Redwarmin This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.

RipDelight This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

jfgibson73 The Ghouls is a shot on video horror film about a man who freelances for local news stations. He drives around at night and films whatever terrible things he can find, then sells the footage. We see that this life is taking its toll on him, but we don't learn until later just how far he has gone.I was lucky to discover this movie without knowing much about it. I can understand how some of the reviewers who saw the DVD box at the store would feel misled. This movie was done on a very small budget, and the horror element (in this case, zombie-like creatures) does not play as big a role as some may have hoped. It is more about this man's torment. He is barely making a living, he witnesses the worst things that go on, he can't keep a relationship, and he has zero respect from his peers or employers. Even the paparazzi don't have this bad an image.When the cameraman happens to stumble on a woman being attacked by the sewer dwelling creatures, he sees it as his big chance to capture an exclusive. Supposedly, footage of one of the attacks will lead to a big payday and a better life. He tries to get his ex-girlfriend involved, but we find out she wants nothing to do with him: she discovered a tape he made of two children trapped in a fire. He continued filming but did nothing to help them.Eventually, while trying to find the creature again, his camera is stolen by a mentally challenged man who uses it to record a murder. The man gets his camera back and the footage left by the special needs killer makes him a success.For me, the movie was successful at creating an atmosphere. The scenes of L.A. at night felt more realistic to me because it was shot digitally. The soundtrack, which was full of ambient noise and some sort of freaked-out jazz, helped the mood along. There isn't much gore because that isn't the point. It's more about what a bottom-dweller this guy has become. I would compare it to the Tony Curtis movie The Sweet Smell of Success. It might not be as well made, but for me, it was just as effective at transporting me into the life of a man who makes his living off of other people's misery.

velocitylady This is the worst movie I have ever paid to see. I love horror flicks, zombie movies in particular, but this wasn't bad in the good way, it was just bad. The cover for the DVD made it look pretty cool. I saw no creature like the one on the cover in the movie. The zombies were not scary at all. They danced about like the flying monkeys in the Wizard of Oz. The acting was abysmal. The periods without action were so tiresome that we ended up fast forwarding through the last half, stopping only to watch the ridiculous action sequences. The camera work was sloppy and you can tell that the equipment used was purchased on clearance from Mom and Pop store X a decade ago. Just look at the camera the reporter used to shoot his stuff! My aunt had one of those in 1991. This movie reminds me of the work of some kids flunking out of film school, or perhaps who are still in high school would do for fun. I am honestly surprised that ANY video store carries the title. They must not have watched it first.

bababear Through most of the first act it would seem that the title THE GHOULS refers to Eric, the main character (I can't call him the hero.), his buddy Clift, and the other news hounds who cruise Los Angeles looking for bloody, violent crime scenes to videotape and sell to local TV stations. Calling Eric a bottom feeder is generous. When he comes upon a madman plunging a knife into a naked woman he does nothing to save her but instead videotapes the commission of the crime. When he comes upon his buddy Clift taping the end of a police chase he comments that the footage isn't worth anything because the police don't kill anybody.Like I said, he's not a hero. Fact is, he's a mess. He's an alcoholic and a chain smoker. Worse yet, a bearded chain smoker. There may be something besides a dumpster or an open grave that smells worse than a bearded man who's a heavy smoker, but I can't think what it is. And I hope that the excellent actor Timothy Muskatell, who plays Eric, doesn't smoke near that much in real life. His performance is sometimes a little rough around the edges, but he seems to have a tremendous talent and I look forward to seeing him in more films.Eric has a back story. When he was very young his father committed suicide very messily while Eric looked on. So he's gone through life an observer, keeping things at a distance through the lens of his camera.Reading the somewhat inaccurate description on the back of the DVD box you'd expect a retread of one of Romero's LIVING DEAD movies with zombies swarming through the streets of the city and crowds running in terror. Doesn't happen. The truth be told, the story owes more to BLOW UP than any other film I can think of.Eric thinks he's found the story that will make his reputation. He sees what seems to be a group of homeless men dragging a woman into an alley. He pursues with his camera at the ready and begins filming the crime in progress, but soon realizes that this isn't rape. They're eating the woman alive. When Eric turns on the light on his camera the light blinds the creatures (unnaturally pale with strange teeth) and they pursue him to his car and he barely escapes with his life.The second act finds him taking the video to the owner of a local station, thinking that his ship has come in. One small problem- he didn't have any tape in the camera. No pictures, no story, no money.So Eric decides to return to the scene of the crime, which draws him into the dark underbelly of life in Los Angeles. An old man he meets on the street tells him that local people in this poverty stricken area call these creatures The Ghouls, and that they've always been around.So Eric and Clift have their cameras and guns at the ready and go in search of these creatures, sitting and waiting for them to come out.In the third act Eric finds himself up close and personal with the violence and bloodshed that he's watched through the viewfinder so long. But when he's personally involved it's not possible for him to have the cool detachment and cynicism that has marked his work for years.The bottom line is that the monsters, although given their lion's share of screen time, aren't the story. Eric's moral dilemma and moral development are what drives the story. He may come out of this a better and stronger man if he comes out of it alive.This was shot on digital video and, on DVD, looks great- I have no idea what it might look like on a big theatre screen. Michael Mann's COLLATERAL was shot on digital video, too, and also looked good.I have a feeling the budget for this was nonexistent, just like I doubt that the producers bothered getting any permits to film on the streets. This technology doesn't require that big a crew. When B-movie crap like Adam Sandlers THE LONGEST YARD costs $80 million to make, it's refreshing that somebody knows how to get a lot of bang for the buck.This movie has the busiest soundtrack I remember in years. I watched with headphones and the use of stereo was very professionally done. There's always the sound of a police scanner in the background and sound from TV's and radios.THE GHOULS is not without its faults. As stated earlier, some scenes are a little rough and could have used some more polishing. And points were sacrificed because some of the music was flat out annoying. Loud saxophones that sound like sheep bleating don't make my adrenaline pump, they just annoy me. And the blood and guts are excessive. I'm not in junior high so that doesn't do all that much for me. Scare me, don't try to nauseate me.But all in all, an excellent piece of work. Well done, folks. And, as I said, Timothy Muskatell should be a big, big star. Even at this stage of his professional development he could leave Josh Lucas or Hugh Grant in the dust. He and George Clooney never try to be cute aging boys, they're grown men and not ashamed of it. Muskatell is an actor developing his craft, not a cover boy for teen magazines, and that's refreshing to see in this age of bland leading men.

TJLunsford I've seen allot of Independent horror/Sci-fi DVD's and this is one of the best so far, I almost consider it an "A" grade movie. Obviously shot on a limited budget, the movie is still well crafted, and the acting is way above par. The idea of a sub culture living in the inner city and predating on the forgotten souls of skid row isn't really that far fetched, it's been done before (right off the top of my head I can think of "C.H.U.D." as one example), this movie is a little more believable then that one. Another name for this movie could be "The Hills Have Eyes meets downtown L.A. I'm looking forward to hearing more from Mr. Ferin in the future.