Touches You

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

I have actually never heard of "Hobgoblins" before 2016, when I happened to stumble across the movie by sheer random luck. And being a fan of creature features and horror movies in general, of course I gave "Hobgoblins" a chance, well knowing that I most likely wasn't in for something grand.And I should have taken heed to the low rating of "Hobgoblins" on IMDb and stayed well clear of the movie. Yes, this movie is every bit as to be expected given the synopsis and the rating it has received.The story is about some aliens who are confined to a facility, where they are accidentally released from captivity as a new security guard opens a vault that is supposed to be off limits.This is from the late 1980's, so of course expectations should be set accordingly. But even for a movie from this age then "Hobgoblins" was pathetic.The acting in the movie was amateurish at best. I am not sure if it was because of the lack of having a proper script to work with, or if it was because they had opted to go with talents not really up for the task of acting.And the creatures, well let's just take a moment here to talk about them. While they did have some good conceptual ideas for their appearances, then the creatures just didn't work out so well on the screen, especially since it was so obviously clear that they were just puppets without movable parts. It was embarrassing to witness.Before I forget, I should also mention the editing and cutting of "Hobgoblins". Wow, that was just abysmal to watch. This was probably some of the worst movie editing that I have ever seen.I didn't last through the entire movie here, because I just gave up on it before even reaching the half way point. And I have no interest in finishing the movie. And I just found out that there apparently is a sequel to this abysmal movie; but again, I have no interest in watching that, not after having seen enough of part one to see what it was.I can't find any reason for why anyone should take the time to sit down and watch "Hobgoblins", much less actually invest any money or time in doing so.

At first a held certain reservations against watching a film with what appears to be a no-brainer title for a film about the very same beasts, but sometimes the direct option is the best.Starring Tom Bartlett as Kevin, a young and brave assistant security guard, and Jeffrey Culver as McCreedy, the wizened old security guard who has seen too much, "HOBGOBLINS" takes us on a horrifying journey to the realm of the darker aspects of human consciousness made flesh. After a lengthy but suspenseful tour through the corridors of a mysterious storage facility, a group of frightening creatures known as 'hobgoblins' are released from a wicked bank vault within the facility. These demonic beings posses the ability to take the lives of humans by making their innermost wishes come true, hover at human shoulder height at will, and drive golf carts. What follows is a twisted ride into the psyche, as a gang of hormone-laden teenagers witness the horror of the hobgoblins, and their own inner selves.Writer/Director/Director of Photography/Editor/Producer Rick Sloane allows the audience no pause from the terror of the sickening creatures, and the atmosphere and execution is overall spot on. Forgivably Freudian, the movie posits that when the primitive urges of the id infect the aspirations of the superego, what wishes we hope to fulfill will inevitably doom the self, but through the use of rationality and technology, even the most misguided soul can be retrieved from apparent demise.Unfortunately, the film is held back from inducing true insight in its audience due to some unfortunate use of prosthetic eyebrows on Mr. Culver. This distracting little mishap did cost the film one star in this review.In the end, "HOBGOBLINS" left me with an optimistic view of humanity. For if we can successfully survive the onslaught of such abominations that attempt to let our darker selves consume us, what else is there that could truly destroy us? I found the title ultimately an impeccable choice, since as we all know: hobgoblins are more introspective than regular goblins.*********/10 stars.

I really don't have anything new to add but I just felt like I had to comment on this sack. So here goes:Atrocious. I'm running through my MST3K DVD collection again and I just watched Hobgoblins for about the 10th time. It's really, really painful but it was next on the list... You can see that there is a tiny kernel of an actual movie buried under all the crap that is "Hobgoblins" but it just couldn't get out. Everything about this movie is 4th rate. The story, the acting, the effects, the women, the "action scenes", the... ahhhh forget it. I can watch a piece of crap like "The Bloodwaters of Dr. Z" (aka "Zaat") over and over and over with hardly any ill effects (I like it in fact- btw, it will be on TCM later this month- October, 2009) but "Hobgoblins" is a whole 'nother ballgame.The worst part of it all may be that it's now about 12 hours after the movie ended, I had a good night's sleep, some coffee and some dry toast, my medications, and yet the ersatz "New Wave" dance music that Amy, Red Shorts, and Laraine Newman were frolicking to in the living room is STILL RUNNING THROUGH MY HEAD. This torment will last for days. Good luck, won't you?

After Gremlins hit box office gold it must have seemed like a really good idea to rip it off. Unfortunately Hobgoblins lacks some of the key ingredients of Gremlins, notably the likable characters, plot, credibility and effects, and Gremlins was quite funny in places whereas Hobgoblins just isn't.In fiction good writers try hard to make you like the main character, that's how fiction has worked ever since some Greek guy put a mask on and pretended to be someone else. So what character have you got to bond with in Hobgoblins? How about a whiny henpecked little weasel in a dead end job with a totally frigid girlfriend and a bunch of friends that are more irritating than having Vanessa Feltz sewn into your face? His friends include a rake-fighting military tough guy, some weedy gay guy in red shorts and a girl so sexual that the mere sound of her boyfriends car horn causes her to lift her skirt up in anticipation.The film has one good idea, basically these hobgoblins can bring your every fantasy to life. Sadly this good idea is squandered by the actors sheer inability to act as well as plenty of scenes where they hug plush toys to themselves and try to act scared. There's not much logic to it either, the hobgoblins are supposedly locked safely away in a vault with a cage around it. But when we see it neither are even shut. How much effort would it have taken to shout at a stage hand to close them? Too much for this movie unfortunately.I couldn't escape the feeling that the people responsible for this film put in the very least effort they thought they could get away with. The poster (shown to your left) depicting a 50's pinup being bummed by a gremlin is pretty tacky too.