Search - Hobgoblins 2 on DVD

If you thought the first one was bad, buckle up for the ulti

Jay | USA | 07/11/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

"After watching the original Hobgoblins movie you never would have guessed there would have been a sequel, but 20 years later there is. In a very interesting turn of events Rick Sloane decided it was time to hit the coinstar, cash in his giant jug filled with change, and make a sequel to his mess of a film from 1988. Rick's original idea was to make the sequel 2 years after the release of the first one but must have got thrown out the window when no company would fund the idea. So now that 20 years has passed a new generation will be able to see the same exact hobgoblin hand puppets from the 80's.

Hobgoblins 2 takes place where the first film left off after oldman security guard McCreedy blew up the studio where the hobgoblins were. Man how can that guy still be alive? He was in his 90's when the first one came out. Anyway, McCreedy is now in a psychiatric hospital and is visited by Kevin and his friends who are now college students. He warns the kids that the hobgoblins can still return if there name is said three times like the bloody Mary myth. So naturally someone says it and our hand puppets are back on the loose. Kevin and his friends must now face their fears and draw the hobgoblins to them to put and end to this terrible film from going past a sequel.

It' kind of hard to review Hobgoblins 2 since it knows how bad it is already. The whole premise was pretty much a remake of the first by the way it poked fun at many aspects of the original. In fact the same script they used in the original was used for this one. So 20 years later and you don't even write a new script shows you the intention of the film. It's in 35 mm film, the same exact puppets were used, and they kept the same characters in their hilarious outfits and all just to make it look like it was still the 80's. To be honest I thought it was pretty cool that they made this one as more of a gag then anything else, so that's why I gave it 2 stars. I won't recommend this one unless you're really looking for something terrible.

"

"My Name Is Amy, And I'm Afraid Of Puppets."

Robert I. Hedges | 04/18/2010

(2 out of 5 stars)

"This movie is only for the stouthearted. Presumably to get to "Hobgoblins 2," you have already seen Rick Sloane's original "Hobgoblins" about hand puppets from outer space. Be forewarned that where the original is very bad, but entertaining from a camp vantage point, this sequel is much more trying to watch.

"Hobgoblins" disappeared into deserved obscurity almost instantly after it's release, and it took Sloane twenty years to make this sequel. No doubt his efforts were buoyed by the success of the original as a feature on "Mystery Science Theater 3000." Personally, it's one of my very favorite episodes of MST3K, but watching it in its original form takes a stronger constitution. This takes more willpower still, as this one deliberately apes the original shamelessly to get cheap laughs from the characters we all know from the original, although played by a completely different cast, as the originals were far too old to play college students at this point.

The plot picks up from where the original left off (sort of,) and involves Mr. McCreedy (this time played by Roland Esquivel, who is no Jeffrey Culver) being locked in an insane asylum for his dealings with the hobgoblins. Over the 89 minute running time, McCreedy again guides Kevin (Josh Mills, who is also inferior to the original film's Tom Bartlett) and company to defeat the murderous puppets in their nefarious web of evil. I did enjoy the scene where Amy (Sabrina Bolin) confessed her fear of puppets, but found Daphne (Jordana Berliner) to be even more annoying (if such a thing is possible) than Kelley Palmer was in the original. If you have seen the original, there's no doubt in my mind that you just raised your eyebrows in surprise and concern.

The movie gets a bonus star for filming on 35mm versus video in an attempt to authentically mirror the original, but the gags fall flat and in general the film tries too hard to be a funny parody. The film does feature a commentary, a "making of" feature, deleted scenes, and a still photo gallery, which are nice extras given the low budget of this film.

In a nutshell, the film's plot is of no consequence, once again an (even more) unlikable cast battles hand puppets, spouts terrible dialogue, and engages in every kind of cheap gag imaginable. It's worth seeing once if you were amused by the original, but be forewarned that just because it's more of the same doesn't mean that it's as good as "Hobgoblins.""