Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.0

Ghoulies 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 8, 2023

MVD Visual is not just revisiting Ghoulies and Ghoulies II, which Shout! Factory released as a double feature several years ago and which Charles Band's own Full Moon Features also offered as part of their Empire Pictures Collection, they're perhaps unexpectedly offering the first film in both 1080 and 4K UHD formats, which may indicate that an outing Charles Band himself has more or less described as his one and only "cash cow" production is continuing to generate dividends.

As mentioned above, both Ghoulies films have had a prior release courtesy of Shout! Factory as well as Full Moon Features. Those interested in plot summaries and screenshot comparisons are encouraged to read Marty Liebman's reviews:

Ghoulies / Ghoulies II Blu-ray review

Ghoulies Blu-ray review

Ghoulies II Blu-ray review

Empire Pictures Collection Blu-ray review

I will add in passing that those interested in a bit of backstage drama should listen to both the Charles Band and Luca Bercovici interviews included as supplements. And I'll just mention that it's kind of hilarious for those of us with an interest in various world religions that the chant Jonathan uses to invoke his "little friends" is simply a recitation of the four Hebrew letters which make up the "unpronounceable" name of the Big Guy (and/or Gal) Upstairs (i.e., yod, he, vav, he, often incorrectly transliterated as Jehovah). Also hilariously, that selfsame "fourfold name" is often called the Tetragrammaton, which is exactly what the amulet central to the story has emblazoned on it. One assumes the Jewish Band and his cohort were in on this little "joke".

Ghoulies 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from MVD's 1080 presentation.

Ghoulies is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of MVD Visual with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 1.85:1. The back cover of this release states this was culled from a "4K restoration (16 bit scan of the original camera negative)", while further specifying it also has Dolby Vision. I was frankly a little trepidatious about how this was going to look in 4K UHD since I often do not like the look of grain at the higher resolution and added dynamic range this format offers. It's undeniable that this 4K version shows some of the rather large variances in grain thickness that are in evidence in MVD's 1080 presentation, and perhaps even exacerbates or reinforces them, but on the whole, I was actually pleasantly surprised at the overall organic qualities of grain resolution. HDR and/or Dolby Vision have added some interesting highlights, but kind of curiously, I'd rate this 4K UHD version as just a tad cooler looking than MVD's 1080 release, which may make this particular iteration the "middle ground" between the appearance of MVD's 1080 presentation and Shout!'s old 1080 presentation. Densities are as variable as grain at times, and the same sudden downturns in saturation and clarity that occasionally afflict the 1080 presentation are of course probably only more noticeable here. This may not be a "beautiful" presentation, but it offers an accurate rendering of the lo-fi ambience of the film.

Ghoulies 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Marty wasn't overly impressed with Shout!'s DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 rejiggering of the original soundtrack, but I'm happy to report this disc's DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track sounds well balanced and is especially supportive of another playfully anarchic score by Richard Band. Dialogue and effects are all rendered without any issues. Optional English subtitles are available.

Ghoulies 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K UHD Disc

• Archival 2015 Audio Commentary with director Luca Bercovici is accessible under the Audio Menu.


• Archival 2016 Audio Commentary by director Luca Bercovici moderated by Jason Andreason of Terror Transmission is accessible under the Audio Menu.

1080 Disc

• Introduction by Writer/ Director Luca Bercovici (HD; 00:51) is accessible either as a standalone bonus feature, or under the Play Menu, where it's authored to move directly on to the feature.


• From Toilets to Terror: The Making of Ghoulies (HD; 29:49) is an archival supplement ported over from the Shout! release.


• Editing an Empire (HD; 27:31) is an interview with editor Ted Nicolaou.


• The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste (HD; 22:03) is an interview with actor Scott Thomson.


• "Just 'Cos of the Chick, Man! (HD; 33:46) is an interview with Luca Bercovici.


• Ghoulies Theatrical Trailer (HD; 1:55)


• Ghoulies II Theatrical Trailer (HD; 1:23)


• Still Gallery (HD; 3:32) is authored to move on automatically, so have the Pause button on your remote handy if you want to linger on any given image. You can also chapter skip through the gallery at your own pace.


• TV Spots (HD; 1:25)


• Archival 2015 Audio Commentary with director Luca Bercovici is accessible under the Audio Menu.


• Archival 2016 Audio Commentary by director Luca Bercovici moderated by Jason Andreason of Terror Transmission is accessible under the Audio Menu.

Additionally a folded mini poster is included and packaging features a slipcover.

Ghoulies 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In a way, it's both kind of funny but also understandable how Ghoulies became one of Charles Band's most successful productions. This new release offers improvements in video, audio and supplements from the old Shout! and Full Moon releases, though HDR and/or Dolby Vision have slightly cooled the palette from MVD's 1080 version (also included in this release). One way or the other, this package should easily appeal to the film's many fans.