Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Just what I expected

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

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.

Who in the world was able to view this horrid mess and walk away from the TV satisfied? This movie sickened me. i didn't think it possible to make a movie worse than the Death Tunnel, but i was wrong. I want my 5 bucks back. I knew it wasn't going to be Oscar worthy (it's shot on digital camera) but i didn't expect it to be the most atrocious thing ever to assault my eyeballs! This film has no likable characters, a paper thin plot and s***ty effects. The director (who should be jailed for making this train wreck) had to sell his car in order to get the 25 bucks it took to make the film. i'm not making that up. a 0 out of 10. and i thought Ulli Lommells Green River Killer was bad

Bluntly , Chad Ferrin does not deserve the feedback, time, or thought for this movie. He is a 33 yr old who was done odd jobs as a production assistant on several 'productions' (AKA fetching coffee while a friend of a friend shoots bad student films) who has now found a taste of success with this film. I like to think it hasn't gone to his head and is humbled by it instead of hanging out in star-bucks in a black turtleneck with his nose in the air.(generalization cliché acknowledged)It is not a good film, it is not original, clever, or insightful. The dialog, acting, effects, plot , lighting, camera work are extremely amateur. It is a shame that Blockbuster tries and saves money by space-filing their shelves with this kind of cheaply obtained fare. However , My utter disdain for this movie would be all but gone if I had caught a viewing of this as part of a series of student films projected in a local Indy theater. I would have laughed and cheered at the sheer silliness of it. Don't waste your time with it. IT is not camp or classic simply because it is of poor quality. Just let Chad Ferrin drift into obscurity and hope in 20 years they aren't releasing a directors cut.

My Tuesday started off like most, wake up, shower, eat a balanced breakfast and head to work. My day was somewhat routine, no ups or downs, just......typical. I left work a little stressed and while driving home, I got a flat tire and was forced into 30 minutes of extra work that I had not intended. I got home late, and then attempted to wind down. What would I do? Watch some TV? Eat a snack and take a nap? "Hey man, do you wanna watch this movie, The Ghouls?" my roommate asked. "Hmmmmmmmm" I thought, this could be a pretty good idea.Man was I right! I quickly forgot about the ills of my day quite quickly as I was cast into a world of depravity and horrible film-making. I was blown away at all the talent bursting from the seems in this picture, from the A+ acting, to the directing, most likely helmed by a retarded 7 year old, or the inane pacing that made my life feel so much better than anyone else's associated with this movie.It's a really comforting feeling to seek satisfaction through the misfortune of others. Kind of like watching someone fall and spill their drink on themselves. This movie was like watching a really arrogant skate boarding teen brag to his friends about the 720 he's sure to pull off, only to break his face on the unforgiving pavement.I cherish the thought that I may ever get the chance to meet the makers of this film, perhaps at a low caliber festival they are sure to play, so I get the opportunity to belittle their amateur efforts. Hey I'll even make my own festival and fly them right to me just for that chance.You remember when you were a child and you wanted to do something that your Father said you weren't old enough for, like hold your new baby cousin, or help carve the Thanksgiving turkey? All to spare you the obvious misfortune of failing. Well Father Filmmaker should have told everyone involved that "You are not old enough, mature enough, competent enough or talented enough to make this movie". The childish filmmakers would have sighed "Awwwwwww but I want to!" and then stomped their feet as they left the room. But it would have spared them the massive rejection that they must be feeling now.If I had tried to ride a bike for the first time and bailed as badly as this, I surely would have learned to jump rope instead. Makers of The Ghouls: Please for the love of anything decent and proper; seek another form of employment, because you will only get hurt if you continue. Film-making doesn't like you.