And the campaign of awfulness continues to drag us into the depths of horrid franchise entries...somewhere rattling around in that heap is The Howling VII and Silent Night, Deadly Night II. At least I can finally be done with the Ghoulies and put the memory of watching these subsequent titles into an unreachable sector of my brain.
Much like Ghoulies III, it was unbearable to sit through - a testament to my dedication in bringing you various reviews that the horror genre has to offer...that, and there's some sort of sick accomplishment in knowing I completed the series.
The plot in this one is so far gone and so dumb I'm not even going to discuss it. It doesn't share any similarities with the previous films; a welcome statement when further examining the shallowness of most horror franchises. Whoever was responsible for writing the screenplay and finalizing the decision (my guess would be Jim Wynorski, the director) on what the Ghoulies should look like needs to be dragged behind a barn and put down like a horse with a broken leg. Apparently the exclusion of puppets and the introduction of midgets, dressed in what I can best describe as dollar store Halloween outfits, seemed like an outstanding idea for the production team. Clearly they had everyone and everything else in mind but the intended audience..
From beginning to end, you'll be shaking your head repeatedly. There are no redeeming qualities - NONE. This is one of those titles that ends up being so bad that it fails to reach out to even the most die-hard of fans. The one thing that can be said about Ghoulies IV is that some of the actors tried playing their parts convincingly - but do they need a gold star for their efforts? The Ghoulies is not and will not ever be a horror franchise that most Americans can discuss at a barbecue. Even after all of the terrible films I've sat through, I can't wrap my head around the concept of continuing a series that failed miserably after the second entry. The only conclusion I've come up with is that someone was having a contest to design a project that vastly exceeds the awfulness of its precursor.
And the campaign of awfulness continues to drag us into the depths of horrid franchise entries...somewhere rattling around in that heap is The Howling VII and Silent Night, Deadly Night II. At least I can finally be done with the Ghoulies and put the memory of watching these subsequent titles into an unreachable sector of my brain.
