THE GHOULS

Chad Ferrin is no stranger to these pages. His highly entertaining narcotic nightmare SOMEONES KNOCKING AT THE DOOR impressed last year. It appears I am not the only UK horror aficionado who admires his efforts as the latest DVD to hit these shores from Ferrin demonstrates. The 10th Anniversary uncensored directors cut release of his 2003 low budget flick, THE GHOULS, has finally been supplemented with a bundle of extras.

Upon inserting the disc, the viewer is greeted by a menu screen with the option of playing the movie with an Intro from Chad Ferrin himself. Investing 60 seconds into this brief foreword is definitely worth it. The director reveals why The Ghouls is so personal to him and assures the viewer that, although not the perfect movie, "passion and heart is etched across the screen in every shot". Ok you have my attention so let’s roll this fucker!!!

The movie proper is based around Eric Hayes (Timothy Muskatell) whose life revolves around nicotine, hard liquor and a peppering of crack smoking now and then. Understandably there are very few vocations in life that are suited to such a lifestyle but a "stringer" is one of them. Basically a "stringer" is the term used for bottom feeders in the world of journalism that burn the midnight oil by having their ears glued to a police scanner waiting for the first murmurings of misdemeanours being committed. Obviously, the more extreme and violent the better, as that is where the big bucks are at!

Financially, Eric just about scrapes by, but the combination of spiralling substance abuse and hurting from his recently ruined relationship means he is getting a little sloppy. Lately, Eric seems to be the last on the scene meaning his camera footage is missing the vital lurid incidents the news stations desire.

But one night, with camera in hand, he witnesses a truly hideous incident that dwarfs all the kidnaps, suicides and police chases he has ever recorded. A homeless victim is dragged into an alley by a trio of feral folk who brutally tear her apart with their bare hands before indulging in a bit of public cannibalism. This is it – THE BIG ONE! This will surely elevate him from low life hustler to being headhunted by the major news stations of the USA! He heads to the local news channel for the inevitable bumper payday from the abhorrent head honcho Louis (the very convincing Joe Pilato). But life just isn’t that simple is it?

I felt The Ghouls captured everything I love about independent low budget horror. It was gritty, gory, and original. Then there was the main protagonist, Hayes. Although on the surface he was rather despicable, the hapless character had enough complexity and depth to inexplicably extort a little sympathy at times and conjure genuine interest in his plight right through to the movies conclusion. I emphasize the point about Hayes’ the individual as the movie is fundamentally a character study of this dark and selfish creature. His craving to record the darker side of human nature essentially attracts the absurd fiends to him in the narrative.

When the movie was originally given a digital outing with US distributor Silver Nitrate, not only was it cut and devoid of any bonus material, but some dubious marketing led to a few people believing it was an apocalyptic zombie epic. Regardless of certain fresh faced horror bloggers disappointment at not getting a Dawn of the Dead type escapade I still feel a lot of the criticism aimed at The Ghouls is rather harsh. For a start there are enough regular infusions of nastiness throughout the 80 minute runtime to make the picture appealing to bloodthirsty horror fans regardless. On this point, Ferrin’s claim that "passion and heart" went into every frame is certainly quantified in the gore scenes alone. As crimson innards offered a glistening contrast to the darkened alleyways in the dead of night in Downtown LA, the adeptness of the directors twisted visions are skilfully brought to life.

On top of that, some great camera angles are employed by the director which helps give the movie a cinematic and almost artistic edge which elevates it above the ‘straight to video’ trash that often is the result of a $15,000 budget.

Another notable facet that enables The Ghouls to punch above its weight was the audio track which again confirms what meticulous attention was paid to the overall film construction. Whether it’s the chaotic whir of the LA traffic roaming from left to right speaker or the intimate crackle of smouldering nicotine (there is a LOT of cigarettes and other substances consumed throughout the film!) the exaggerated soundtrack gives the viewer an experience that almost surpasses mere voyeurism!

So that’s the movie with a positive ‘thumbs up’ but what about the exclusive UK extras? All I can say to UK Horror fans is, prepare to have your egos positively pampered! I referring to an intriguing option on the Extras Menu titled "Thank you Message from Chad Ferrin" . Although only around a minute long, it is a personal message to us Brits in which Ferrin conveys his personal thanks for our support over the years along with a grounded insight (not wholly positive it has to be said!) into the life of an underground film maker. You are welcome Mr Ferrin!

Onto the main course and a feature length commentary track with Ferrin and lead actor Timothy Muskatell, although conducted in a casual manner, is crammed full of background facts. No doubt helped by the movie being made nearly 10 years ago, there is a plethora of info to discuss including one of the most ironic cases of censorship when the movie was first released. Basically, The Ghouls opens with some genuine news footage of an AIDS patient shooting himself on a Texas Highway. Apparently children’s daytime TV programming was interrupted to show this event on American TV screens, yet the sequence was removed in order for the DVD to get an "R" rating! As for the title of the laserdisc that Muskatell and Trent Haaga who plays Clint, snorted cocaine off in a certain drug fuelled sequence... well you will have to listen for yourselves wont you?!

Then there is "Tough Shit, Making of The Ghouls" segment which is a 52 minute documentary of sorts. The celebratory yelps after "CUT!" is exclaimed shows just how committed the crew were to making this movie the best they possibly could. We also get set construction of the ‘ghoul hovel’ and of course some gore effects composition.

A 3o minute "Auditions and Rehearsals" segment might be of interest to anyone facing a screen test over the coming weeks! 12 minutes of deleted scenes, 14 minutes of bloopers, along with some brief interviews with cast and crew equates to the disc is literally brimming with supplement material.

When penning these reviews I tend not urge fellow fans what they should or shouldn’t spend their cold hard cash on. But when you consider this disc can be purchased online for a measly £8 delivered in the UK (from certain well known websites), I have to underline the fact that this is ludicrously good value for money. Accentuated by the fact this is a UK exclusive, if you have the slightest interest and respect for independent horror surely it’s worth throwing some loose change in Ferrin’s direction.

Review by Marc Lissenburg