Review of “Ghoulies” 1984

We’re still watching these a week behind schedule, catching up from our Covid sleep-in. It’s nice to watch these on delayed viewing, fast-forward through the commercials, and go to bed early. I don’t know if it’s the summer heat, the Covid hangover, native laziness, or a combination of the three, but staying awake is harder than when I was a month younger.

Plot:

The warlock Malcolm Graves (Michael Des Barres) performs a ritual in a basement before assembled followers. The ritual will culminate in the stabbing death of his son, Jonathan (Jamie Bronow), but—like Clytemnestra before her—the child’s mother (Victoria Catlin) objects. Unlike Clytemnestra, the mother is sacrificed in the child’s place, while a follower, Wolfgang (Jack Nance), takes the baby and leaves at the orders of Malcolm. Wolfgang tells the baby he is safe.

Some years later, Jonathan Graves (Peter Liapis), all grown up now, inherits the old house and moves in with his girlfriend, Rebecca (Lisa Pelikan). The house is in shambles, with cobwebs, dust, and peeling paint. Wolfgang, who raised Jonathan, is the groundskeeper or something.

While cleaning up, Jonathan finds a suitcase in the basement with robes and books of magic. He gets curious.

He decides they should have a party. After dinner, Jonathan entertains their guests by summoning a spirit in the basement. It’s a bust. He calls after the departing partygoers, “Wait! I have to dismiss the spirit.”

Mist gathers around the triangle where the spirit was supposed to appear. A rat-like being stands in the triangle, then takes off to cause mayhem.

Jonathan gets better at the demon-summoning thing. He wants his demons to remain invisible to his friends and Rebecca. Something stirs in the grave he and Rebecca noticed when they first arrived.

Thoughts:

The demons are not frightening but misbehaved and ugly, taking baths in soups while Jonathan and  Rebecca’s guests eat dinner, for instance. The claim to fame of this flick is a green-skinned evil baby demon crawling out of the toilet with the tagline, “They’ll get you in the end.”

The humor is juvenile. I can accept juvenile humor, but the are so many places in this flick that logic takes a lunch break, I couldn’t buy it.

When Jonathan tells Rebecca he’s going to drop out of school to work on the house, she’s nearly reached her limit. After Jonathan neglects everything for magic and his eyes start glowing green, she leaves.

What does a budding warlock do? He summons demons to bring her back, whether she wants to come or not.

But set all that aside. In the meantime, the demons, now answering to resurrected zombie Malcolm, are happy to create terror and mayhem throughout the house.

Malcolm supposedly wanted to sacrifice baby Jonathan to obtain his youth, soooo, Malcolm wanted to become a baby initially? Wasn’t the youth of Jonathan’s mother enough? She wasn’t much older than Jonathan is now, and Malcolm has been dead for a while. So how much is he gaining by killing Jonathan now? Wouldn’t he be better off killing another baby? Or maybe getting a mani-pedi?

There are some amusing scenes with the stoner partygoers, but these are all window dressing. This is a silly, puerile movie. To borrow a phrase, mostly harmless.



 
Title: Ghoulies (1984)

Directed by
Luca Bercovici

Writing Credits
Luca Bercovici…(written by) &
Jefery Levy…(written by)

Cast (in credits order)
Peter Liapis…Jonathan Graves
Lisa Pelikan…Rebecca
Michael Des Barres…Malcolm Graves
Jack Nance…Wolfgang
Peter Risch…Grizzel
Tamara De Treaux…Greedigut
Released: 1984
Length: 1 hour, 21 minutes

Rated: PG-13