‘Pure evil. Bite-sized.’
Ghastlies is a 2016 Canadian science fiction comedy horror film directed and edited by Brett Kelly (Ouija Shark; Countrycide; Raiders of the Lost Shark; Attack of the Giant Leeches; My Fair Zombie; Homicycle; Jurassic Shark) from a screenplay written by Chris Bavota (shorts: Never Tear Us Apart; Attack of the Brainsucker; After Ate).
The movie stars Kim Valentine (Monster Pool: Chapter Two), Kendra Summerfield (Raiders of the Lost Shark), Jessica Huether and Julie Racine.
Plot:
Three sorority sisters plan an initiation for their nerdy friend during a weekend getaway. Things don’t go exactly as planned when they accidentally stumble upon a craft containing a trio of extraterrestrial ghastly ghouls! Armed with only their boyfriends and brains, they resolve to send these pint-sized gatecrashers back to the edge of the universe—or die trying…
Reviews:
“Ghastlies is not just a low-budget film, but an ultra low-budget film that attempts to impress without the proper resources to actually look legit. For example, the alien creatures are so cheaply made that it feels as if someone ran to Toys R Us and then grabbed whatever exotic villains they had on sale that could get the job done. Then there are large bits of the ‘acting’ that really look like screen tests…” Blu-ray.com
“The cartoonish hand puppets, the implausible effects, and the technical inconsistencies can all be overlooked as campy charm, passed aside to enjoy Ghastlies for what it’s worth, but what can’t subside is the wonky connection between the cast that doesn’t favor well that’s diluted at the end by the starkly questionable and abrupt editing…” It’s Bloggin’ Evil
“The effects are about as lo-fi as you get can, of course, with felt puppets serving as the title monsters (complete with actors flailing around trying to hold the inanimate critters to their heads) and lots of practical gore effects, some of them surprisingly squishy and others deliberately fake and ludicrous (such as a torn spinal cord).” Mondo Digital
“There is a sufficient body count, blood, and gore contained in this to satisfy horror fans, the major issue is its quality. Yes, it is all practical effects, but they are done rather poorly. And not in a fun campy sort of way, but in a that was disappointing way. The puppet monsters have to be the best part of the picture. They are fairly crude, yet fun.” The Movie Sleuth
“If originality isn’t a strong point, the movie has a lot more going for it –pretty girls, goofy characters, a good sense of humor. The aliens are all puppets, which gives the film some retro charm (even when one of those puppets proves to be a little rapey!) and the movie is fairly gory as well. All of those effects are done practically, another feather in the picture’s cap.” Rock! Shock! Pop!
Release:
Ghastlies was released as a Blu-ray + DVD combo and HD digital on November 11, 2017, via Camp Motion Pictures. The disc special features are:
Audio commentary by director Brett Kelly and actor Trevor Payer
“Going Ghastlies” FX featurette
“Tomb Talks Tubular Toonage” music featurette
“They’re Ghastlies” music video
Double-sided cover art
Cast and characters:
Kim Valentine … Sloane
Eric Deniverville … Pete
Joel Elliott … Brock (as Joel Elliot)
Andrew Galligan … Pizza Delivery Guy
Janet Hetherington … Cult Member
Jessica Huether … Abby
Julie Mainville … Margot
Kyle Martellacci … Doug Van Deville
John Migliore … Officer Vinnie – The Drownsman; Bite; Poltergeist Encounters
Stephanie Moran … Kidnap Victim
Trevor Payer … Ted
Kendra Summerfield … Lulu
Zoe Towne … Cult Member
Jurgen Vollrath … Cult Leader
Peter Whittaker … Officer Frank
Filming locations:
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Technical details:
75 minutes
Aspect ratio: 1.78: 1
Trailer:
Watch full film free to watch online via Horror Central
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