The Ghouls - Cannibal Dead

I recently watched the low-budget film The Ghouls (2003) on Tubi. The storyline follows a broke man in the media who is trying to capture activity on tape that he can sell for his big break. When he discovers something is eating the homeless, he thinks he's found an avenue for success but faces significant risks trying to capture the creatures eating people...

This film is written and directed by Chad Ferrin (Night Caller) and stars Trent Haaga (Slice), Timothy Muskatell (Jurassic City), Gil Espinoza (High School High), and Tiffany Shepis (Victor Crowley).

This movie was pretty entertaining for a film made on a $68,000 budget. The storyline is reminiscent of C. H. U. D. and executes the horror elements fairly well. The opening stab scene and eating sequences are outstanding and well executed. The gore in this film is surprisingly good. Unfortunately, the acting ranges from mediocre to bad, and the main character is quite annoying. The cinematography also reflects its low-budget nature. The highlight of the film, beyond the gore, is a kid with down syndrome who steals the show in every scene he's in.

In conclusion, The Ghouls suffers from its low budget but has some worthwhile scenes. I would score it a 5/10 and recommend it only to horror enthusiasts.

I first heard of Chad Ferrin one night while watching a Troma film. There was a trailer for the movie Unspeakable on it,now let me tell you i was blown away by what i saw.very disgusting and morbid,and I LOVED IT ALL !!!! That movie prompted me to name my site after it.Unspeakable when first looked at would make one believe the content is much more different than the norm,hence Unspeakable Magazine...A site for the overlooked companies in this lovely horror genre.People like Chad Ferrin defy all odds of small indie filmmakers not being able to put out good quality films like the big dogs...horseshit..from the two films i've seen from Ferrin i'm a believer in what he's capable of. The Ghouls stars Timothy Muskatell(who is also in Unspeakable) as Ric Hayes, one who videotapes various police chases, amubulance runs, and random street violence and sells their tapes to the highest bidders, sort of like a ghetto paparazzi. From the start of the movie there is a pretty disturbing scene that'll make you go "WTF". Ric takes a tape he just filmed of a murder to a local news station only to find out he's been beatin to the punch, then realizing his life is a big pile of turds.Things start to downspiral from there. After a falling out with a local news broadcaster( Joe Pilato from Day of the Dead), missing out on a big police chase, and unsuccessfully trying to reclaim his love interest(Tina Birchfield), Hayes solves his problems with glass after glass of alcohol, more cigs than a AA meeting ashtray and the occasional snort of I believe coc.well one night on his way home, he sees a couple of bums who look like their about to rape a young woman. He follows them into an alley with his camera running, shocked to discover that they weren't bums at all, but flesh eating ghouls who have torn the woman apart. Narrowly escaping them, Eric flees to take the news office, only to discover he was too damn drunk and his dumb-ass had forgotten to put a tape in the camera.

Determined to find out what he saw, he enlists the help of another stringer named Cliff(Trent Haaga)which i might add did his usual brilliantlly funny job.. Each armed with a gun and their cameras, they split up and head out into the streets to investigate and find out what these ghouls really are. But when Eric gets the footage he desires, he's also lead to realize what kind of horrible things he's filmed and how big of a skank he is by doing so. However, maybe he can use his talents for good by warning the public of what is lurking in their streets... if only he can get the footage.And finally pull himself out of the gutter.

The Ghouls is a horror film that features a great cast, with many familiar faces to Troma fans (Troma released Ferrin's aformentioned first film, the shocking and overly disturbing Unspeakable). Along side Haaga and Musketell The Ghouls cast only gets better, James Gunn, Stephen Blackehart, and the ever so lovely Tiffany Shepis( even though you have to be a die hard Shepis fan to notice where she's at) also appear in the film. .Not since the Hellraiser series have I seen gore and other special effects at this level ,and I say Hellrasier due to the type fo gore this flick has.Once you watch the movie you'll understand couldn't really notice and negative aspects about the film.One of my favorite parts of the movie is the suprise ending.I laughed bu tat the same time was appalled.Now that's entertainment

The Ghouls sways away from the normal horror flick and adds some flair .The Ghouls is deffinatelly a must see for any true diehard horror fan. I knwo it's not even out yet but I'm foaming at the mouth awaiting his next flick.Keep an eye out for The Ghouls in your local video stores.This guy's going somewhere. Spellcaster of Fear

First and foremost, the distributors fooled me. The box implied that this was a large scale zombie movie and that there would be a handful of survivors in a ravaged city. This was simply not the case. However instead of being angry as would generally be the case, I was taken aback. This movie is no zombie fest, but it was a very dark and thought provoking movie. I was pondering it long after the very odd and fitting credits rolled. Ghouls, is about a sleazy paparazzi reporter who makes his pseudo-living by filming scenes of crime, murder, and tragedy. The gruesome sights never bother him until he finds himself on the receiving end of the horror. Ghouls come in two varieties here: the flesh-eating type and the social type. There are some powerful themes running throughout this gem, largely about the media but also some other ideas, like smoking, identity and overall moral standings in our society. I had some trouble warming up to the "hero", but I realized we aren't meant to like him. You might pity him, sympathize with him, even feel concern for him, but you never truly like him. Much better than I would have expected, but this IS a thinking movie-goer's zombie film, action isn't the real point. If you're thinking about buying this solely to see scads of the undead, look elsewhere.

Minutes after watching Chad Ferrin's newest classic, I was hit with the thought that this film, The Ghouls, could well be the best horror film of the past couple of years. It left me with a strange taste in my mouth. It begs to question "WHO really are the ghouls? Are they the monsters, hiding away in the dark, waiting to tear you limb from limb? Or rather, are the ghouls the men who feed you this mythology, the men who will go to any means to give you what they want you to see, to believe?" Chad Ferrin has created a true vision of horror, one that you will not soon forget. The story follows Eric, played with perfection by Timothy Muskatell, a "stringer" who videotapes crimes and sells them to the media for the publics consumption. One night, in a drunken haze, he witnesses what he thinks to be a rape taking place. He runs in with his camera, only to see that the woman is not being raped-no, she is being torn apart by "The Ghouls", people that live underneath the city who eat human flesh. Realizing that he missed his opportunity to film the act that would make him rich, he enlists the help of Cliff, another stringer, to hunt down and film the ghouls. Cliff is portrayed by Trent Haaga, probably the finest actor working the B-movie industry today. Trent brings along his quick wit, and ability to steal a scene, to make the character of Cliff a fun guy to watch. What happens over the next few hours will test Eric's faith, and make him question who he is-WHAT he is. Chad Ferrin decision to shoot the film on DV, giving the film an authentic, scary look, was genius- it's almost as if you are right there, watching as the horror unfolds. Ferrin's take on the demorilizing aspects of the media and the depths to which some men will go to capture the truth is a true testament to his ability as a writer/director. Scary, thought provoking, and utterly unforgettable, THE GHOULS should be required viewing for those about to venture into the world of low budget filmmaking. This is how it should be done. I love this movie. And the ending-well, the ending is one for the books. Who are The Ghouls? See this movie, and decide for yourself.

Heh, to start this all off.. This movie was packaged along with Hannibal Rising. My friend and I thought to ourselves, "Oh, a free movie! Hey, this looks pretty cool." Unfortuantly, we were wrong. The whole 30 minutes that we wasted (Honestly, me nor her could sit and watch the whole thing,) was horrible. Not just the subject matter but the filming. I know that it had a strong underlying subject, but I (as well as almost everyone else who saw the cover and read the back summary) was fooled.

Just as a warning.. Don't buy Hannibal Rising (Unrated) that comes with The Ghouls. It's just a waste.