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» » Ghoulies IV (1994)

Short summary

While in pursuit of cop Johnathan Graves, his demonic nemesis, Faust, sends his disciple Alexandria to hunt down the amulet that will set him free. Meanwhile, the Ghoulies find their way through an open porthole and onto the streets of L.A., creating madness and mayhem as they search for a way to get back home. As the body count rises, it becomes an ultimate battle between a demonic killer, a rule-breaking cop, and our favorite creatures from the netherworld!

The reason that the Ghoulies were played by actors in costumes as opposed to puppets was because Cinetel Films couldn't afford to use the puppet props of the original Ghoulies.

Mark Sevi's script was heavily re-written by both actor Peter Liapis and director Jim Wynorski.

A fifth Ghoulies movie was planned but never materialized.

Stacie Randall has gone on to say that she is embarrassed by her involvement with this movie.

User reviews


  • comment
    • Author: Nalme
    Okay okay, I must admit, I do somewhat like Peter Liapis and I'll admit this is not the best Ghoulies sequel. I mean, yeah, it had its flaws, such as NO GHOULIES themselves. But the two Ghoulies that come to earth were really funny, I guess they were called, Dark and Lite. I enjoyed the plot of the movie. And even at the end of the movie both Ghoulies implied that there would be a sequel. Still waiting. lol. Peter Liapis reprised his role as Jonathan Graves, this time playing a detective, how cute! Ghoulies IV may not be scary or suspenseful, but it is definitely funny. I thought I would comment on this movie and just say -- it's not that bad. It is worth watching even though the Ghoulies aren't in it.
  • comment
    • Author: Perdana
    ...but it is pretty awful. A beefy (fat) cop is sent to investigate a break in at a warehouse unaware that a leather clad devil worshipper is trying to summon some demon or other using a red diamond, which she has lost due to her own stupidity. The cop has a similar diamond around his neck, for reasons that become brain-damagingly clear later, and is followed by two demon type things that appeared through a pentagram at the start of the film. Sprinkle in some footage from Ghoulies, some bad acting, daft optical effects and some comedy and you've got a film that you'll only watch when completely lost for anything else.

    It's bad, this one, but not totally worthless. The cheapness keeps it going and it's directed by the guy who made the great Chopping Mall and the not-bad 967-Evil 2. The leather clad chick eases the pain a lot, as well as the bad acting. Very little blood and gore for a film of this type though.
  • comment
    • Author: Fordrellador
    I love this movie!!! It's awesome! Everyone is saying its stupid but its not meant to be taken seriously. I mean you've gotta expect that when you watch a movie about a mental villain girl hunting a jewel that could summon her evil master to earth and the jewel is worn by Jonathan Graves. During all of this the Ghoulies are released. And Alexandra, the villain, is amazing. She's made my top 10 villains list.

    And the Ghoulies, as irrelevant as they are to the story, I must say I enjoy the battles with Alexandra.

    I especially love when they spray her Mace and she starts screaming and gets angry. She even runs into a man and falls down in pursuit of them.

    I also must say that this really isn't a horror film. It's more of an action fantasy drama movie. It does fit into the horror category briefly but I wouldn't categorize it as that.

    Anyways go watch this movie. It's awesome!!!
  • comment
    • Author: Ieslyaenn
    Ghoulies 4 is pretty ghoulish sequel. The ghoulies look very different from the first three ghoulies, but there still cool. There are some nice flash backs, from Ghoulies the first movie. Jonathan is back once again in this one. He wasn't in parts 2 or 3 though. The movie is low budget at times, but fun to watch. You've got Tony Cox as the Dark Ghoulie and Arturo Gil as the Light Ghoulie. The ghoulies in this movie are actually good guys, instead of evil like in the first three movies. Both Ghoulies are pretty funny characters in the movie. Then you've got the very hot Alexandra! It's a great dark comedy and funny! Any fan of the ghoulies movies will enjoy watching Ghoulies 4. The DVD is finally coming out this July 2007! Hopefully one day Ghoulies III will be on DVD in the USA. I'd really like to see a sequel to this movie one day too. I doubt it will happen though. It's 2007 now and no sign of a sequel yet. If there ever is a sequel I hope Jim Wynorski will make it.

    I give Ghoulies IV a 9/10
  • comment
    • Author: Mash
    This movie is really stupid and very boring most of the time. There are almost no "ghoulies" in it at all. There is nothing good about this movie on any level. Just more bad actors pathetically attempting to make a movie so they can get enough money to eat. Avoid at all costs.
  • comment
    • Author: Era
    THIS MOVIE SUCKS!Who are these green guys?(wannabes obviously)And who'd waste their time killing the honey mooners?Ghoulies 1 and 2 rocked!But this?Was I ever disappointed!I figured they learn from the error of making part 3.But at least part 3 had Ghoulies in it!All this has is some freaky wizard,Ghoulie wannabes,and a witch who kills for no aparent reason!Skip this one,please!!
  • comment
    • Author: Elastic Skunk
    This fourth instalment in the Ghoulies saga keeps the greatness of the series alive. This film is funny (both intentionally and unintentionally), Cheesy, and just plain FUN! It involves a sexy Satan-worshiping babe trying to invoke the evil side of her goody-goody ex-boyfriend in the flesh by killing innocent people in strange black-magic rituals (if that makes sense).

    Her ex just happens to be the hero from part 1. During one of her rituals, she accidently raises a pair of Ghoulies (named "Lite" and "Dark"). These two have the same wise-cracking personas of the Ghoulies from part 3, but there is a little twist here. In Ghoulies 4, the Ghoulies are the good guys, and they set out to stop the Satan-Worshiping babe's evil plans.
  • comment
    • Author: Modar
    Warning may contain spoilers.

    Although the film isn't as scary or funny as the original. Ghoulies 4 is still very good entertainment. While others may complain that the original ghoulies are not in this film.they are there just not the same looking basically because John Buechler isn't involved with this one. but the producers were wiser when they decided to connect this sequel with the original (the best chapter in my opinion) the cast is great and the characters interesting. Peter Liapis, Barbra Alyn Woods, Bobby DiCicco, and Stacie Randall(my favorite actress) although unwisely rated R, since there is no nudity or coarse language and as alway's this sequel is not for all tastes. The Ghoulies sense of humor still works.

    I would give it ***stars
  • comment
    • Author: greed style
    Ghoulies IV may not be the best out of the series but it isn't too bad, if you don't take it fully serious then you may enjoy it.

    It's nice to see Peter Liapis return as Johnathan Graves who has gave up using magic and has became a Detective but still thinks about what happened in Ghoulies.

    The plot is about a woman named Alexandra that is Johnathan's ex-girlfriend that breaks into a museum and takes a red gem, using the gem she awakens her boyfriend named Faust that is Johnathan's dark side but he needs the gem so he can enter the real world and John is sent to hell.

    Something goes wrong and Alex loses the gem so she needs to find a new one, as she leaves the gateway is still open and two little Ghoulies named Lite and Drak appear. They're not the true Ghoulies since they look like guys in a Troll costume wearing a mask but that doesn't matter since they are humorous in parts.

    Lite and Dark need to find Johnathan since he can return them home so they go around causing mayhem as they try to find Johnathan. Another difference is that the two Ghoulies are the good guys unlike the ones in the previous films.

    I found Ghoulies IV to be good but this film may not go for everyone, check it out if you like low budget films like Troll 2.
  • comment
    • Author: Taur
    I don't know why IMDb lists all the Ghoulies films as theatrical releases.. They were all straight to video films. Same with the Puppet Master series. Why hasn't anyone noticed this yet? Right, somehow you've stumbled across Ghoulies IV, probably raiding through an old abandoned video rental store from 1993. You looked in the discount section and found this...Look at the back and front covers. What do you expect, The Shawshank Redemption? There is no need to review this film so critically. It is the fourth GHOULIES film! I bought it on DVD for ?6.50 because... it was ?6.50.. I knew it wasn't Kubrick material. And I was right. An unremastered DVD with no extras, not even a trailer, boasts an uncared-for film.

    It actually contains the star of the first Ghoulies film, Peter Liapis... who really didn't get many 'big' roles apart from those two films. And I don't see why... He's not too bad an actor and is pretty fun. But I guess if you're gonna take a lead role in the Ghoulies films, Scorsese and Tarantino will lose interest. Also present is his idiot sidekick Bobby Di Cocco, who despite having a very small resemblance to Al Pacino (very small), retains none of his acting ability... A complete idiot who's just awkward to watch. Then there's Stacie Randall - obviously a porn star, I don't need to look that up. She does look quite sexy, though her costume, her character and everything she does drags down the films credibility, which is no easy task for such a film.

    Then there is the Ghoulies themselves! Who also manage to let us down. Ghoulies III made them start talking, mistake no. 1, but Ghoulies IV takes it a step further. Instead of being puppets, this time the Ghoulies are in fact KIDS in COSTUMES!!!! The filmmakers decided to run that extra mile to insult the films viewers. Also, there's only TWO of them, and they're not the main highlight of the film, as they don't appear in a lot of it. However, at times they are MILDLY amusing... And they're not evil this time either.

    This really is hilariously bad stuff, it's amazing that I was actually able to enjoy it. I dunno why... Some of the black humour is actually funny, though the script is mostly effortless. Imagine Satan's only threat to you being that he will "kill you, slowly...painfully...".

    But at least Full Moon had no involvement this time. Did they? Yeah, a very bad and cheaply made film with 0 production value, but not so bad as to be in the ranks of Puppet Master 1/2, Lawnmower Man 2, Surviving Christmas or even Ghoulies III.
  • comment
    • Author: Gogal
    Ghoulies IV is one of the most terribly campy sequels ever made. Peter Liapis of the original returns but no Ghoulies are to be found (except in flashbacks to the older films). This really isn't a Ghoulies movie. What it is, is your usual Jim Wynorski flick chock full of stupid antics and half naked chicks. For instance, how did Liapis' character, who was a college student and warlock, become a police detective? It's just too ridiculous. Not that I expected anything else from director Wynorski. He consistently makes campy crap. This is a poor excuse for a Ghoulies film and they're not exactly prizes themselves. They should have just called the movie Little Demon Dudes. Stay far away.

    "Look for us in the sequel: Ghoulies IV, Part 2."
  • comment
    • Author: Legend 33
    Ghoulies IV is not a bad film. I have very few things I dislike about the movie. One of the things is that the atmosphere is not very good. But the plot is very good. Many people hate this film because it doesn't contain any of the orignal gholies. I had no problem with that. Bottom Line: Ghoulies IV is a great movie.

    On a scale of 1 to 10 Ghoulies IV gets a 8.

    Rated R (for some reason) for very little language and small violence.

    Recommended
  • comment
    • Author: Manesenci
    Terence Malick. Stanley Kubrick. Stephen Speilberg. Great directors all, and yet none have come close to the genius that is Ghoulies IV. The man by the name of Jim Winorski, created this masterpiece that deserves a place alongside the great films of our time. And I thought no movie could be worse than Troll 2. Well let me tell you, Troll 2 is to Ghooulies IV what Gone with the Wind is to Heaven's Gate. There are no actors, only people trying to act. And their attempts are beyond the pathetic. The creature on the box isn't even the same as in the movie!! Absolutely the most amateurish film I've ever seen - I could do better with a videocamera and no script. Ugh. I didn't even find it bad enough to be able to enjoy it for camp (like Ed Wood) - it's JUST BAD. The worst film I've ever seen.
  • comment
    • Author: Thorgahuginn
    All movies that contain "goofy sound effects" should be shot. If there is one thing I HATE, it's gotta be the use of a "whoop whoop whoo" when somebody gets hit one the head. The only movies I have seen to do this is Ghoulies IV and Hobgoblins when they are in the bar, and Pixie is hitting the guy in the red suit with a beer bottle... or rather, fanning him with a beer bottle, because she never really hits him with it. Yes Ghoulies IV does suck. But I have to wonder, did they MEAN to not make the so called "Ghoulies" mouths move when they supposedly talked? Their faces are almost as static as the masks used in Trolls 2. Hell, I can make a better mask out of construction paper, some rubber cement and a handful of glitter. This sucked.
  • comment
    • Author: Mozel
    The only good thing about this film is they managed to tie it with Part one! But other than that it was one of the worst films ever! The only time you see the Ghoulies is in a flashback (and the flashback is just clips from Part one)! A must NOT see! On a One to Ten, "Ghoulies 4" gets a One!
  • comment
    • Author: Pettalo
    Terrible entry in one of the worst horror series of all time deals with cops, a woman in black leather, and some ghoulish drawfs that aren't ghoulies. Attempts for humor, but fails. This also fails to deliever any thrills, chills, or even plot or logic. No redeeming features what-so-ever. There is a good reason why this is in the IMDB bottom 100. Rated R; Violence, Nudity.
  • comment
    • Author: Pameala
    Okay, so I have a little thing for director Jim Wynorsky. Or at least I used to have, because it's been a while since I've seen a film of his. Wynorski must be one of my favorite bad-movie-makers ever. It's as simple as that. And "Ghoulies IV" really is one of the biggest stinkers of his I've ever seen. The only screen time the notorious Ghoulies have in this 4th installment is actually taken from footage out of the first movie. That's one thing you can say about Wynorski: He rips off whatever he can, even right down to his own movies (this not being the case for "Ghoulies IV", though - you have to see "976-Evil II" and "Storm Trooper" to understand this). But in this film we do have: Two extremely annoying and totally unfunny troll-midgets, a bunch of cheap & silly animated effects, a mysterious demon-summoning red diamond, bad acting, a retarded storyline that leads to nowhere, a drugstore shoot-out totally unrelated to the plot, yap yap yap and so on and so on... And best thing of all: Stacie Randall running around in a tight black latex suit with her boobies half exposed (all the time!). Great fun, but I have this slightest feeling that no-one is going to agree with me on that.
  • comment
    • Author: Alsardin
    Sixth (And last) movie in the boxset. Well, looks like I've saved the best one for last. Ghoulies IV. I originally did a review for this back in like February, but I decided to do a new one. The Ghoulies series is pretty awesome. I know there are some people who don't like them, and that's fine. This happens to be my favorite one in the series. Yeah, I know the actual Ghoulies don't appear and are replaced by 2 guys in costumes, one of them being Tony Cox from Bad Santa. Now, onto the movie.

    The movie centers around Jonathan Graves, the main character from the first movie, being played once again, by Peter Liapis, who is now a cop for the LAPD and has put his past of the occult behind him. During the first part of the movie, we encounter Alexandra (Played by the very hot Stacie Randall) communicating with a demon from beyond named Faust, who is the dark side of Jonathan. Faust asks Alexandra for a red jewel and something goes awry, therefore, unleashing the Ghoulies from the beyond.

    I think Jim Wynorski did a good job with the directing. And the music by Chuck Cirino is funny as well. (SPOILER AHEAD) At the end of this movie, the Ghoulies say that there will be a Ghoulies IV, Part 2, or Ghoulies V. I still hope that sequel gets made and I especially hope Jim Wynorski returns to direct. I agree with GimboTheGhoulies on that.
  • comment
    • Author: Bukus
    Okay, so Ghoulies 4 is kind of bad. And it doesn't really even have the ghoulies in it. And the acting is bad. The storyline is stupid. But I forget to mention how funny this film is. It is so campy, and so ridiculous it is too fun not to enjoy. There are only 2 ghoulies in the movie, and they don't really seem to be in relation with the Ghoulies in the other film. But they are pretty funny. And funny thing, that Jonathon Graves returns for this one. If you saw the first, he was a character in that. In my opinion, this is better than the first. There are some classic scenes and some classic lines, one which is in a grocery store. "Attention K-Mart Shoppers!" Watch this if you enjoy bad movies. It's so bad it is good. And did I mention Barbara Alyn Woods is hot?
  • comment
    • Author: ALAN
    I agree that this film is pretty cheesy, but you have to admit that it isn't boring as the previous sequel or as lame. I'm also glad it ignored the last one(Unfortunately it pretty much ignores the 2nd film too)and stuck with the plot of the original which is a good film in it's own right.

    !!!POSSIBLE SPOILERS!!! This time, 2 Ghoulies are trapped on Earth and trying to escape their hunter(A blond in a tight black leather outfit). Meanwhile, we meet Peter Liapis again who is now a detective for the police and is still trying to forget his horrible past and these bad guys from the nether world aren't much help.

    Good story, likeable charecters, and o.k. effects. *** out of *****. Bring on Ghoulies 5!
  • comment
    • Author: Sarin
    This movie didn't compare to the earlier Ghoulies, especially the first one.

    In fact, it hardly seemed like a Ghoulies movie.

    It was a totally different kind of movie, in which the only interesting character was the villainness.

    Despite its departure from prior Ghoulies movies, this one could actually have become a slam-dunk cult classic had they given the villainess a more developed role.

    The writers had the right set-up for it -- a contrast between her and the helpless guy she was holding in her clutches.

    She's hardly a good actress, but think Rocky Horror Picture Show and it's easy to picture what they could have done.

    Then it could have become a cult classic.
  • comment
    • Author: Granijurus
    Being the child of the 80's that I am the original Ghoulies held a special place for me but the franchise fell at a steady pace from the first film onwards. There's plenty of argument as to whether or not Ghoulies 3 beats this one out as the worst. In my opinion tho this one was fittingly the last nail in the coffin. About the ONLY redeeming aspect was that they at least TRIED to tie it to the original film but everything else about the movie is so terrible that not even Peter Liapis reprising his role as Jonathon could help it. My final complaint? Like stated in other comments WHERE ARE THE GHOULIES??? How could they rob us of The Cat, Rat, Bat, and the ever lovable toilet swimming Green Ghoulie and replace them with 2 poorly made costumed "Little People" that are the Lite and Dark ghoulies? Its sad that after seeing this flick I was actually relieved the franchise was laid to rest after having so many fond memories of the previous films
  • comment
    • Author: Unirtay
    Ok i know the original Ghoulies aren't in this entry it even seems it doesn't belong in this series. But it still iz a good movie. It is hilarious i thought especially with the pepper spray or mace. I give it a 9
  • comment
    • Author: Kaghma
    After the first three entries in this series, I wasn't exactly expecting Masterpiece Theater but I still wasn't quite prepared for this septic spill of a movie. Original star Peter Liapis returns but seems to be playing a different character: Here, it's like the character has been transplanted from a 1980s horror movie about killer creatures to a 1990s afternoon sitcom about a wisecracking beach cop. The monsters aren't the same either, but it wouldn't be as glaring if it weren't for the atrocious replacements, which look even cheaper than the goblins in "Troll 2." This is really, really bad, and is practically begging for a Rifftrax or Mystery Science Theater 3000 treatment.
  • comment
    • Author: LivingCross
    GHOULIES IV is a straight-to-video addition to the series directed by the notorious Jim Wynorski. It doesn't seem to have any connection to the rest of the series; for example, it does away with the puppets from the previous films and replaces them with dwarves in cheesy costumes. The plot is some nonsense about an alien femme fatale, a crime-fighting cop, and the various characters mixed up in an intergalactic story. It's cheap and cheerful, saddled with lame gags that use old cartoon sound effects and the like, and some very wooden performances.
  • Cast overview, first billed only:
    Peter Liapis Peter Liapis - Jonathan Graves (as Pete Liapis)
    Barbara Alyn Woods Barbara Alyn Woods - Kate
    Stacie Randall Stacie Randall - Alexandra
    Raquel Krelle Raquel Krelle - Jeanine
    Bobby Di Cicco Bobby Di Cicco - Scotty
    Tony Cox Tony Cox - Ghoulie Dark
    Arturo Gil Arturo Gil - Ghoulie Lite
    Andrew Craig Andrew Craig - Mugger (as Craig Andrew)
    John Cann John Cann - Indian Clerk
    Michael Chieffo Michael Chieffo - City Power Worker
    Lynn Danielson-Rosenthal Lynn Danielson-Rosenthal - Female Victim (as Lynn Danielson)
    Antonia Dorian Antonia Dorian - Lady in Red
    Nathan Jung Nathan Jung - Big Inmate
    Tony March Tony March - Crazy Inmate
    Ace Mask Ace Mask - Doctor Rochelle
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