#3 – Ghoulies IV (1994)
Much like Ghoulies III, this one is at best a mixed bag. Realistically, they’re on about the same level of quality in my eyes. So why did I ultimately rate this one higher? Because it was the first sequel to harken back to the original’s sorcery-centric plot and also brought back its protagonist, Jonathan Graves (Peter Liapis).
Ghoulies IV largely eschews the tiny tomfoolery of the second and third films. Instead, it sets a black magic-wielding human (and her otherworldly master) as its antagonist, with the ghoulies themselves once again relegated to sidekick status. I’m torn when it comes to this turn of events. On the one hand, it’s nice to see some of the franchise’s roots brought back into the mix. On the other, it’s hard not to penalize this sequel for lacking the hefty dose of puppet-fueled shenanigans that permeate most of the other entries.
Speaking of puppets, there are none here. The budget was apparently so low that the production could not afford to restore and reuse the existing puppets. As a result, Ghoulies IV has the ghoulie count down to only two and they are portrayed by dwarf actors Arturo Gil and Tony Cox, respectively. This makes them more expressive and their talking less jarring than it was in Ghoulies III, but it also removes a lot of novelty from the concept. Like I said, it’s a mixed bag.
Being a Jim Wynorski film, it contains a lot of the filmmaker’s trademark touches. We have the requisite leather clad femme fatale. We have references to the Hockstedter Mental Hospital (also used in Sorority House Massacre II and Hard to Die). We also have an appearance by actor Ace Mask’s Wynorski-verse character, Dr. Rochelle (Not of This Earth and Return of Swamp Thing). If you have any affinity for the man’s work (at least his early stuff), it gives the proceedings an added layer of entertainment.
