Ghoulies IV (1994)

Waste of time

That was an excellent one.

Admirable film.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

And the campaign of awfulness continues to drag us into the depths of horrid franchise entries...somewhere rattling around in that heap is The Howling VII and Silent Night, Deadly Night II. At least I can finally be done with the Ghoulies and put the memory of watching these subsequent titles into an unreachable sector of my brain.Much like Ghoulies III, it was unbearable to sit through - a testament to my dedication in bringing you various reviews that the horror genre has to offer...that, and there's some sort of sick accomplishment in knowing I completed the series.The plot in this one is so far gone and so dumb I'm not even going to discuss it. It doesn't share any similarities with the previous films; a welcome statement when further examining the shallowness of most horror franchises. Whoever was responsible for writing the screenplay and finalizing the decision (my guess would be Jim Wynorski, the director) on what the Ghoulies should look like needs to be dragged behind a barn and put down like a horse with a broken leg. Apparently the exclusion of puppets and the introduction of midgets, dressed in what I can best describe as "dollar-store halloween outfits," seemed like an outstanding idea for the production team...it's sad they didn't have the audience in mind. From beginning to end, you'll be shaking your head repeatedly. There are no redeeming qualities - NONE. This is one of those titles that ends up being so bad that it fails to reach out to even the most die-hard of fans...it will never obtain cult-status. The one thing that can be said about Ghoulies IV is that some of the actors tried playing their parts convincingly - but do they need a gold star for their efforts? The Ghoulies is not and will not ever be a horror franchise that most Americans can discuss at a barbecue - Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street have that privilege (notice at no point did I say that this was a good thing). Even after all of the terrible films I've sat through, I can't wrap my head around the concept of continuing a series that failed miserably after the second entry. The only conclusion I've come up with is that someone was having a contest to design a project that far exceeds the awfulness of it's precursor.

Sixth (And last) movie in the boxset. Well, looks like I've saved the best one for last. Ghoulies IV. I originally did a review for this back in like February, but I decided to do a new one. The Ghoulies series is pretty awesome. I know there are some people who don't like them, and that's fine. This happens to be my favorite one in the series. Yeah, I know the actual Ghoulies don't appear and are replaced by 2 guys in costumes, one of them being Tony Cox from Bad Santa. Now, onto the movie.The movie centers around Jonathan Graves, the main character from the first movie, being played once again, by Peter Liapis, who is now a cop for the LAPD and has put his past of the occult behind him. During the first part of the movie, we encounter Alexandra (Played by the very hot Stacie Randall) communicating with a demon from beyond named Faust, who is the dark side of Jonathan. Faust asks Alexandra for a red jewel and something goes awry, therefore, unleashing the Ghoulies from the beyond.I think Jim Wynorski did a good job with the directing. And the music by Chuck Cirino is funny as well. (SPOILER AHEAD) At the end of this movie, the Ghoulies say that there will be a Ghoulies IV, Part 2, or Ghoulies V. I still hope that sequel gets made and I especially hope Jim Wynorski returns to direct. I agree with GimboTheGhoulies on that.

This is one of the worst movies EVER made. I can't believe how bad it was. I was shocked at the awfulness of the "ghoulies" masks. They are OBVIOUSLY Halloween masks! The mouths don't even move when they talk!!!!! Why did they feel the need to make the ghoulies comical and goofy? Whenever they do anything there seems to be this circus-like music and overused BONK and BOING noises when they hit people. The bondage dominatrix lady is one of the worst actresses I have ever seen. This movie is just bad. The plot is nonexistent. The mom from ONE TREE HILL is in this though and she has obviously had a nose job since this was made. Why did the main character from the first movie return to make this garbage? BAD BAD BAD movie.

Ghoulies IV is one of the most terribly campy sequels ever made. Peter Liapis of the original returns but no Ghoulies are to be found (except in flashbacks to the older films). This really isn't a Ghoulies movie. What it is, is your usual Jim Wynorski flick chock full of stupid antics and half naked chicks. For instance, how did Liapis' character, who was a college student and warlock, become a police detective? It's just too ridiculous. Not that I expected anything else from director Wynorski. He consistently makes campy crap. This is a poor excuse for a Ghoulies film and they're not exactly prizes themselves. They should have just called the movie Little Demon Dudes. Stay far away."Look for us in the sequel: Ghoulies IV, Part 2."