Ghastlies Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Ghastlies Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 23, 2017

Brett Kelly's "Ghastlies" (2016) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Camp Motion Pictures. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; audio commentary with director Brett Kelly; video interview with composer Tomb Dragomir; and more. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The cool girls

Just by looking at the cover of Camp Motion Pictures’ release of Ghastlies I knew that I will be viewing something ‘different’, maybe a parody of sorts that borrowed heavily from the Gremlins films but then cooked up something unique. This was the first release from the boutique label to reach my desk so I was ready to be surprised -- and hopefully in a good way.

Ghastlies pretty much turned out to be what I expected it to be -- part wacky teen comedy, part horror thriller with a twist. I also expected it to be an ultra low-budget project, and almost immediately after the opening credits popped up I knew that I was right.

The concept behind Ghastlies is hardly original. Four girls head to a nice villa somewhere in the countryside where one of them will be officially welcomed as a sorority sister. They haven’t really thought of anything special -- so at least initially there are no wild activities -- and the entire trip seems like an excuse for them to get to know better the new sister. And of course it turns out that she is a genuine nerd whose social skills are basically non-existent, so the cool sisters very quickly make sure that she understands that they are about to make a positive change in her life and for that she would owe them big. The initiation is short and goes exactly as the cool sisters have planned it and everyone gathers around the camp fire.

Meanwhile, some clueless guy gets lost while trying to deliver a hot pepperoni pizza to the neighbors on the other side of the road who are not only starving, but are totally fed up with the noise that has been coming from the villa. Then he gets attacked by the ghastlies which turn out to be alien creatures on a mission to wipe out the human race. At this point it is already obvious that it is only a matter of time before the ghastlies meet the girls in the villa and all hell breaks loose.

I want to give credit where credit is due: director Brett Kelly and pretty much the entire cast were clearly on the same page as far as the scope of their genre project was concerned. This helps a lot because with these types of low-budget films a lot of times the attitude is crucial. (For reference, see Fred Olen Ray’s Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers). Unfortunately, as mentioned above, Ghastlies is not just a low-budget film, but an ultra low-budget film that attempts to impress without the proper resources to actually look legit. For example, the alien creatures are so cheaply made that it feels as if someone ran to Toys R Us and then grabbed whatever exotic villains they had on sale that could get the job done. Then there are large bits of the ‘acting’ that really look like screen tests that had to be used because there were no more green bills left to do them right.

I enjoy offbeat low-budget films but they have to be able to engage. While viewing Ghastlies I basically felt as if I had stepped inside an editing room where someone was running a raw cut that would eventually produce a proper film. The right material could have been there, but the final quality product wasn’t.

*On this disc there is a trailer for another low-budget film called Call Girl of Cthulhu. I have not seen it yet, but just by looking at the trailer I could tell that it will be vastly superior. The trailer is beyond wild.

Ghastlies Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Brett Kelly's Ghastlies arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Camp Motion Pictures.

I don't know exactly what equipment was used to shoot Ghastlies, but it is obvious that it was a digital camera of some sort and rather predictably the film looks terrific in high-definition. Frankly, aside from some extremely small patches that seem to be sneaking in one of the darker sequences -- and they may very well be on the master that was used because they could have been produced by the camera -- the rest of the presentation looks flawless. Detail, depth, and stability are excellent. Colors are also natural and crisp, with outstanding ranges of nuances. My score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Ghastlies Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English Dolby Digital 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are not provided for the main feature.

I had to turn up the volume a bit while watching the film because some of the exchanges in the car (early on) were a bit difficult to hear, but am pretty sure that the unevenness is just part of the original audio. Remember, this film was shot with a really small budget. Other than that clarity and stability are outstanding. Also, the film has a pretty good electronic score that sounds great.

Ghastlies Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Ghastlies. In English, not subtitled. (1 min)..

• Going Ghastly FX - in this video interview, independent filmmaker, actor and special effects specialist John Migliore discusses how the alien creatures and gore effects in Ghastlies were created and quickly addresses the character he plays. In English, not subtitled. (3 min)..

• Tomb Talks Tubular Music - composer Tomb Dragomir discusses the score of Ghastlies. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• "They're Ghastlies" Music Video - original music video created by Tomb Dragomir and featuring Emma. (4 min).

• Trailers - a collection of trailers for other Camp Motion Pictures releases.

• Audio Commentary - this audio commentary features director Brett Kelly and the actor that plays the character of Ted (whose name I could not catch). It is a very enthusiastic commentary full of technical information about the shooting of different segments of Ghastlies.

• Sleeve - double-sided sleeve. (See screenshots).

Ghastlies Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you enjoy low-budget -- or really low-budget -- independent contemporary horror films, you should take a look at Brett Kelly's Ghastlies. The influence of Gremlins is pretty obvious in it and there is plenty of genuine enthusiasm amongst the actors, though I personally could not warm up to this film. There are parts of it that I thought were quite funny, but ultimately the entire thing turned out to be too rough for my taste. The Blu-ray release is the first that I have seen from Camp Motion Pictures and I am quite impressed with the care that was put into it. There is a great trailer on it for another film from the label's catalog, Call Girl of Cthulhu, which I hope we can review soon. RECOMMENDED only to fans of very low-budget contemporary horror films.