Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Simply Perfect

Just perfect...

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

GHOULIES II (1988) ** (out of 4) The circus attraction Satan's Den is given notice that if their latest stop doesn't make money then their doors are going to be closed. Uncle Ned (Royal Dano) and his nephew Larry (Damon Martin) gotta kind a new attraction to liven things up and they find it in some ghoulies that found their way in. Soon they both realize that these disgusting creatures aren't worth the extra money.GHOULIES II is actually an improvement over the original film but then again that's really not saying too much considering the original was pretty bad and a poor mile behind films like GREMLINS and CRITTERS. This sequel has a few funny things in it and the special effects by John Carl Buechler are much better and they're the saving grace. This sequel also manages to have a fairly fun setting and when you put all of this together you've got a mildly entertaining film.I think the best thing this film has going for it are the special effects. I thought all of the ghoulie effects were quite good and certainly miles better than what was seen in the previous film as well as other low-budget movies like this. I thought the creatures looked very realistic and I liked how much personality each of them had. There are some gore effects as well but the majority of them were cut so that the film could get a PG-13 rating and be more "kid friendly," although the recent Blu-ray release has the uncut footage. It's strange that they'd aim this film at kids yet the "F" word is said three times.Another thing I liked was the circus setting, which added some fun to the movie. With that said, there's still nothing ground-breaking here. There's some pretty bad performances scattered throughout and I'd question the film running 89-minutes as that's about ten minutes too long. Another problem is that there are some pretty slow moments throughout the first hour but things really pick up during the final third when the ghoulies break free and cause havoc.

a few of the little nasties stow away on an amusement park ride and bring big bucks to a dying fair. The creatures are mad after an attempt to kill them, so the creatures go on a rampage through the fairgrounds.We have director Albert Band (with son Charlie producing) working under the Empire Studios banner, an era when good films were produced. And one of the best writers at the time -- working again here -- was Dennis Paoli. Through in horror veteran Bill Butler and Band favorite Phil Fondacaro, and you have a film.Maybe not a great film, mind you. This is one of those countless puppet films the band family made (and continues to make). Oddly enough, the best parts of this film are when there are no ghoulies on screen -- the direction and acting are quite decent and the puppets just sort of bring the mood down.

I didn't like the first "Ghoulies" movies. I thought it was really cheap, really boring, and really lame. But apparently the movie struck a nerve during its theatrical release and subsequent video-cassette release, because a few years later we got this sequel (though it was released direct to video because of the bankruptcy of Empire Pictures). I was expecting the worst for this movie, but to my surprise I thought it was somewhat of an improvement over part one. While it is painfully obvious at times that this set-in-America movie was NOT filmed in America (it was filmed in Italy), otherwise this movie looks a lot better than the first one. It looks like more money was invested, which gives us things like better sets and better creature effects (including some stop-motion animation.) Also, the protagonists in this sequel are a lot more likable than the ones in the first film. While this sequel is an improvement, there are two big problems that hold this back from cheesy fun status. First, the pacing - I though the limited plot unfolded very slowly. The second problem is that with the PG-13 rating, the movie holds back on R-rated goodies like gore and sexual material, which might have really livened things up. Still, I'll admit I've seen plenty of horror movies that are much worse than this one.

I never liked Ghoulies 1 & 4 and the third Ghoulies film was pretty good. The 2nd Ghoulies film however to me is like the 1st installment of Ghoulies. What The 2nd one does is it doesn't mess around and it's not cheesy like people say it is. Ghoulies II is more than a fun Horror film which goes down into the deep dark roots of the horror genre really being serious.It is one of my favorite horror films as I had watched this dark, sinister, (a little bit) suspenseful and scary film as a kid many times. It has many memorable scenes, excellent effects, decent acting and awesome kills which makes this film work. I'm going to go through as to why I liked this film so much.Acting 9/10: The acting is not that bad at all. It's quite decent to be honest and the actors who played as Nigel and Larry really do a really good job at their roles. The guy who played Nigel doesn't only bring feel to his character but he has that Shakesperen style that makes his character laughable and memorable to watch in action as he quotes and lectures from Shakespere. The guy who played as Larry does a very simple job and that's what I like about his acting, he didn't have to dramatize everything, he just went into it and did it. The other actors center around them quite well.Special Effects 9/10: Special effects with the Ghoulies are done very well in each scene when we see them moving around the screen, walking, running or killing.Puppertry 9.5/10: The puppetry of the ghoulish creatures is done quite well and like Chucky in "Child's Play" or Fats in "Magic", the special effects people from the 80's can truly make these mysterious, scary, ugly and nasty beings come to life. To bad they can't make creatures come to life like they used to.Scenes 9/10: Most of the scenes are planned well throughout. It's good how we have the Ghoulies causing chaos in the Den attraction and then we see them rampaging across the carnival to feast on food, ride bumper cars, shoot some 'ducks' game and pretty much kill more innocent people! I loved most of the scenes with the Ghoulies as every scene protracts on them, making all five of them stand out really well. When the Ghoulies weren't in scenes and we see Larry, Nigel etc, most of those scene were pure goodness too.Music/Soundtrack 9/10: The music is really enjoyable to listen to as it differs from creepiness and alternative type music. There is also a bit of depression and tension within the music which sets the mood for the film's scenes.I know a lot of people won't agree with my review here but then again, this is my opinion and I definitely respect yours if you don't like this film. I've seen it 7 times and I still really love it a lot.9.7/10