When Good Ghouls Go Bad (2001) (TV)

User Rating:

5.4/10   

Director:

Patrick Read Johnson

Writers (WGA):

R.L. Stine (story)
Patrick Read Johnson (teleplay) ...

Release Date:

20 October 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy | Family

Tagline:

After 20 years, the people of Walker Falls are celebrating Halloween again. The ghouls can't wait.

Plot:

In October of 1981, Curtis Danko, the creepy kid from the small town of Walker Falls, was killed in a mysterious accident...

Plot Keywords:

Small Town | Halloween | Disembodied Hand | Horror For Kids | Back From The Dead

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Christopher Lloyd	...	Uncle Fred Walker
Tom Amandes	...	James Walker
Roy Billing	...	Mayor Churney
Brittany Byrnes	...	Dayna
Jose Element	...	Mike Kankel (as Joe Clements)
Imelda Corcoran	...	Taylor
Alan Flower	...	Ed
Craig Marriott	...	Ryan Kankel
Joe Pichler	...	Danny Walker
Louise Fox	...	Miss Vanderspool
Daniel Karr	...	Leo
Rhonda Doyle	...	Mrs. Churney
Nathy Gaffney	...	Mrs. Kankel
Brendan McCarthy	...	Curtis Danko
James Casella	...	Young Mike Kankel

MPAA:

Rated PG for mild horror action.

Runtime:

Brazil:93 min

Country:

Australia | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Singapore:PG | South Korea:All | USA:PG | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Company:

Fox Television Network

Quotes:

James Walker: [James has convinced German investors to come visit] The Germans are coming! The Germans are coming!
Uncle Fred Walker: [to Danny] You go get my old Army helmet out of the attic, I'll head down to the VFW and see if we can borrow their tank.

Movie Connections:

References Titanic (1997)

Has a good message to give.

As Halloween themed films aimed at the adolescent audience go, this one is a bit quirky, but fairly good. It is told from the grandfather's point of view (who steels every scene), but of course the main character is his adolescent grandson. That one is of the opinion that "he who runs away, lives to fight another day," but eventually that "other" day comes, and he has to learn a lesson. In that regard, the most appealing character turns out to be the young girl that comes into his life. She has a heart, but is also puckish and feisty. Although introduced as a cheerleader, she has both a dark side and a sharpness of wit uncharacteristic of the stereotype, and is anything but an air-head. Otherwise, the story is forgivably absurd, mixing up "Beetlejuice" elements with "Night of the Living Dead" hokum, and sending up the football player mentality against the underdog world of arts and ideas. It also has a rather "remarkable" ending, involving ideas straight out of Zen Buddhism!!!