The Official Ghoulies II Music Video!
Y’all have seen Ghoulies II, right?
No? WELL YOU SHOULD.
Here’s the deal: The first Ghoulies film is admirably weird and totally worth watching, but most of the movie’s fame stems from its classic promo art, which featured a little green monster popping out of a toilet.
Unfortunately, that artwork wrote a check the film couldn’t cash. The 1988 sequel, on the other hand, was exactly the sort of movie one would’ve expected from art like that. (And not just because it finally delivered on the promised “Ghoulie-in-a-toilet” scene.)
Set at a carnival and loaded with the titular monsters, Ghoulies II is one of my favorite creature features. It’s cheesy and it’s silly and it absolutely loves being those things.
I’d go so far to say that I’m obsessed with the movie… which is why it’s so weird that I only recently learned about its official music video!
I can’t say that heavy metal band W.A.S.P. is my usual cup of tea, I guess because their songs are big and loud, and I prefer moody tracks that throw me into crisis. If you’re not making me question everything, you ain’t going on repeat.
So while I’m not the right guy to have a broad discussion about W.A.S.P.’s discography, I can at least confirm that they have one rockin’ track… which just so happens to be married to the Ghoulies.
(Watch that video. You won’t be sorry.)
Scream Until You Like It is noisy and anthemic and kinda sounds like something Machine from 8MM would’ve listened to.
That a song like this appeared on the Ghoulies II soundtrack isn’t terribly surprising. It’s as boisterous as the movie, and it complements the film’s flavor. Thing is, I would’ve assumed this to be more of a simple licensing deal than an whole-ass partnership.
Instead, the bond between W.A.S.P. and Ghoulies II was strong enough to merit a dedicated music video that got a fair amount of play on MTV!
This wasn’t your run-of-the-mill “soundtrack video,” where a band goes about its business and then some editor peppers movie clips in later. The video did feature clips from the film, but it also featured the actual Ghoulies interacting with W.A.S.P.!
UNBELIEVABLE.
Remember, the Ghoulies franchise wasn’t terribly mainstream. Profitable enough, sure, but I never would’ve expected those monsters to turn up in a legit band’s legit music video that was legitimately played on MTV.
God bless everyone involved, because this was as good as a “Ghoulies music video” could’ve been. The band members — in particular frontman Blackie Lawless — were completely down with fondling the monsters. To an almost concerning degree, really. These guys went all-in and had a blast.
Most of the Ghoulies make live appearances, with the notable exception of that giant one who ate all of the smaller Ghoulies at the end of the film. (Sorry for the spoiler, but that’s another reason to watch the film.)
The Ghoulies were fairly plain puppets with only a bit more intricacy than Mattel’s Boglins, which makes it even more awesome when you see the band embrace them like they’re puppies.
(Image from rare behind-the-scenes clip!)
I guess the fact that the Ghoulies appeared in a W.A.S.P. music video won’t mean much to most of you, but for me, this is huge. I’m gonna start going to metal concerts and collecting snakes.
Also, for what it’s worth, Scream Until You Like It really is a great track. If your Halloween playlist needs extra salt, you could do a lot worse than that song.
