Movie Review: Monster High: Ghouls Rule

Monster High: Ghouls Rule
Mattel Entertainment, Nerd Corps Entertainment, USA, 2012. 

Halloween is coming but that's not a good time for monsters as Mr. Rotter warns. Normal humans a.k.a Normies hunt monsters and do naughty tricks. It is Frankie's first Halloween so she is scared and confused. It is also hard time for half-normie Jackson Jekyll who is living between the two worlds. In his monster form he turns into super-DJ Holt Hyde when he hears music. Maybe Holt should also try power metal genre with his rock screams.

Frankie

Mr. Rotter

Jackson Jekyll

Bunch of normie bullies, led by monster hunter Van Hellscream's (see "Fright On!") niece Lilith, vandalize the school. Cleo De Nile is pressurized by her Pharaoh dad and her sister Nefera to show leadership, so she organizes an avenger group against the normie school. The relatives also demand that Cleo must break up with her boyfriend Deuce Gorgon. The retaliation plan divides the school. The plot goes wrong and Jackson gets arrested by Sheriff, who demands a cruel & unusual punishment! 

Holt Hyde & Manny

Nefera & Cleo

Deuce Gorgon

Meanwhile Draculaura is trying to arrange a blind date for Clawdeen Wolf. This recycles the episode "A Perfect Match" of Monster High web series where blind dates were for Abbey. Well, the variation is still amusing with some eccentric boyfriend candidates. The giant cyclops boy of the original does not appear in these CGI films, and his role seems to be replaced by the eyeball guy. More essentially to the plot Frankie, Abbey, Spectra and Operetta explore the dungeons and find proof that once humans and monsters were friends and celebrated Halloween together. And there are also humans such as Clair and Chad who think that monsters deserve a chance. 

Draculaura's smug look

Exploring the dungeon

Mmm tasty.

Frankie's reaction is worth seeing when Abbey finds age-old candy. As things go from bad to worse the girls have to find a way to bring the monsters and the normies back together. Ghoulia Yelps' hacking skills come once again useful. And nothing brings people together like a nice party.  

Ghoulia helps

First feature length special is a continuation of ideas from "Fright On!" or more like a redux of the ideas. The backgrounds of some characters are given a bit more meat. Cleo's royal family has high demands and Draculaura's family was chased away from their home village after the tomato incident. A new student is introduced: rollerskating robot Robecca Steam.

Venus McFlytrap & Robecca Steam

This goes also nicely like the previous films, without any drastic changes in quality. The adventure is not the most original but goofy humour and likeable characters go a long way.

There are also three short web-episodes from season 3

Flowers for Slow Moe
Ghoulia solves Riemann's Hypothesis and Fermat's Theorem and Slow Moe feels stupid. He drinks Cleo's Intelligence potion and becomes annoying besserwisser.

I Scream, You Scream
Cleo tries to successfully cook with telepathic guidance from Scarah Screams.

No Ghouls Allowed
The boys plot something and the girls spy on them.

Rating: Good

Voice actors: Erin Fitzgerald, Steve Staley, Ogie Banks, Salli Saffioti, Evan Smith, Dee Dee Green, Kate Higgins, Mark Mercado, Ira Singerman, Cam Clarke, Cindy Robinson, Andrew Duncan, Julie Maddalena, Laura Bailey, Audu Paden, America Young, Wendee Lee 

Directors: Mike Fetterly, Steve Sacks