Ghouls (2008 film)
Summary
"The Dead are waiting!" A college student returns with her father to his home country only to discover her family holds a dark secret that involves her.
Details
- Release Date: 2008
- Country/Language: USA/Romania, English
- Genres/Technical: Fantasy, Horror, Action, made-for-TV
- Setting: Modern Romania
- Runtime: 1 hr 28 min
- Starring: William Atherton, Erin Gray, James DeBello
- Director: Gary Jones
- Writer: Kenneth M. Badish (story), Jason Bourque, Raul Inglis & Brian D. Young (screenplay)
- Producer/Production Co: Kenneth M. Badish, Sci-Fi/SyFy Channel, Active Entertainment, Castel Film Romania, FIWI Entertainment
- View Trailer: (link)
- IMDB Page: (link)
Ratings
MPAA Ratings
- Rated: R (Violence, mild Profanity)
Tentacle Ratings
A rough measure of how "Lovecraftian" the work is:
- Ss___ (One and a Half Tentacles: Barely Lovecraftian; has almost no direct connection to Lovecraft's work)
Maybe One-and-a-Half tentacles... the backstory about an ancient Druid ghoul cult and its sorcery and witchcraft, along with the wonderfully atmospheric (and quite scenic) Romanian setting, almost suggest the "Lovecraftian" (or perhaps a version of the Mythos by one of the other Lovecraft circle, like Robert E. Howard). The movie's emphasis on action and gun-play detract from that effect slightly in a weirdly pulpy way.
Note: This rating is not intended as a measure of quality, merely of how closely related to Lovecraftian "Weird" fiction the work is.
Reviews
Review Links:
- Y.Whateley - "I saw this several years ago on the SyFy Channel... I was impressed at the time by some potential for an atmospheric and almost Lovecraftian movie, ruined a bit by some over-the-top action ham-and-cheese and some weird filming decisions that undermined the horror in favor of the action/adventure fantasy elements, but I was willing to forgive a bit because it seemed like a well-meaning movie, and in no small part because of the Romanian element of the production: this was one of several made-for-SyFy schlock horror movies of the time made with the cooperation of Romania, and I usually felt rather warmly about the enthusiastic Romanian cast and the gorgeous Romanian locations. These movies in general, including Ghoul, were not great, but tended to be better than the usual SyFy time-waster...."
- The Foywonder at Dread Central (link) - (1/5) "Even from a pure schlock standpoint Ghouls still has little to offer.... Why am I watching ghouls attacking people in broad daylight? ...The daylight destroys any semblance of spooky atmosphere you'd expect... the other problem with the daylight setting is it exposes the obviousness of the make-up and CGI used to bring the ghouls to life.... The bigger problem though is everyone has to work from a screenplay that didn't try to do anything other than the bare minimum... .Though there are those scenes where people try to fight the ghouls with shotguns and grenades... but when a movie is as leaden as this those tiny fleeting moments of stupidity are a welcome reprieve."
- Brian Collins at Horror-Movie-a-Day (link) - "...In a way, I'd almost rather the movie was terrible, instead of just dull and bland, because then it would at least be fun to write the review...."
- Justin Felix at DVD Talk (link) - "Trust me. Ten minutes into this film, you won't care... Flimsy dialogue, cheap effects work, and poorly staged fight sequences are all that you'll find here."
Synopsis (SPOILERS)
Spoiler Section (Highlight to Read)
A college student returns with her father to his home country only to discover her family holds a dark secret that involves her: she is to be sacrificed to a Ghoul cult and become one of them! Fortunately shotgun-wielding Druid action heroes intervene, blowing up ghoul with shotgun blasts and hand grenades....
Notes
Comments, Trivia, Dedication
Associated Mythos Elements
- race: "Ghouls" (more like some sort of wraiths or spectres?)
Keeper Notes
- Actually, now that I think of it, a cult of Ghouls getting blown up by shotgun-wielding, grenade-tossing, trenchcoat-clad Druids in Romania before the cult can complete a human sacrifice during a rare astrological event is probably a perfectly normal Call of Cthulhu scenario....
