Exploring Ghoulies - The Birth of an Empire

[@brettbaratheon9776]

Every kid of the 80’s and 90’s can picture the VHS box clear as day in their head. This movie rocks.

[@spg1794]

that VHS box cover SCARED THE CRAP OUT OF ME and i dreaded going into video stores out of fear of seeing it.... as an adult i watched the movie and enjoyed it!!!

[@frankdux5785]

#1 box art that stuck with me as a kid... that terrifying/ exciting walk through the horror isle when id sneak away from my parents every time wed go

[@williamfoster4072]

Didn't wanna go to the potty after that VHS cover

[@miguelhuerta4916]

I always thought that lil ghoulie on the vhs cover was wearing overalls lol finally realized he’s wearing a cute lil belly shirt

[@ThatPurpleGirl81]

I never even watched the movie, but I remember seeing that cover and I never forgot it! It made me scared to take a s**t!😅

[@willmistretta]

JCB was such a cool guy and clearly loved talking at length with fans at conventions and such. I treasure the poster he gave me for his (still unreleased, possibly abandoned/lost) final project, Wizardream. It sits in a frame over my movie shelves.

[@TYLER503DURDEN]

As a young kid looking for a VHS movie to rent back when there was still a seperate Beta section. This cover always caught my eye, but of course I wasnt allowed to rent it at about 6 or 7 years old. This cover because I thought it was cool looking and the covers for Monkey Shines, Dead Alive, and Company of Wolves because they terrified me are burned in my memory for life.

[@kr00m]

The Pumpkinhead poster and Toxic Avenger cardboard cutout at our local rental store still sticks with me. Sometimes I miss roaming the aisles.

[@TYLER503DURDEN]

@@kr00m i very much miss roaming the isles for a movie. Staying home and having a movie night was so much more of an event when you had to go out and rent them.

[@8supermagic]

So appreciate hearing your words on Gary Allen! He was my dad and I had to send the video to my family right away.

[@GoodBadFlicks]

You are very welcome :)

[@mrgalactus7264]

Your double down on the tagline before the credits made me gut laugh. Thanks Cecil

[@jayfrancis84]

Yeah I burst out later laughing way too hard myself at that too.

[@svenjansen2134]

Same. Its a great tagline!

[@GoodBadFlicks]

lol thanks :)

[@unrealdevon]

That tagline is so much better anyway they really should have kept it.

[@JamieMPhoto]

That little toilet Ghoulie freaked me out as a child in rental stores ... but also probably helped trigger my fascination with horror movies, and the allure of the horror section. RIP, video rental store horror sections. Those were dark magic.

[@JamieMPhoto]

But I don't think it put me off potty training. 😂😂😂😂

[@wjhull]

I saw Ghoulies when I was probably-a-bit-too-young and had a blast--never even considered the toilet thing as something that could be remotely phobia-inducing. Arachnophobia, on the other hand, had me lifting the lid to double-check for DECADES, and I was much older when I saw that.

[@gregoryjohnson9733]

Us 70s and 80s kids saw all these movies way too young lol.

[@PoeInTheDitch]

Haha. Everyone that was a kid in the 80's saw everything when they were a bit too young. Good times. Blend video rental shops with distracted parents, and you had 6 year-olds watching Return of the Living Dead. Haha

[@racheledwards2352]

I am loving what you're doing, Cecil. Keep up the fantastic work, man.

[@maxhill9254]

+1

[@GoodBadFlicks]

Thanks, will do!

[@grouchotrout444]

Love all ur vids but "Exploring" series is my fave. Loved hearing about the lore behind this iconic franchise!

[@GoodBadFlicks]

Thanks!

[@simonwoodthrillerwriter]

That tagline "They'll get you in the end" was marketing genius. As a teen, I remember seeing that on the VHS cover and I've never forgotten it.

[@travisshallenberger9486]

I remember this one well. How could you NOT remember the monster coming out of the toilet on the cover?? That was a staple in our video stores for YEARS after the movie had run it's course. It was an image that just grabbed you and refused to go unnoticed. On a different note, those old school FX took balls to do. Things like the eyes. You had to be confident in your FX guy, and probably a little crazy, to put things like that in your eyes. Just thinking about what happened to Richard Moll in the Sword and the Sorceress makes me shudder.

[@MrUnicorn44]

You're obviously way too young to have ever worn (even soft) contact lenses, I'm gathering; I've been 'snowblind' for weeks, in my youth, thanks to wearing them, partying, sleeping in them, getting up and going to work with them still in, scratching the living hell out of my corneas. But, the caveat is that, when you're young, you're made of rubber, magic and ridiculous amounts of adrenaline.

[@alexanderford3831]

I was 4yrs old when this film came out, and that image of a monster with suspenders in a toilet is seared into my memory. I saw the poster in the theater lobby, and years later, on the VHS shelf. I think this one and Nemesis with Olivier Grüner were the top 2 B-Movies I didn't see until adulthood.

[@theylied1776]

When I worked at a video store, when I was a teenager, we had some of the people that worked for full moon come out and do a little event at our video store. They were the horror version of Netflix for straight to video for video stores.

[@dennett316]

Never saw this, but I vividly remember the poster/vhs cover and the numerous trailers I saw for it when watching other horror films. It's weird how something I haven't seen can be iconic to me but it's an eye catching image.

[@trustno173]

Speaking of Winston, Band and Parasite, here's a fun fact for you, in the book The Winston Effect, about Stan Winston's career, Winston states that he had turned down doing the effects of E.T. to do Parasite, which he quickly came to view as the most foolish mistake of his entire career, and quite tellingly the book has no section or photos of Parasite, just briefly mentions it, but that the film got him some uncredited directing experience.

[@BlastBoyX]

I remember this being a silly film but rewatching as an adult, I was impressed with the authenticity of the ritual magic scenes.

[@Dc-alpha]

Yes.... authenticity. I'll take your word on that one.

[@moserfugger6363]

@@Dc-alpha Yeah, if you ever were on Epstein Island, you'd know!

[@Dc-alpha]

@@moserfugger6363 Who told you about tha.... I mean what#s epstein island?

[@moserfugger6363]

@@Dc-alpha Psssssst... What happens on Epstein Island stays on Epstein Island. Just ask the two Bills: Gates and Clinton. They kept silent like real gentlemen. :)

[@Dc-alpha]

@@moserfugger6363 Oh no not true, Bill C is very vocal, especially during, Bill G.... well he's just not a talkative man. That thing with the Zucchini and the wd-40 was a new one though.... Wait, I mean errr.... Windows '95 and the usb.

[@DaBoff858]

I can't get enough of your Channel man... Hopefully "The Gate" is next... Loved that movie! Can't wait for the next video!

[@GoodBadFlicks]

Thanks!

[@caffeineadvocate]

The marketing worked on me. Didn't even see it until high school, but was terrified of sitting on the toilet based on the rental store's cover art itself when I was very small.

[@theshakyproject2971]

I have a soft spot for Ghoulies III: Ghoulies Go To College. I've always admired how Kevin McCarthy (no, not the politician) gave his all no matter the project. Also, the movie has a ton of eventual stars. It's adolescent fun and I hope you'll cover it some day.

[@Scatscar1985]

As far I'm concerned, the actor is the ONLY Kevin McCarthy.

[@matthewrobinson6872]

Always nice seeing Hope Marie Carlton in anything

[@josephamoraz7990]

I just found ghoulies 3 on vhs at a local video store that's sadly going out of business. Haven't watched it yet but plan on it over the weekend

[@noneed4me2n7]

I miss going to the video store as a teen and going through all the selections for those hidden gems. Ghoulies box art alone was must rent.

[@RavenHouseMystery]

Great job on the video, Cecil. Your research is always appreciated, no matter how well-known the film is. I also thought that Ghoulies was a Gremlins knockoff at the time, so thank you for setting the record straight.

[@GoodBadFlicks]

Thanks!

[@karlweimar2408]

I saw Ghoulies around Halloween 2017 and I’ve been waiting for the Good Bad Flicks take ever since

[@wstine79]

I remember the poster more than them actual movie. I grew up with the sequel over the first. But, it was interesting seeing Mariska Hargitay in a pre-Law In Order SVU role.

[@brooksproductions9573]

John was a class act. I always loved his work. I wrote him an email once about a terrible sci-fi stinker he made, and he replied to my email and gave me a pair of free tickets to Hacket. Hilariously enough he admitted that the sci-fi film wasn't very good.

[@danielrickard5999]

This brings back memories this is the first VHS I ever rented as a kid

[@svenjansen2134]

Great work as usual. Nice to see you in the Search of Darkness documentary! Keep it up and thanks for the entertaining and informative content.

[@GoodBadFlicks]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed this and the ISOD docs. Lots of work went into both :)

[@alexzapf6422]

Love the Ghoulies franchise. So entertaining.

[@justintoner9817]

I saw Ghoulies and Ghoulies 2 a lot on cable growing up in the 90s. I enjoyed them so thank you for doing an exploring on the first film. It was cool learning all this behind the scenes information. Thanks Cecil!

[@cpl.barbarusc4814]

Dude, the laughter at th end of the video that got into the movie totally earned. I never knew Charles Band and Stan Winston back in those days, this video only made me miss Stan and Carl even more, effects haven't been the same since.

[@jonathanmulondo9206]

Charles Band is a master of coming up horror franchises

[@1kylecurry]

Ghoulies is a goofy, wacky & over the top cult classic. Just sit back & enjoy for what it is...Stupid funny!

[@camerondodge2070]

I always end up forgetting how many films the Bands have been involved in in one way or another, and which ones they had a hand in, and I'll start watching something, see the name or the company logo, and just sigh. You really can't escape them, and that's impressive and deserving of some amount of respect, and perhaps even some admiration.

[@mondowrongo9510]

I remember renting this as a kid (I must have been around 10 but in those days no one seemed to care...). That image of the Ghoulie in the toilet was so effective.

[@timkelly5149]

Just finished In Search of Darkness III it was awesome!

[@GoodBadFlicks]

Awesome! :)

[@tonymata8070]

Now decades later, the creators of Ghoulies want to do a reboot of the franchise with Lionsgate financing and distributing the film. But the studio wants to see proof that there’s interest from the fans, personally I’d be absolutely down for a reboot because there’s a lot of potential to be creative with the demons and such, BUT it has to be a horror comedy instead of being darker for no reason. Also the script has to be really really good, and not be a horrible slog to get through like some remakes and reboots in recent years. Oh and the budget has to be significantly higher than the original films so we can get quality practical effects and digital effects, I don’t want this movie to be dirt cheap like Jeepers Creepers: Reborn and Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey.

[@oldskoolraver1974]

The goul in the toilet ad campaign,is the only reason me and my brothers rented this, when we were wee ones.👌🏻

[@gentlemann2458]

12:07 THAT IS THE FUNNIEST TAGLINE EVER!

[@vincentserrano1595]

Great video Cecil ! I'll always remember that video cassette cover in my local store !

[@GoodBadFlicks]

Thanks!

[@elvisneedsboatsbennett2455]

Speaking of Troll, my dad and the woman who owned the local video store used to prank each other. One she would occasionally pull was to stick the Troll video tape in the case of whatever movie we had rented. She must have done this a dozen times, so I have seen that move way more that anyone with a choice would. We didn't have cable because we lived waaaay out in the woods, so going back for another movie was out of the question.

[@las10plagas]

hey! will you ever make a video about *the gate* or *gate 2* ? I loved these movies as a kid =)

[@GoodBadFlicks]

Yes :)

[@las10plagas]

@@GoodBadFlicks woohooo!!! =)

[@ELEKTROSKANSEN]

17:30 I love how happy you sound here ^^

[@GoodBadFlicks]

:)

[@ded2thaworld963]

One of my favorites as a kid.

[@kri249]

Could not click hard enough on this. I'm drunk and ready for sleep but I had to watch this video. I only ever saw the third film as a teen in the early 90s but recently watched the first film a few years ago. It was actually pretty good and I enjoyed it. I kind of wish I gave the other films a chance because I loved the creature feature films of that era, especially Munchies and Hobgoblins. Speaking of which, I'd love to see you cover Critters, Cecil. That one is a most beloved childhood classic that I rented a million times and watched to death. Just after getting over my fear of the bounty hunter transformation scene that freaked me out on the first viewing. As was the rite of passage for all 80s kids.

[@GoodBadFlicks]

Thank you! Critters coming eventually :)

[@TimelordPrime]

Whenever a critic hated a movie, I loved it.

[@GoodBadFlicks]

Same.

[@UnwrittenSpade]

Best KZbin channel that exists period

[@GoodBadFlicks]

Thank you so much!

[@Thomaszmccormick]

My dad used to record all of the movies on HBO, so I found this in his vhs pile one day, and watched it. I ended up drawing the toilet ghoulie for a class assignment in 2nd grade. I was strange.

[@Megared82]

"Ghoulies, they'll eat your ass... these are their stories..." *CHUNG CHUNG*

I feel like such a fucking idiot… I never realized what “They’ll get you in the end.” meant until this video.

[@robertraine6045]

I so miss the 80ts and 90ts movies

[@jeremysmetana8583]

My buddy Ron and I went and saw this in a nearly empty theater, and we riffed it ala MST3K (four years before there even was an MST3K) to an appreciative handful of folks. Somewhat hypocritically, this became a Blockbuster-and-chill with a girlfriend a few years later.

[@chemergency]

It's not the best movie ever made but you can tell they had a Hell of a lot of fun making it and I gotta respect that.

[@gastonporte5799]

I just love your "exploring" videos.

[@GoodBadFlicks]

Thanks!

[@Wog-yu9gp]

I love your videos. You deserve so much success on this platform!

[@GoodBadFlicks]

Thank you! It means a lot :)

[@Makoto03]

The VHS cover for this film was iconic. I would always see it while browsing Blockbuster Video as a kid. :)

[@lipstickzombie4981]

I grew up in a tiny town in the Philippines. There was a program called 'Movies to Watch' which played trailers of up and coming movies. That monster popping out of the toilet stuck in my head but not as much as that pumpkin head child scene in Halloween 3.

[@netlegendstube]

Absolutely adore your videos ☺

[@GoodBadFlicks]

Thanks!

[@ebbderelict]

I was scared of everything as a kid, so I passed on this one. By the time I grew out of my fears (which took longer than it should have, I'm sure) I never got back to watching this one.

[@LigerFan]

They should've used the tag line "Ghoulies! They'll toss your salad!"

[@robyeone7976]

Wonderful review👍🏿. The distribution information was informative and encouraging 👍🏿👍🏿 Thank You.

[@philoebeddo8724]

I love this channel! More Empire please! Trancers,Troll,Eliminators etc..

[@GoodBadFlicks]

Thanks! I did Trancers 1-2 and Eliminators a while ago. More to come.

[@philoebeddo8724]

@@GoodBadFlicks Oh! I’d best get hunting then! Thank you,keep up the great work!👍🏻

[@fabes63]

I am oddly too excited about this video!!!!

[@GoodBadFlicks]

:)

[@bostonrailfan2427]

damn, that insult hit hard…and it was funny as hell and true! unintentionally done by the designer, but that actually made it even better as it got remembered for all of the right reasons

[@kevynhansyn2902]

Next to Nightmare on Elm Street keeping me out of beds for awhile, the same goes with Ghoulies and toilets. I loved this movie!

[@marcwisentrouph7464]

Fantastic !! Such great work !! We enjoy them very much !!

[@GoodBadFlicks]

Thanks!

[@shallendor]

I love this move and the sequels!

[@McPh1741]

I remember watching the is on VHS maybe a year after it came out. The was like 8 or 9. I didn’t really think it was scary. In fact, the part with the ghoulie coming out of the toilet was funny to me and my siblings. I thought the sunglasses with the motorized wipers were cool and was glad that everyone who was killed came back at the end. It was certainly way less scary than “Evil Speak”.

[@SeptienPatterson]

Best ad campaign ever!

[@blacknexus7518]

Ghoulies 2 actually gave us the ass eating scene. I saw that on tv like 30 years ago and I still think about it when I hit the head.

[@MandleRoss]

I read that as "I still think about it when I hit my head", which is also hilarious.

[@AubreyTheKing]

Back in the day, I saw this laying around in the DVD section a lot. But I never chose to pick it up. Sadly, like many people, just looking at the cover, I just thought it was a low budget nock off of Grimlins. I wanted to watch it but at the same time, I didn't. I was mixed on the film. BUT NOW after hearing about the filming history and the making of the film, I can't believe I haven't seen this movie yet! I'll definitely order my copy from Amazon. If you're right about this being similar to Puppet Master, I think I'm really gonna like this movie! THANKS!

[@thelongerrun]

What's up with that Amblin logo @8:17 ? You probably say at the end of the video and I'm just too impatient to wait...

[@harr77]

Never thought of kids being afraid of toilet monster nice.

[@JoeDredd2012]

15:30 Mines too Cecil! I admit I never ever been the biggest fan of this film I actually prefer"Ghoulies 2" over this film I like the characters a lot more in that film plus it was great to see the Ghoulies go wild at a Carnival plus at the end of that film the human villain gets a "Ghoulie" eating his ass off 😂.Another fantastic installment Cecil👍👍

[@GoodBadFlicks]

:)

[@JoeDredd2012]

@@GoodBadFlicks Is that a smile? LOL

[@JMD501]

JCB was an extremely competent director. Ghoulies 3 is way better than it deserves to be. I hear he was also a really nice guy, and was very easy to work with.

[@mikeisernie]

I was about 8 years old and was at the video store with my dad, looking for something to rent. The clerk at first recommended Ghoulies....and then stopped and asked how old I was. He then reconsidered and handed my dad a different movie... Toxic Avenger. "He might like this one more."

[@chrisbarrett8377]

Thats hilarious considering how insane Toxic Avenger was. I think that happened often, kids who were into the cartoon were recommended the movie which was way too in appropriate for kids. Pretty inappropriate for some adults, even

[@mikeisernie]

@@chrisbarrett8377 I remember not finishing the movie. I think I got to the part of the movie where he actually turns into the Toxic Avenger and turning it off and saying "I think this movie is too old for me."

[@eelobrian6727]

You made it to the boobs then! There's a TV edit on KZbin that's more appropriate for younger audiences. Veiwer discretion still advised kzbin.info/www/bejne/gWalaZmHgreLgbM

[@anthonystrocks247]

AWESOME, Cecil!

[@GoodBadFlicks]

:)

[@Psilocybin77]

This movie terrified me as a 7 year old and I had a very hard time going to the bathroom.

[@2445elijah]

I use to have a similar issue with bathtubs cause of ghostbusters 2 when I was young

[@mygodisyahweh8634]

LoL

[@vanrussell855]

😄

[@JonasRosenven]

Derek Davie - You'll probably love this, then. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hnLIm2asmqefg6c

[@Psilocybin77]

@@JonasRosenven you son of a....why'd I click that!!!! lol

[@garyhall7867]

Cecil, i guessing that I am the first to say this, but we have to, just HAVE to hear about those Vestron movies

[@GoodBadFlicks]

:)

[@faithandfury4003]

Some people like Ghoulies others like Gremlins. Real ones love Critters.

[@scarystoriesofghastlyhorror]

Thank you for creating this awesome tribute to Ghoulies my friend! I remember being inside one of those old nook-and-cranny VHS video stores in the mid-1980s and discovering this gem. In a way, it kinda reminds me of the movie the Spookies. I loved all the 80s horror-style VHS poster artwork. Such as the stuff and microwave massacre. I remember that the VHS store at the time was playing a scene from Creepshow with the late great Leslie Nielsen in the episode something to tide you over. Ghoulies along with Creepshow are what spawned my passion for horror, also probably my childhood fear of the toilet. Thank you for helping to keep horror movie history alive. Could you do a special for Slaughter high as well as Squirm, please?

[@GoodBadFlicks]

Thanks for watching!

[@ThatJohnKillion1970]

I'm old enough to remember renting a VHS copy from the local grocery store that recently jumped on the home video bandwagon.

[@kelendalkazama9926]

I know Ghoulies 2 isn't... AMAZING, but I would love an Exploring on it. It was one of the first horror comedies I ever saw as a toddler and it's majorly responsible for my taste in goofy schlock.

[@scottieman2]

It's my favorite out of the film series.

[@chainlink2459]

I’m more of a Critters guy myself, but I had more fun with Ghoulies 2 and 3. That clown puppet is still legitimately freaky though.

[@TheAxebeard]

From the box art I used to see as a kid, I assumed it was going to be a dumb goofy horror comedy closer to Gremlins, but it's actually a pretty dark badass movie.

[@wannawatch5864]

Ghoulies is a movie I saw on VHS trailers all the time, but never actually saw.

[@kumabear123nope5]

This movie forever made sure i turned the light on to use the toilet. That and having. Three brothers who loved leaving their. "Ghoulies" in the bowl

[@kent5627]

0:33 Hell yes! They Call Me Trinity is one of my favorite movies of all time.

[@charlesdavis7285]

Actually preferred Ghoulies 2 over the original. W.A.S.P. providing the theme "Scream until you like it" was the icing on the cake for me.

[@MrBingogogo]

When I was about 5 I saw the box-art for "Ghoulies" which featured one of them coming out of a toilet. My tiny brain went: "toilet + monster = butt not safe" so I spent about 2 years afraid of pooping, lol

[@RedfishCarolina]

Ghoulies f'ed me up as a kid lol.

[@oblomurg]

I love the Ghoulies because they are humble monsters that hardly complain about anything.

[@Jaykilljoy-tt9tt]

I was born in the late 80's. As I always joke "1987 was a great year; Megaman, Robocop, Nightmare on elm street 3, Predator, etc." So my childhood was really the 90's. I'm a 90's kid and I was never into the Ghoulies. I don't think I ever even saw the movie. My childhood creature features were Gremlins and Critters. By the way......Really really miss Radiodrome. I really do. Watched all 3 In search of darkness documentaries. Loved the first two....the third one, not as much, but still good. Part 2 is my favorite.

[@allright]

Well, here's my 600th time, asking you to do a video on Invasion USA, well time to bash some seals, Although I do like knowing more about Empire pictures.

[@PoeInTheDitch]

Let's goooooooooo

[@misterlobsterman]

8:16 I have to ask. What's with the MS Paint Amblin logo?

[@GhostFuture2000]

I remember asking my dad to rent Goonies from the video shop, he came back with Ghoulies, it made for an interesting movie night...

[@jamesmccoy3079]

I would definitely be interested in another video detailing the rest of the Ghoulies films.

[@GoodBadFlicks]

Eventually

[@jamesmccoy3079]

@@GoodBadFlicks wow thanks for replying Cecil!When that particular video comes out I'm totally watching.

[@tskmaster3837]

What a coincidence, I just watched Parasite this morning. It was bad. Not good bad but boring bad.

[@freeman5110]

Ghoulies is one of those movies that, for better or worse, defined the '80's.

[@howsitvingoing2048]

I hit like B4 the video starts cuz ur always awesome!!!

[@GoodBadFlicks]

Awesome thanks!

[@stevensantos9572]

Thank you. Now I know what I'm watching this weekend. :)