SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

fuzzytheanimalsanchez It's quite possible that the only reason this film was made, was to show aspiring film makers all of the incorrect methods of production and acting.Granted, as a fan of B-movies, I found myself laughing multiple times. But only because this film constantly rises to new levels of craptitude at every turn of its ever-increasingly predictable plot.Have I mentioned that this movie is bad? Here's a low-down: Horrible acting. I'm pretty sure I saw better acting at the last elementary school production of... whatever. Our leading lady, Kristen Renton, is so completely lacking in acting skills that I'm pretty sure the only way she manages to maintain a career in the industry is a low gag reflex.Pathetic special effects. I think my cat could have produced better special effects by digging them out of his sandbox.Would I recommend this movie? Absolutely! With Hollywood continuously pumping out more Kevin James movies, this might just be the funniest thing you see in a long time.

Claudio Carvalho Stefan (William Atherton) invites his daughter Jennifer (Kristen Renton) to travel to Romania for the funeral of his mother. His mystic girlfriend Liz (Erin Gray) travels with them to the cursed village of Pelosoara, where they are welcomed by Stefan's brother Vladimir (Dan Badarau), and sooner Jennifer finds the locals very weird people. Jennifer learns that she is the only woman from the bloodline of her father and in the funeral a stranger approaches to Jennifer and asks her to meet him in the square in one hour. When Jennifer arrives in the spot, she sees a creature devouring the man and is saved by Thomas (James DeBello). The man tells her that he is the last druid on Earth protecting the world against the evil ancients that were defeated by the druids in the past and banished to the spiritual world. In that night, there would have a reclamation ceremony where the evil queen possesses a vessel to open a vortex between the spiritual and the real world to bring the ancients back to Earth, but he has a dagger to kill the vessel and save the world. Sooner Jennifer discovers that she is the intended vessel and her father is part of the conspiracy. "Ghouls" is a mediocre and lame film, with poor screenplay, direction, acting and special effects. This terrible movie is a waste of time and I do not intend to lose more time writing about it. There are only three favorable reviews and eleven that have also hated this flick. My vote is three.Title (Brazil): "Almas Perversas" ("Wicked Souls")

André de Lorde Gary Jones' directorial debut, 1995's MOSQUITO, is a perfect example of an entertaining, purposely cheesy genre film. You want wacky? It features the titular insects dining on alien corpses, growing to obscene sizes and then attacking a humdrum forest community. Much blood is splattered, Gunnar Hansen robs a bank and now, DVD copies run over 100 bucks on eBay. Now, lucky 13 years later, Jones (who also directed The Asylum's enjoyably inane JOLLY ROGER: MASSACRE AT CUTTER'S COVE) has teamed up with no less than three scriptwriters for his first foray into the realm of Sci Fi Channel cinema. One could only assume that given his talent for goofy horror, GHOULS would end up a fun supernatural romp.But we all know what happens when we assume, and GHOULS sadly makes an ass out of you, me and anyone else foolish enough to watch this terrible mess.When college cutie Jen (Kristen Renton) finds out that her estranged Romanian grandmother recently passed away, it's the perfect excuse for her and her father (GHOSTBUSTERS' William Atherton) to visit the old country. What she doesn't know is that a cult of "Ancients" have actually sacrificed her granny to a foursome of poorly animated CGI ghouls, using the power of jazz hands. Soon, oblivious little Jen is meeting her sleazy uncle Vlad (Dan Bararau), second-guessing her dad's seemingly sweet girlfriend (Erin Grey) and catching the eye of the local Druid ghoul hunter (CABIN FEVER's James DeBello). Yes, in a groan-inducing twist, her uncle is indeed named Vlad, and her new boy-toy uses grenades and shotguns to fight ghosts.The creatures, which defy all dictionary definitions of actual ghouls, are a mixture of atrocious digital work and actors traipsing around in bargain-bin Halloween costumes. A number of gratuitous close-ups, in which they shamelessly mug for the camera, showcase solid special makeup work, but it's simply not enough to save the film. Even the gore, which doesn't really get gushing until the one-hour mark, is cut together so quickly that we never really feel like we're seeing anything too nasty. Aside from some gut-munching, silly blood sprays and a few gouges, we're not catching much.As Jen wanders around the emptiest town in all of Eastern Europe, one gets the impression that there is something other than its citizens that's amiss. Side plots abound, although none of them seem to really pay off. Our heroine almost discovers a creepy crate hidden under her bed, but never opens it. Dad's girlfriend loves giving tarot-card readings (improperly), but never actually uses them for anything. Even the early loss of monster hunter Thomas' father offers nothing but an extremely drawn-out filler sequence in which the two prove how bad they truly are at ghoulbusting.A few minor twists precede GHOULS' final act, but they unfortunately fail to take the film in a new direction—and certainly don't hit their intended marks. Atherton, who sadly looks quite haggard, is sorely underused and doesn't offer us a memorable character, instead stirring up memories of far better roles he's taken (DIE HARD, anyone?). The same can unfortunately not be said for DeBello's Thomas, who is so lacking in personality that it took nearly 40 minutes of screen time for this reviewer to even notice he was playing the role. Only the women, both with significant TV credits under their belts, shine through this mess. Regrettably, neither Renton and Grey (of DAYS OF OUR LIVES and SILVER SPOONS, respectively) can rise above the quality of the production, with even the talented young lead falling victim to the absolute hilarity of the film's outrageous finale. The Sci Fi Channel's 2008 roster has been across the board, offering up the dreadful-but-fun HEATSTROKE, the surprisingly decent COPPERHEAD and the only moderately entertaining duo of ROCK MONSTER and AZTEC REX. GHOULS, however, has set new standards in how poor its films can get. Unless you've got friends who truly love tepid horror and an extra case of beer lying around, GHOULS is, sadly, a must-miss. Better luck next time, Sci Fi. You know I'll be back for more.

bobwildhorror It was only a couple short weeks ago that I was here, lamenting the Sci Fi Channel's wreck of a movie GRYPHON. I wondered if there was any way the channel could outdo itself given that travesty of good taste.Great news, people! Sci Fi has risen to the challenge, delivering this pinnacle of ineptitude. This isn't just a bad film; it's a bottom feeder of epic proportion. And the irony...oh, the irony...is that Sci Fi felt this picture worthy of "Event" status. It's not merely a Sci Fi Channel movie, but a "Sci Fi Channel Event." From now on, I'm going to appropriate the term: "Honey, did you just smash the car into that telephone pole?" "No, dear. You're mistaken. That was an event." Where do I begin? Let's start with the story. Soap actress Kristen Renton travels with her father to a spooky foreign city that is under the siege of "ghouls." Apparently these creatures -- which manifest as either Nintendo-style CGI or rubber masked Halloween costumes -- are trying to destroy the world. Only one man stands between them and domination: a laughable Clint Eastwood clone complete with cowboy duster. Did I mention that this character is the last in a long line of Druids(?) charged with leading the "forces of light against the forces of darkness?" That the hundreds of years of skill handed down to him involve use of a shotgun? That, when all else fails, he tosses hand grenades at the offending creatures? Oh, people, you have not laughed until you've seen Clint Eastwood flinging grenades at Nintendo blurs in the city cemetery! To be fair, the city is a genuinely creepy setting. But any ambiance is scuttled by the muddled monster effects, the ridiculous gore effects, and the quick cutting designed to hide the muddled monster effects and bad gore effects...And I have yet to get to the acting or continuity (where actors desperately try to escape the ghouls in one shot and then leisurely stroll into frame in the next).I'm sure there will be those who will view my review as something of a challenge: "It can't be that bad." Rest assured, it can. It actually verges on the ludicrous.And before anyone blames GHOULS' failings on budget issues, I will again assert that low-budget does not have to mean a ludicrous premise and bad effects/execution. These are the hallmark of the Sci Fi Channel.