La Prophétie

This is one of those rare horror films that I find absolutely no enjoyment in whatsoever. I say rare because I am a huge horror fan, and even really bad horror films almost always hold my attention. I have spent many a Saturday just soaking in the glorious cinema the Syfy channel has to offer. The average movie-watcher's terrible horror film usually equates to a decent watch from my perspective. And more often than not, even the ones that are truly atrocious have moderate to exceptional comedic value. I'm afraid such cannot be said for 'Ghouls'.

It's biggest and most obvious flaw is the terrible plot. We know there are ghouls who are trying to reclaim something or another, and in doing so cross the plane from the spiritual world into the physical world. Beyond that, I'm not really quite sure what was taking place, or why. Speaking of that, I'm also a little confused as to what exactly was left to be accomplished for these ghouls as far as crossing over into the physical world, seeing as they actually feed on people's flesh, and can (somehow) be mortally wounded by gunshots and grenade blasts. Can't really get much more physical than that.

James DeBello is not a bad actor. No, he's really not. This was just not a role meant for him I guess. He was great in 'Detroit Rock City' as a goof ball stoner. He was even good in 'Cabin Fever', because even though that was a serious role, the film had its comedic elements, and his character was a huge part of that. He was just flat here. No emotional range at all. It was pretty rough to watch actually. Except that part on the horse and carriage where he grunted a lot. That was really funny.

The ghouls themselves were actually kind of cool to look at. That's about all that can be said for the film as far as positives. It is evident they had SOME budget to work with. The ghouls themselves weren't a total embarrassment. Effects otherwise were well above Syfy original-type standards. Other than that, this was pretty god awful boring. I see no reason to recommend anyone watch this film. Often even really bad films offer something. This offers nothing. Just a really dreadful film that you probably won't even make it all the way through before giving up and turning it off. (My ESPN the magazine on the coffee table eventually drew me away.)

Next time you're in the mood for some horror involving druids, human sacrifice and worship of Satanic beings, do some reading on George Bush and friends and Bohemian Grove. It's really much more interesting.

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")

Ghouls, the latest Sci-fi channel offering lives up to the channel's reputation. Mediocre. Kristen Renton stars as Jennifer, a comely lass from the Western world of ipods and attitude who accompanies her parents to her grandmother's funeral in a VERY Epcot version of Eastern Europe. While there she discovers a cult that isn't quite vampire but act like them. They're just sort of creepy with black outfits and an army of vaporous ugly zombie-like creatures that fly known as ghouls. James DeBello shows up looking like a ridiculous vigilante/hunter of some sort. Erin Gray plays Jennifer's mother, who's skilled in the old ways and deciphers all the runes that show up as decoration in the quaint inn. William Atherton (looking a little ghoulish himself) is Jennifer's dad. Action sequences of a horror nature are few and far between. Young girls will like it I suppose, Renton stays fresh and pretty throughout her ordeal. In a way, I've grown fond of these Sci-fi "films". They put a lot of people to work, they provide good background to computer surfing and occasionally I grin. Not laugh out loud mind you, but grin.

A young woman travels with her dad to visit her grandma in eastern Europe,only to be confronted by evil supernatural creatures. These so-called ghouls act more like vampires, but it doesn't really matter as the movie is badly written and directed and clearly was shot on the cheap in -- where else? -- Romania. The special effects are right out of a Commodore 64, as well. Kristen Renton as the nubile daughter is easy on the eyes if no great shakes as an actress. Award-winning actor William Atheron, of all people, is on board as her dad and is clearly slumming here. I suppose an all-expenses paid trip to Romania and all the pierogies one can eat must be worth something, even to an actor of Atherton's caliber. Typical SyFy Channel schlock. Not even a good time killer.

My first thought as the opening scene greeted my eyes: "I hope this is part of the introduction for a belated studio logo, and not the beginning of the movie. Oh. It's the beginning of the movie." My second thought, during the sequence that followed: "Jazz hands!"

I'm not sure if the problem is a lack of all subtlety, nuance, and tact, or an active abjuration of it. The dialogue, scene writing, and characters all immediately inspire a bewildered, skeptical "what?" - and much of the plot is scarcely a step behind. Narrative focal point Jennifer, for example, is a stereotypical American girl who inquires about shopping opportunities during a tarot reading, but then is peculiarly accepting of everything she's told as the story advances. The editing, cinematography, direction, and much of the acting readily seem similarly overcooked, bereft of any delicate hand (though some instances of acting are just simply underwhelming, instead). While the blood, gore, creature design, makeup, and costume design all mostly look great, if a little too self-indulgent - and practical effects, too! - on the other hand, any computer-generated imagery is pretty much an eyesore, less than seamless with the rest of the feature. Ah, and of course the story is rather predictable.

In fairness, 'Ghouls' is a TV movie, and it unquestionably looks and feels like it. Where else could William Atherton look so pained in a production, as though by participating in each scene he was losing his soul, while at the same time James DeBello has the appearance of trying so hard to act (and failing) that he might give himself an aneurysm or sprain a muscle? The feature sits at the intersection of horror and dark fantasy, with the familiar thrust of an innocent unwittingly being thrust into extraordinary circumstances of which they are somehow the keystone. Save for the heightened blood, gore, and otherwise violence, this wouldn't feel out of place airing on NBC instead of the Sci Fi Channel (now SyFy) where it premiered. The intent was nothing more than to have some genre fun in a particular medium, and for all the bluntness, that aim was achieved - this isn't half bad, actually. I had a good time watching. Only, by golly, I wish there were more mindful care applied in any regard, or that all involved were allowed to wholly lean into the darkness and the best potential.

Though it's nothing remarkable (just standard genre fare), I like Alan Howarth's original score; I'm less enthused about the bursts of rock music that pop up at a couple points, and at the end credits. Though it's perhaps not saying much, I think the cast (including recognizable names and faces) make the most of the material and direction they have to work with; I'd like to think that under other circumstances, in a different movie, they'd make a better impression. The production design and art direction are actually pretty great, and I adore the filming locations. Beyond being a somewhat ham-handed genre romp, there are actually some specific worthwhile elements here. I understand why this doesn't seem to have been received very well; I also think, all things told, it's better than folks seem to give it credit for.

When all is said and done the question to ponder is how much one enjoys TV movies - love them, hate them, abide as necessary, watch because "why not." For all the gaucheness, I think 'Ghouls' is suitably entertaining in its blend of horror and fantasy - though I also freely admit that I tend to be more generous and open-minded than not when it comes to cinema. By no means is this something you need to go out of your way to see, but if you happen to come across it, or if you're just really curious, there are worse ways to spend ninety minutes.