Ghoulies II

Dir: Albert Band

1988

**

I saw always led to believe that Ghoulies II was better than the first film, so I was disappointed when I found out that it wasn't the case. The problem the first film suffered from the most was a distinct lack of Ghoulies but in Ghoulies II, the problem is that there are too many of them and they just don't seem to know what to do with them. The prospect of watching the Ghoulies (who managed to escape the haunted manor of the first film) wreaking havoc in a spooky themed traveling funhouse was an appealing one, the possibilities, I thought, were endless. However, the writers seem to have suffered from a complete lack of imagination, quite shocking really considering that the hugely enjoyable and inventive Gremlins was already four years old by this point. There are elements I like though, I liked Phil Fondacaro's Shakespearian Dwarf Sir Nigel Pennyweight, it stars Royal Dano who is a bit of a cult legend (even though he wasn't brilliant in this), the 80s punks that were nothing like real punks got what was coming and the plus sized Ghoulie at the end was hilarious. I'm not too sure why the priest thought a gas station was the most appropriate location in which to send pint-sized demons back to hell but it was pretty cool when he fell into the big vat of acid. I'm not sure why a gas station would have a big vat of acid in the middle of it either but it's not important, someone melted and that's the main thing. It was also ice to see someone finally get bitten on their derriere as was promised on both film's posters. It was a apparently a last minute decision and it looks it too but I'm glad they buckled under the pressure but considering that it was the major criticism that the few hard-core fans had, you would have thought they would have made more of it. You've got to give the viewers what they want, especially when making a cheap b-movie horror. This film has a complete lack of direction, I'm sure producer Charles Band had other things on his mind at the time, his company was losing money so he asked his father, Albert Band to direct it for him and he sold the rights soon after the film came out, but with that kind of attitude and lack of regard to what you're doing, it is no surprise the end result was rubbish. Watching such a badly made film in glorious looking Blu-ray is very strange I must say, I'm not sure the format has ever seen such an unnecessary addition.