The Ghouligans

Director - Sean King (The Ghouligans! Super Show)
Starring - Sean King, Pete Bune (The Ghouligans! The Mini-Series), and Michael Koscik (Lost Suburbia)
Release Date - 2010
Genre - Horror/Comedy
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Sometimes I get in a mood where I don't want a flick full of blood and guts.  You can only go so far with blood and guts before you lose the viewer.  You need substance to keep them watching and that is why I sometimes want to check out some horror comedies or horror films aimed towards children.  A few months ago I checked out The Ghouligans the Mini-Series.  The show was fantastic and was the perfect demonstration of how monsters with personalities could be just as entertaining as watching a masked slasher cut down horny teens.  The only problem I had with the mini-series was that it ended.  I reached back out to the people behind the show and they was kind enough to send me a copy of the shorts they had put together a few years ago.  If the shorts were half as fun as what I had just watched then it was well worth my time.

     The shorts do not follow a linear story but feature the mis-adventures of the four Ghouligans.  The shorts put them in everyday situations like working on their car, trying to sell a car, trick or treating, playing sports and so forth.  The shorts typically end with a monstrous twist to remind the viewers that they are creatures of the night and not your next door neighbors.

     

     Before I popped the DVD in my Xbox One to check out I had in my mind that these shorts would be just as amazing as the mini-series.  Sadly, they were not but that does not make them bad because they are far from it.  The episodes are fun but they are a crude workprint for what would become the well polished characters we do get in the mini-series.  The acting in this one is on the same level as you would expect.  The characters are fun and over-the-top.  Each cast member is working on finding their character's personality and with each episode we see that character grow.  The story for these are nothing new or original but they are fun and entertaining as hell.  Each short reminds me of a modern day Munsters episode with the Ghouligans doing everyday activities only to have them screw up in hilarious ways.  Finally, the film does have a few on screen kills that are very lackluster and poor in effects.  However, as I stated earlier, this is not the kind of stuff you watch if you want blood and guts.  Instead, the focus of these shorts is to make the viewer laugh and it does just that.  The creatures don't have their signature look just yet.  With each episode they slowly make their way to their now classic look.  Overall, These Ghouligans episodes are raw and crude when compared to their new material but they are still fun non-the-less.  Check them out because you will enjoy yourself.