Review of Ghoulies Go to College

Don't get me wrong, I don't hate this dumb movie. It was a guilty pleasure of mine, as a kid, but after rewatching it. It doesn't really hold up. It's obvious that the aim for this movie was to be comedic than actually scary. However, this choice in direction, somewhat ruins the potential of what could had been, really frightening. After all, the restroom is supposedly to be, the most private and safe place in the house. Seeing some unknown creatures invade that sacred place while you're doing your business; makes going to the bathroom, a little bloodcurdling for everybody. Instead of capitalize on that, this movie goes for rehash familiarity with its 1978's 'Animal House' and 1984's 'Gremlins' type of humor. Directed by John Carl Buechler, even though this movie got released in 1991, it was shot in 1989. It's still really dated, even for the time. The humor is really corny with the cartoon like violence and somewhat too immature for general audiences. While, it's still somewhat watchable at parts, for anybody who love lowbrow crude jokes. It's not really that funny. Even 'The Three Stooges' shorts from the 1930s & 1940s were funnier than this movie. It's also jarring, how the deaths scenes went. I guess, in this universe, toilet plungers and human tongues kill more people than bombs. How is that possible!? Anyways, the third installment's plot has the little demons being summoned at a college campus by now, Professor Ragnar (Kevin McCarthy), who is obsessed with the occult. Driven by taking revenge, on elaborate pranksters, the Professor and the creatures start to wreak havoc on the partying frat boys, during 'Hell Week' with only pretty boy, Skip Carter (Evan MacKenzie) & Erin Riddle (Eva LaRue) being able to stop them. Without spoiling too much, the worst thing, about it, is how the story written by screenwriter, Brent Olson has nothing to do, with the first two 'Ghoulies' films. First off, it doesn't have, recurring character, Jonathan Graves (Peter Liapis) in this film. Wouldn't it make more sense that he goes to this college? Nor does it tells us, how the Ghoulies escape "Satan's Den', the amusement park funhouse from the second movie and end up on this school campus. This film opening is also confusing. If a student trap them in a comic book in the 1960s, how in the hell, did they get out, in the previous films!? Also, how the comic and Gothic toilet made it in behind the wall of the men's washroom? It contradict, everything that happens in the first two movies. Another thing that sucks about this film is how poorly constructed, these hand puppets are. It's no Jim Henson's creature features. Stan Winston was initially attached to do the effects, however he drop out. Sadly, they couldn't even get Charles Band, known for his 'Puppermaster' series. Instead, they got third rate animators and puppeteers. Because of that, you see a lot of mistakes with the monsters, throughout this film. A good example is the beer drinking scene, where you can clearly see the puppeteer's hand holding his arm up. It's really, really bad. It get worst, as this third installment to the popular mini monsters series, has them, talk and wear over size clothes. The over use of the dated 1990s slangs, bad film references, awful puns, and crude, somewhat offensive language makes the voice acting from the voice actors like Richard Kind & Bob Bergen, somewhat hard to listen to. Nevertheless, the acting in this film is also just as horrible. First off, Kevin McCarthy's career has really hit rock bottom since his golden days of 1956's 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers'. He's so over the top and annoying in this film. Because of that, I really couldn't stand any of the scenes with him. Evan MacKenzie & Eva LaRue were just as bad. While, these two did have great chemistry, with each other; their characters weren't that memorable. The minor supporting cast of Matthew Lillard, Kane Hodder, Maria Wallace and Jason Scott Lee is more notable than these two. Another person that seem to steal scenes in the film is Playboy Playmate Hope Marie Carlton as Veronica, stuck up sorority babe. However, it's not her acting that made her stand out; but the use of her sexuality. Her pointless strip tease and shower scene is one of the hottest moments in the film even if it's a homage to 1960's 'Psycho'. In the end, this scene is really, really juvenile. 7 year old, me, like it, but adult, me, not so much. Still, this movie is probably the best out of the four main 'Ghoulies' films. Overall: While, Ghoulies III may get a few chuckles; it still belongs in the toilet, because how corny, it is. After all, crap with some corn is still crap.