noticeable improvement this time around was the puppets themselves, which still had the same great look as the first film just with better puppets and more ranges of motion. There might even be a new type of ghoulie in this one as well, but I can’t be 100% sure about that.

There is a lot to enjoy about Ghoulies II in comparison to the first film, however, that doesn’t mean this is essential viewing for every horror fan. The first film attempted a more horror-centric tone with its story, whereas in Ghoulies II there is a far greater emphasis on comedy. The ghoulies are themselves ringleaders in this circus of the absurdly violent, sometimes very literally as onlookers watch them torture people thinking it’s “all part of the show”. There are moments like these where one can’t help but think how silly this is, and given how broad the humor is it hasn’t aged well for the most part. For folks who saw this upon initial release, there is sure to be some credit given to viewing the film with a nostalgic lens, which could also impede any younger generations from taking the film seriously, even if the film itself doesn’t take itself that way. Still, Ghoulies II is a fun film that harkens back to a time when all you needed were a few really neat puppets to make a franchise. And much like how DREAM WARRIORS made Freddy funnier, Ghoulies II sets the pace for a third and fourth film that goes all in on that same schtick.

HOW DOES IT LOOK?

While the first Ghoulies film received the 4K UHD treatment, the sequel was not able to get the same attention this time around. MVD Rewind has hinted that there may be a 4K at some point, and with respect to this release, it seems to be the same scan from the SCREAM! FACTORY double feature. That was a 2K scan of the Interpositive overseen by MGM, and overall it’s pretty good given this is all that’s available at the moment. The colors are a bit muted and not as vibrant as they would be if they were given the UHD treatment down the road. Images from both Scream! Factory and MVD Rewind versions are compared below:

HOW DOES IT SOUND?

When it comes to the sound mix for Ghoulies II, MVD Rewind provides the LPCM 2.0 stereo track and that’s it. This is a different mix than the lossless 5.1 audio mix on the Scream! Factory release, and yet you can’t really tell much of a difference between the two. In fact, the MVD Rewind may get the edge just because the dialogue comes through a little louder even if the whole mix does feel underpowered.

ANYTHING SPECIAL?

Credit to MVD Rewind for commissioning some new special features for this release! One of the things that is sadly lost to the digital age of film collecting is that fewer and fewer studios are putting money into supplementary stuff. Gone are the heydays of DVD when interactive and customized menus hid easter eggs only for the most die-hard fans to enjoy. Perhaps one of the reasons we are getting new special features is on account of not being able to carry over all of the Scream! Factory ones, but that is purely speculation. The first feature we took in was More Toilets, More Terror: The Making of Ghoulies 2. This almost 17-minute interview from the prior release has interviews with CHARLES BAND as well as GINO CROGNALE (special effects) and actors KERRY REMSEN and DONNIE JEFFCOAT. This is a pretty brief overview of what is likely a longer story, but it does give a range of insight about the business side of the production with Band talking to international revenues and how the first film’s success paved the way for the sequel. The actors also talk about filming in Rome and what it was like on set, while Crognale was more focused on how they made slight improvements that made a big impact.

The next feature we took in was one of the newly created pieces,  Under A Magic Moon: Interview with Dennis Paoli. Paoli is the screenwriter for the film and was a long-time collaborator with Band as well as Full Moon favorite STUART GORDON. Paoli actually had a long friendship with Gordon and speaks very fondly of his varied interests as well as their shared bonding over theater work. Paoli was also somewhat critical of Band, in a professional way, or at least the business side of filmmaking that can be somewhat myopic and cold. More interestingly were some of the connections Paoli made to Shakespeare in Ghoulies II, as well as the roles that various folks like PHIL FONDACARO played echoing characters in KING LEAR. Overall, an insightful and interesting interview less about Ghoulies and more about a man’s journey in the film business. 

A full list of special features is listed below:

• High Definition (1080p) presentation of the main feature in 1:85.1 aspect ratio (2K scan of the Interpositive overseen by MGM) 

• LPCM 2.0 Stereo Audio 

• Optional English, French and Spanish Subtitles 

• Introduction by Screenwriter Dennis Paoli (HD, 1:15) 

• More Toilets, More Terror: The Making of Ghoulies 2 (HD, 16:50) 

• Under A Magic Moon: Interview with Dennis Paoli (HD, 33:36) 

• Deleted Scenes (HD, 2:43) 

• Photo Gallery 

• Theatrical Trailer (HD, 1:23) 

• 2-Sided Artwork

LAST RITES

Ghoulies II is less scary and more silly, but that doesn’t stop it from being a better film than the first and a funner one at that. While this release does recycle some elements from previous releases, for those who missed out this may be the best chance to own the film physically for some time!

THE GORY DETAILS

Thank you to the fine fiends over at MVD ENTERTAINMENT for providing a review copy for the crypt! Ghoulies II is available NOW and can be purchased via MVD DIRECT!

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