WHEN GOOD GHOULS GO BAD [2001]

 GLORIOUS GLORIOUS HALLOWEEN THAT CAN INSPIRE SUCH AS THESE! 

Of course, I'm referring to the criminally-unavailable WHEN GOOD GHOULS GO BAD; a 2001 kid-friendly horror movie starring the wonderfully wacky Christopher Lloyd as "Uncle Fred" Walker who used to run the giant candy factory in Walker Falls until a tragic accident caused him to close it and leave town to wander in misplaced guilt.  20 years earlier, the weirdly-gothic neighbourhood "kid who didn't fit in" Curtis Danko died while making his school-sponsored entry in a statue-making contest; the winner of which would see her/his artwork placed in the town square.  Curtis was found burned to a crisp and when discovered by a school mate, Danko's sculpture was so "horrible" it caused the schoolmate to be temporarily struck blind.

  In Danko's ashes, the corpse apparently wrote that, if ever again Walker Falls celebrates Halloween, there will be hell and vengeance to pay!  (Shades of MY BLOODY VALENTINE!!!)  The sculpture was immediately covered and placed in Curtis Danko's tomb which was then multi-padlocked.  Ever since that day, no one in Walker Falls celebrates Halloween -- even the mention of the word is forbidden.  In the present day (2001), that school mate is now the school athletics coach who is also running for mayor.  Now, 'Uncle Fred' Walker's grown son has returned to Walker Falls to re-open the shuttered candy factory and put on a Halloween Sppoktacular.  'Uncle Fred's grandson Danny is the new kid in town who also becomes the new "kid that doesn't fit in" and is bullied in school.  'Uncle Fred' is also back in town and tries to make things easier for his grandson.  The Walker house is decorated for Halloween but the local sheriff tears down the decorations and the townspeople are still terrified of the Danko curse.  Of course, events go on from there and the Danko sculpture gets stolen from the tomb and it appears that Curtis Danko has risen from the grave -- and brought a cemetery full of reanimated corpses with him to wreak his revenge!

It was only earlier this year that I first saw WHEN GOOD GHOULS GO BAD and I must say that it was a revelation.  Magically evoking the best of the Halloween season, I am only sorry it took me this long to finally see it!  Of course, that probably owes much to the fact that the loooooooong out-of-print dvd goes for a few hundred bucks and it has never been re-released on blu ray etc.  Luckily, there is a (probably ripped from VHS) copy of the entire film currently available on youtubers. 

This is a movie that I will probably now rewatch every October!  It's that freakin' good!  Christopher Lloyd is wonderful as 'Uncle Fred' who is a maverick, eccentric character who knows can relate to his grandson's feelings of 'otherness' in the community of Walker Falls,  Lloyd also brings a deeper performance as his feelings of guilt over the tragic accident which caused him to close his candy factory and up sticks can be seen in his eyes.  In fact, this is something of a Karloffian performance (and that's the highest praise I can give) in the hidden depths of humanity  Lloyd brings to his character.  Of course, as joyously fun and evocative of the best holiday of the year that this film IS, WHEN GHOULS is now touched by an underlying feeling of sadness in the fact that 5 years after this film was made (in 2006), young actor Joe Pichler (who played Danny Walker) disappeared in real life at the age of 18 and is still missing all these years later.  No body has ever been found.  I really do hope that he's still alive out there somewhere.  I guess making this film a rewatch tradition every October can also be a nice tribute to it's young star.  This is truly a modern Halloween classic!