Ghoulies: Collector's Edition – MVD Rewind Collection (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1985
Director: Luca Bercovici
Writers: Luca Bercovici, Jefery Levy
Cast: Peter Liapis, Lisa Pelikan, Michael Des Barres, Jack Nance, Peter Risch, Tamara De Treaux, Scott Thomson, Ralph Seymour, Mariska Hargitay, Keith Joe Dick, David Dayan, Victoria Catlin, Charene Cathleen, Bobbie Bresee

Release Date: September 12th, 2023
Approximate Running Time: 80 Minutes 58 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10
Rating: PG-13
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region Free (4K UHD), Region A (Blu-ray)
Retail Price: $49.95

"Take a creepy old Hollywood mansion, a naïve young man and a pretty girl. Add an over-the-top orgy and some slimy, winged goblins who crawl out of toilets, and you have Ghoulies, a horrifying and hilarious ride into the darkest regions of hell! Conjured during a party thrown by the mansion's new owner, the hairy, fanged demons waste no time wreaking havoc on the scene - and declaring the unsuspecting owner their new lord and master!" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (4K UHD), 4.25/5 (Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "2023 4K Restoration (16-Bit Scan of the Original Camera Negative)."

Ghoulies comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD

Disc Size: 54.3 GB

Feature: 48.5 GB

The source used for this transfer is excellent; there is no source-related debris. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity and black levels are strong, compression is solid, and grain remains intact.

Ghoulies comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 36.1 GB

Feature: 22.1 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 4.25/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono English with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds great; there are no issues with distortion or background noise. Dialog always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and range-wise things sound very good.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include an archival audio commentary with director Luca Bercovici and an archival audio commentary by Luca Bercovici moderated by Jason Andreasen of Terror Transmission.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include a stills gallery (39 images-stills/posters/home video art), four TV spots for Ghoulies (1 minute 25 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a theatrical trailer for Ghoulies (1 minute 55 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), a theatrical trailer for Ghoulies II (1 minute 23 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an archival featurette titled From Toilets to Terror: The Making of Ghoulies (29 minutes 49 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with Luca Bercovici titled Just ‘Cos of the Chick Man! (33 minutes 46 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actor Scott Thomson titled The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Waste (22 minutes 3 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with editor Ted Nicolau Editing an Empire (27 minutes 31 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an introduction by Luca Bercovici (51 seconds, DTS-HD stereo English, no subtitles), an archival audio commentary with Luca Bercovici, and an archival audio commentary by Luca Bercovici moderated by Jason Andreasen of Terror Transmission.

Other extras include a collectible "4K LaserVision" mini-poster (limited to the first pressing) and a slipcover (limited to the first pressing).

Summary:

In the mid- to late 1980s, Empire Pictures was a major player in the horror and fantasy film markets. They were only around for five years before they went bankrupt. Empire Pictures made some notable films like Trancers, Re-Animator, From Beyond, Trolls, and two Ghoulies films.

The narrative revolves around a man who inherits a house, and once inside the house, he uncovers his family's dark past.

Though Ghoulies is a film that has spawned three sequels, after watching Ghoulies, the first film in this film franchise, the ghoulies monsters only play a small role in the first Ghoulies. It is amazing that a secondary background element of the story would lead to three additional films.

The focus of Ghoulies is not the monsters known as ghoulies; it is a story about a satanic cult who lived in the home the protagonist inherited. Also, a large portion of the narrative is just the protagonist and his friends interacting and doing uneventful things. There are too many lulls; the narrative is slow-moving, and when things do pick up, it is too little, too late.

The acting is best described as service. The most memorable performance was by Michael Des Barres in the role of Malcolm Graves, the leader of a satanic cult. He delivers a delirious, over-the-top performance. Another performance of note is Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit), making her feature film debut.

From a production standpoint, Ghoulies is a film that does a great job exploiting its limited resources. Notably, the use of practical special effects Other strengths are plenty of gore and some well-placed humor. Unfortunately, there is nothing remotely scary, and this film's biggest flaw is that there are not enough ghoulies. Ultimately, Ghoulies is a mildly entertaining film that is only recommended if you are a fan of the Empire Pictures brand of cinema.

Ghoulies gets an excellent release as part of the MVD Rewind Collection, which comes with a solid audio/video presentation and informative extras.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a VLC player and lossless PNGs.

 Written by Michael Den Boer