318:. He conjures several creatures called Ghoulies, and proclaims himself their master, demanding they hide their existence from everyone but him. One day, Rebecca comes home to find Jonathan in the basement wearing a dripping wet robe. He explains that he was trying to learn about the parents which he never knew, and promises to stop his behavior. He gives her the protective talisman as a gift, urging her to never take it off. While they are having sex, a Ghoulie draws an occult diagram under the bed which prompts Jonathan to chant in another language. A furious Rebecca leaves him.
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refuses and reveals he has green eyes. In a pique of anger, she tears off the talisman, unwittingly enabling
Jonathan to hypnotize her, forcing her to do his bidding. He invites his friends and bewitches them to participate in the ritual. As Jonathan, Rebecca, their friends, Grizzel, and Greedigut all chant, Malcolm is resurrected from the grave. Oblivious to this, Jonathan invites his friends to stay the night.
330:
and fights
Malcolm with his own magical powers. The house begins to crumble, and Wolfgang defeats Malcolm before they both disappear. Jonathan's friends are resurrected, and they drive away as Grizzel and Greedigut wave farewell. Mike asks what is happening. Jonathan assures him it is over, but Mike is unconvinced after he sees the Ghoulies in the car with them.
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Jonathan summons two dwarfs named
Grizzel and Greedigut to his service, who promise to give him everything he desires. They explain that he must perform a dangerous ritual with seven other people to obtain the knowledge and power he seeks. Rebecca returns and asks Jonathan to leave with her, but he
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Malcolm appears with the dwarfs, revealing that he used
Jonathan to resurrect him in order to capture his youth and sacrifice him. He also admits that it was he who killed Rebecca, not Jonathan. Malcolm resurrects Rebecca to distract Jonathan, but the dwarfs alert him of the trap. Wolfgang appears
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Malcolm proclaims himself the real master to the
Ghoulies and dwarfs, and commands them to kill Jonathan's friends. Meanwhile, Jonathan apologizes to Rebecca and breaks the spell by placing the talisman around her neck, but she falls into a deep sleep. She wakes up to see Jonathan in a trance, and
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wrote: "Cinematographer Mac
Ahlberg contributes eerily lit camera work that occasionally achieves surprising atmosphere and delicacy, and John Carl Buechler's creations, the ghoulies themselves—foul, reptilian little beings coated with some obscene glittering, mucous-like moisture—have a certain
472:
was set to handle the film's domestic distribution. However, the company remained uncredited when they later filed a lawsuit against
Charles Band and Ghoulies Productions, citing "misrepresentation" after Band allegedly misled the company regarding the home video sales and distribution.
302:
around
Jonathan's neck. Malcolm orders a participant named Wolfgang to take the child away, and sacrifices her instead. Twenty-five years later, an adult Jonathan and his girlfriend Rebecca inherit his late father's estate, where they find several books on magic and a basement full of
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runs away. After she removes the talisman around her neck, Jonathan and the
Ghoulies attack her and she is magically shoved down a flight of stairs to her death. Jonathan brings her to the basement to resurrect her, where he finds the dead bodies of his friends underneath sheets.
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wrote that the film "has a quaint corniness about it, as if it were a cheapie horror movie from the 1950s ... Special effects and production values are mediocre, which in this case is part of the fun". Michael
Wilmington of the
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in the basement for fun. When he begins conducting the ritual, Jonathan abruptly becomes short-tempered. Everyone leaves when the ritual fails, but a small creature materializes in the basement.
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in her film debut. The film follows a young man named Jonathan Graves who, after inheriting his satanic father's estate, becomes seduced by its occult secrets. It is the first film in the
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sued to stop Ghoulies Productions from using the title, but lost. Halfway through shooting, Band ran out of money, so the filmmakers spent months searching for funding, which allowed
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The next day, Jonathan tells Rebecca he is quitting college to work on the estate. She expresses concern, which grows when Jonathan refuses to eat, explaining that he is
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originated as a one-location horror film by Luca Bercovici and his writing partner Jefery Levy. The concept was pitched by Bercovici to executive producer
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Malcolm Graves, the leader of a satanic cult, is about to sacrifice his child Jonathan when his mother, Anastasia, places a protective
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547:) and comes up with yet another prime example of the comic book-ish vitality, wit and simplicity which has become Band's trademark".
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453:. However, after Winston dropped out of the project, Band decided to step back into a producer role and chose Bercovici to direct.
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The film premiered in Los Angeles on January 18, 1985, opening in 350 theaters before premiering in New York on March 1.
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dismissed the film as "a cut-rate 'Gremlins'" with "unexceptional performances" and "a lot of badly simulated gore".
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called it "an unashamed rip-off which contrives to ignore its obvious inspiration (
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paraphernalia. They throw a party. Jonathan recruits his friends to perform a
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263:. The film was co-written with producer Jefery Levy. It stars Peter Liapis,
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Wilmington, Michael (January 21, 1985). "'Ghoulies': Flush With Chagrin".
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nauseating charm. From there, however, it's a steep slide downhill".
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435:, with whom he previously worked as an actor on the film
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Principal photography began on January 30, 1984, at the
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669:"10 Crazy Things You Didn't Know About Ghoulies"
445:, reuniting the pairing of Band as director and
476:The film was in production at the same time as
460:, which served as the film's main location, in
736:"Film: Occult Creatures Evoked in 'Ghoulies'".
1080:English-language science fiction horror films
441:(1982). Band was originally slated to direct
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660:
629:
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635:"Interview with Luca Bercovici (Ghoulies)"
345:Jamie Bronow as Jonathan Graves as a child
29:
657:
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897:
824:from the original on November 11, 2020
790:Newman, Kim (April 1985). "Ghoulies".
789:
449:as makeup and effects supervisor from
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681:from the original on October 21, 2020
582:from the original on January 28, 2022
1075:English-language comedy horror films
716:from the original on August 25, 2018
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980:Empire International Pictures films
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612:from the original on April 28, 2023
13:
1085:English-language independent films
1030:American supernatural comedy films
970:American supernatural horror films
693:
14:
1096:
840:
416:Annie Stocking as Ghoulie (voice)
413:Brian Connolly as Ghoulie (voice)
1045:Films directed by Luca Bercovici
890:The Complete History of Ghoulies
734:Canby, Vincent (March 2, 1985).
940:1980s supernatural horror films
804:
576:"GHOULIES (1984) • Frame Rated"
1015:Films scored by Shirley Walker
783:
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753:
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667:Dee, Jake (October 31, 2019).
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419:Craig Talmy as Ghoulie (voice)
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955:American fantasy comedy films
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1050:1980s English-language films
1010:Films scored by Richard Band
945:American comedy horror films
925:1985 directorial debut films
7:
1020:Films set in country houses
950:American dark fantasy films
765:. January 22, 1985. 16, 18.
10:
1101:
1065:1985 science fiction films
1035:Supernatural fantasy films
960:American independent films
915:1980s fantasy comedy films
880:Ghoulies Unflushed Podcast
759:"Film Reviews: Ghoulies".
606:www.worldwideboxoffice.com
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410:Bobbie Bresee as Temptress
188:January 18, 1985
793:The Monthly Film Bulletin
540:The Monthly Film Bulletin
386:Charene Cathleen as Robin
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35:Theatrical release poster
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1060:Films about inheritances
935:1980s dark fantasy films
910:1985 comedy horror films
470:Hemdale Film Corporation
965:American monster movies
885:Ghoulies Movies Website
710:American Film Institute
333:
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1070:Religious horror films
1025:Ghoulies (film series)
1000:Films about witchcraft
930:1985 independent films
741:July 28, 2019, at the
494:to be released first.
395:Peter Risch as Grizzel
374:Keith Joe Dick as Dick
1040:Films about uxoricide
578:. February 29, 2020.
1055:1980s American films
995:Films about Satanism
920:1980s monster movies
377:David Dayan as Eddie
164:Ghoulies Productions
985:Fictional humanoids
342:as Jonathan Graves
251:is a 1985 American
747:The New York Times
516:The New York Times
399:Michael Des Barres
365:as Mark "Toad Boy"
269:Michael Des Barres
91:Michael Des Barres
990:Films about cults
812:"Ghoulies (1985)"
777:Los Angeles Times
602:"Ghoulies (1984)"
552:review aggregator
529:Los Angeles Times
506:Critical response
401:as Malcolm Graves
261:directorial debut
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780:. Part VI, p. 2.
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232:$ 5.5 million
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1005:Puppet films
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826:. Retrieved
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643:the original
639:Love-it-Loud
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488:Warner Bros.
481:
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447:Stan Winston
442:
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433:Charles Band
428:
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392:as Greedigut
383:as Anastasia
351:Lisa Pelikan
340:Peter Liapis
328:
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297:
285:
265:Lisa Pelikan
247:
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240:$ 35 million
204:Running time
181:Release date
142:Richard Band
129:Ted Nicolaou
86:Lisa Pelikan
82:Peter Liapis
18:
800:(615): 114.
674:Screen Rant
586:December 6,
462:Los Angeles
407:as Wolfgang
288:film series
253:horror film
119:Mac Ahlberg
71:Jefery Levy
68:Produced by
60:Jefery Levy
41:Directed by
905:1985 films
899:Categories
720:August 24,
706:"Ghoulies"
649:August 24,
562:References
535:Kim Newman
466:California
424:Production
405:Jack Nance
353:as Rebecca
273:Jack Nance
237:Box office
208:81 minutes
192:1985-01-18
157:Production
106:Jack Nance
51:Written by
828:March 14,
478:Joe Dante
125:Edited by
16:1985 film
870:Ghoulies
864:AllMovie
859:Ghoulies
848:Ghoulies
822:Archived
739:Archived
714:Archived
679:Archived
610:Archived
580:Archived
554:website
545:Gremlins
492:Gremlins
486:(1984).
483:Gremlins
480:'s film
451:Parasite
443:Ghoulies
438:Parasite
429:Ghoulies
371:as Donna
300:talisman
286:Ghoulies
248:Ghoulies
221:Language
135:Music by
76:Starring
24:Ghoulies
762:Variety
685:July 8,
616:July 8,
522:Variety
498:Release
359:as Mike
316:fasting
259:in his
224:English
213:Country
190: (
159:company
309:ritual
305:occult
279:, and
229:Budget
750:. 10.
853:IMDb
830:2021
722:2018
687:2023
651:2018
618:2023
588:2021
334:Cast
294:Plot
873:at
862:at
851:at
550:On
537:of
513:of
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820:.
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798:52
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194:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
