jamesgandrew A young lad has been hired as a security guard for an old studio. However, on his shift he unleashes a bunch of creatures from a vault and they start going after the young security guard's friends. These creatures before killing their victims go into people's minds to fulfil their wildest fantasies, causing all sorts of mayhem.Hobgoblins is a movie that's self-aware that it's b-movie entertainment. All the characters besides the protagonist are dumb stereotypical teenagers, however, the filmmakers go to the next level by having them in ridiculous and unrealistic situations.A scene that strikes me the most is a fight between the main boy and a guy who's just been out of army training. He's cocky and arrogant and he challenges the main boy to a fight, but this isn't no ordinary fight, it's a fight with gardening rakes! They just bang the rakes together until the military guy decides to take a hit on the boy. The girls then cheer on the arrogant military dude and after want to have sex with him. It's scenes like these that solidify the movies logic and well... it's utterly hilarious!The creatures are very inspired by the Gremlins in not only their design but the concept of them running amuck. There were plenty of Gremlins rip offs in the eighties including the Critters, Ghoulies and Munchies. However, Hobgoblins has to take the prize for the most bizarre small creatures running amuck movie.If you watch this knowing about the ludicrous nature of this movie, then you will be in for a treat!

Michael_Elliott Hobgoblins (1988) * 1/2 (out of 4)A group of young adults are doing young adult things when they must battle a group of small alien creatures known as hobgoblins. It turns out that these hobgoblins lure their victims by making their fantasies come to life and then they kill them. HOBGOBLINS was just one of many GREMLINS rip-offs that took place during the 80s and it's rather amazing to think that there was an actual market for stuff like this, TROLL and GHOULIES. This film here got more attention than it probably deserved after appearing on Mystery Science Theatre 3000 but this film has enough bad laughs on its own to where you don't have to watch it with the show.If you're going to watch this movie then you should obviously know that you're not getting some sort of masterpiece. The film can certainly fit into the "so bad it's good" style of picture because there's really nothing overly good here, although the entire idea is just campy. I mean, you've got a phone sex addict whose fantasy comes to life when the girl of his dreams knocks on the door. What follows is what you'd expect from an 80s film like this.The performances are decent for the most part but at least the cast are interesting and keep you entertained. The special effects are certainly laughable as the hobgoblins are just hairy little creatures that are certainly never scary. It seems whenever they attack someone the actor just wiggles them around ala Bela Lugosi and the octopus in BRIDE OF THE MONSTER. Still, HOBGOBLINS has some mild charm as long as you don't take it too serious.

stormofwar 1. Aliens resemble plush toys and hand puppets, while having arms that don't function.2. Aliens mastered intergalactic space travel, but they don't know how to push an unlocked vault door open, yet can push open a door being held shut by five people.3. Old Security Guards know how to get a hold of C4, and are just waiting for the right time to use it, say, when they are suddenly fired for no explainable reason.4. Apparently, US Army boot camp, in the 80's, involved several sessions of "garden tool combat", including the pirouette spin of death.5. To impress your prudish girl friend, you have to "save the world...err...neighborhood" from aliens.6. All women are sluts, either openly or secretly.7. Scummy night clubs look like bad diners.8. "Scummy" waitresses double as dancers for The Fontanelles (how did they get talked into this?) who can only do bad 60's dance moves.9. Army privates secretly dream of being Rambo.10. Grenades apparently have a setting for "flash-bang". 11. Being burned alive apparently only leaves one with minor burns on their arms.12. US Army Staff Sargeants apparently happen to always be in the area and do nothing about aliens in the area.13. Aliens apparently always "go home", which means back to the vault they were un-locked in.14. Aliens are attracted to bright lights, which apparently means in the Los Angeles area one would assume, the protagonist's house is the most brightly lit thing in the area.15. Showing 16 parking scenes in a movie makes the audience clamor for more.16. Vans from the 80's apparently have horrible suspension systems.17. Comedy is supposed to happen in this film.18. Horror is supposed to happen in this film.19. Spoofs and homages are supposed to happen in this film.20. This film cures insomnia.21. Apparently, garden tools make electronic keyboard noises whenever they are used, not just in fights (tell me I'm not the only one who noticed this).The simply truth is this film just came out wrong. Period. There isn't much meat on the bone, nor does it do anything really well. Even average. It's just bad. However, I've seen far worse, and the rake fight scene is pure comedy gold, intentional or otherwise.2/10 - Jaws 4 was worse then this. At least the film never took itself seriously.

Seb 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.