The Ghouls

The plot: A parasitic bottom feeder stumbles into a horrific world, hidden inside the darkest alleys of the worst slums.

The Ghouls is basically a rehash of Clive Barker's 1984 short story Midnight Meat Train (which was adapted into a pretty good movie), but there are echoes of many other influences. Indeed, it seems to revel in making references to cult horror. Unfortunately, there really isn't all that much going on beneath the surface. This sort of story has been told many times. You get some despicable, scum of the Earth photographer/reporter, throw them in with a monster, compare and contrast, and then let the audience decide who's worse. Stephen King did it in The Night Flier, which used a vampire, and Clive Barker did it in The Midnight Meat Train, which used ghouls. I'm sure someone out there has done zombies or demons. Probably Poppy Z. Brite.

When I saw Trent Haaga and James Gunn were involved, I knew it was going to be low budget, but I didn't realize it was going to be quite THIS low budget. It was distracting at first, but I eventually got used to it. The directing, acting, and cinematography were all amateurish, but I guess I got used to that, too. The gore was actually kind of competent.

Unfortunately, much of the movie focuses on long, drawn-out scenes where nothing much happens, characters have repetitive flashbacks, or somebody ingests their drug of choice. I guess it sets the mood, but it's also a bit boring. Probably half of the movie feels like it's moody filler. Shaky, hand-held shots take up another chunk of the movie's runtime, as the film's protagonist is a cameraman. That doesn't leave a whole lot of runtime available to tell the story. Luckily, the story isn't really all that complicated.

In the end, the themes end up being more interesting than the story, and the gore effects maintain your interest more than anything else. If you're able to enjoy guerrilla filmmaking and indie horror, and you aren't looking for much more than a splatter movie with some interesting themes, then this movie can actually work for you. It's dark (metaphorically and literally), grim, and moody. However, it's also inept, amateurish, and kind of boring. It reminds me of Shatter Dead. If you found Shatter Dead exciting, different, and full of spirit, then you should give The Ghouls a try. If you hated Shatter Dead, then don't even think about trying to watch this.

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.

Yea so apparently the DVD case has misled viewers into expecting yet another living dead infected bloodbath filled with gore as we have seen many times on land sea and air and has left the viewers unsatisfied with what they saw. I saw this on crackle....for free...I don't remember exactly what the description was but I didn't let that effect my opinion. The movie is obviously very low budget however that seems to add something to finished product which is not another simple zombie attack but an insight on the lower class types and their lifestyles in the city......with some flesh eating ghouls thrown in. I was entertained.

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.

I can't say enough for this movie. You can tell it's low budget, but it doesn't disappoint. The acting, cinematography, editing and the directing never strike a false note. How many films can you say that for? I rented this movie at Blockbuster, and even though I'm a horror fan, I have to say, Blockbuster has become a maven for low-budget bad horror films. And, for some reason, horror fans seem to accept less than other movie-going audiences would accept in terms of budget, plot, direction, cinematography and character (maybe because gore is a category in and of itself, as is being bad in all above mentioned categories). Anyway, this movie has it all...good character development (give the first 30 minutes time), good acting (dispicable characters that you somehow feel for), good editing (flawless, actually), good cinematography (wait for that alley car scene), a good script to unite it all and, to make it all come together, I have to give credit to the director. Really an excellent, although low-budget, horror film.