Goblin DVD Review

Written by Simon Bland

DVD released by Lionsgate Home Entertainment

Directed by Jeffrey Scott Lando
Written by Raul Inglis
2011, 100 minutes, Rated 15 (UK)
DVD released on 12 March 2012

Starring:
Gil Bellows as Neil Perkins
Tracy Spiridakos as Nikki Perkins
Camille Sullivan as Kate Perkins
Reilly Dolman as Kyle
Andrew Wheeler as Sheriff Milgreen
Erin Boyes as Cammy

Goblin Dvd Cover

Review:

Creating made-for-TV movies must be hard work. You have all these big ideas but not enough green to make your imagination a reality. However, it’s this very conundrum that gives some low-budget chillers their charm. As long as you stay grounded and don’t get too big for your boots, more often than not the same shortcomings that once seemed a hindrance become the reason fans love your movie. This is exactly the case for Goblin, a bargain-bin horror made for the Syfy channel which, under the direction of Jeffery Scott Lando, isn’t half bad.

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Halloween eve, 1831. The inhabitants of a small village are conducting a shady ritual of burning diseased crops in an attempt to purge themselves of evil. When the deformed baby of an accused witch gets wrongfully thrown onto the fire, their quiet community gets landed with an evil curse. From that day on, whenever Halloween rolls around no baby is safe from the Goblin. Cut to present day and a young family finds out first hand that this hooded and vicious menace is still about and set out to stop it once and for all.

As you can see, story-wise it’s nothing special. However, thanks to some slick directing and performances that punch slightly above their small-screen weights , Goblin has enough tension and intrigue to keep you smirking till the credits roll. What makes this movie work is everyone’s commitment to the content. No one’s trying to convince you you’re watching the next Scream and because of that you’ll find yourself rooting for our young heroes. Speaking of which, they’re not bad at all. Lead by Gil Bellows (Ally McBeal, The Shawshank Redemption) and featuring a young Matt Damon clone by the name of Reilly Dolman, by half time you’ll actually be hoping they avoid the Goblin’s grizzly grasp.

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Don’t set your sights too high though as there’s plenty to poke fun at here, in particular its titular antagonist. Ironically the movie’s star attraction is also its biggest let down. The Goblin spends the movie completely concealed bar a few horribly rendered glimpses of a toothy CG grin. What’s more, in a bizarre twist that angry looking beast on the poster doesn’t even appear once. Talk about false advertising…

However, that’s no reason to write it off. If you find yourself channel hopping one night in search of something other than a Top Gear re-run to watch whilst spooning mouthfuls of Chinese take-away into your face, then Goblin fits the bill perfectly. Like that greasy fast food, it’s a bit of a guilty pleasure.

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