Ghoulies II Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		2.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		2.5

Ghoulies II Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 27, 2017

The ghoulies are back! But this time, they've migrated away from the old house that served as the plot setting for the first film to a struggling traveling carnival where their diabolical ways go a bit more unnoticed...for a while. As various people maneuver to make money, keep the carnival in place, or just have their own brand of fun, the mischievous ghoulies take full advantage of their surroundings, and a number of easy-prey carnival goers, to satiate their bloodlust and cause as much mayhem as humanely, er, ghouly, possible.

This film takes on a much lighter tone than that of its predecessor. Gone is much of the more serious black magic elements and introduced is a lighter, more frivolous, but more baseline entertaining film that amps up the gore but tones down the narrative. Indeed, the film lacks much of a plot, favoring mostly empty characters and basic maneuverings that simply allow the setting to exist and the ghoulies to do their thing. The film, directed by Empire (Full Moon) founder Charles Band's father, does well in its balancing act of maniacal, slimy evil meets over-the-top goofiness. It's a classic example of light-toned Horror. It's very accessible, countering its tonally dark violence with its playfully enjoyable romps.

Ghoulies II Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Ghoulies II looks quite nice on Blu-ray. Outside of light to at times heavy print wear, it would have scored a bit higher. Beyond that intrusive barrage of pops and scratches and speckles, Shout Factory's presentation offers a quality filmic image that retains a light and even, but critical, grain structure that accentuates the finer-point textures and basic cinematic properties that lift the transfer into the upper echelons of low budget, classically shot-on-film, Blu-ray transfers. Facial and clothing textures are very rich and well defined while the various surfaces around the carnival look terrific. Colors are likewise strong, well saturated and diverse, never overbearing and never faded. There are plenty of punchy hues around the carnival, both at night and particularly during the day. Black levels raise few alarms and skin tones appear spot-on. This is a quality presentation from Shout.

Ghoulies II Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Ghoulies II's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack is a bit more problematic than its video counterpart. Dialogue struggles throughout. It's often poorly positioned, sometimes straying a bit from the center and landing somewhere in between either front-end speaker. It's also often scratchy. Music is sufficiently clear and well spaced. Carnival music is particularly enjoyable, though score likewise stretches nicely along the front and instrumental separation and clarity are strong. Minor atmospherics mostly linger across the front.

Ghoulies II Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Ghoulies II contains a featurette, alternate scenes, a trailer, and a still gallery.

• "More Toilets, More Terror:" The Making of Ghoulies 2 (1080p, 16:50): A retrospective look back at the movie's origins, technical details of the shoot, budget, cast and performances, shooting in Rome, life on the set, and plenty more. This is a quality little piece that fans will enjoy.
• Alternate Scenes (1080p, 2:43).
• Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 4x3, 1:23).
• Still Gallery (1080i).

Ghoulies II Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Ghoulies II is tonally different from the first and doesn't have much to do with that original. It works just as well, if not better, as a standalone feature as it does a follow-up. Story may be empty but the acting is OK, the visuals are decent, and the gore is plentiful. This Blu-ray, which is available both in a bundle with Ghoulies and in the Empire Pictures Collection, offers strong video beyond print wear, troubled audio in the dialogue reproduction department, and a few quality supplements. Recommended.