Ghoul

This is a western genre standard undermined by the absence of a single moment of surprise and the fact that for the sake of effect, the characters are willing to act like monumental dullards. This fact could be forgiven if they were given an extra drop of personal life. However, all of this is unfortunately absent, and so in the end it is... a western genre standard. [Whether that's praise or scorn is up to you]. 3 ½. (07/09/2015)

I don't understand why the creators cling to the label "dark thriller" when it's as horror as it gets. Although it's not as scary as its reputation makes it out to be, being more of a cheap B movie, it's qualitatively fully comparable to American horror movies of the same genre. In this respect, it is a victory for Petr Jákl, who managed to make a genre-pure Czech film that has a chance to make a mark in the world. It is relatively functional, atmospheric and in some respects even better than the equivalent foreign competition, so there is no need to be ashamed of it. (02/26/2015)

Ghoul is a good horror film by Czech standards, in fact the best horror film from our country (the list of Czech horror films is not very big). It is very close to The Blair Witch Project in its concept and form, but Ghoul is not as amateurish, bland and uninteresting. But I cannot share the enthusiasm too much, I am not a big fan of this style of horror. Ghoul in particular tries to look interesting story-wise, but I'm not convinced it was a good move, it's not a very entertaining or informative film. The jump-scre didn't impress me at all, which I also consider a minus. The plus points for me were the setting of the run-down building and the impressive atmospheric finale, for which I give it an extra 10%, so definitely a must for fans just because the film comes from here. I wouldn't watch it again though. 60% (06/28/2015)

This is still found footage, and in its execution, it’s quite typical. I'm not enjoying these films, and neither Jákl nor Czech coproduction nor the fact that it has a very good visual side helps with that. This genre doesn't have much left to say, and the interesting information that Ghoul conveys could be communicated in a classic horror movie, which, of course, there was not enough money for. (12/16/2015)

Since I'm going to see Jákl's new film Medieval today, it seemed fitting to revisit his earlier work. Besides Kajínek, this Czech director also made a found footage horror set in the intriguing landscape of Ukraine with a rather interesting premise. Sure, Western cinema has produced higher-quality entries in this genre over the years, but keep in mind that this is a Czech horror film (with an international cast). The setting in remote Ukrainian forests provided a reasonably chilling atmosphere. The acting wasn’t top-tier, but it wasn’t particularly off-putting either. I was pleasantly surprised by the way they combined the theme of cannibalism with the case of Chikatilo, the serial killer who murdered dozens of people in the Soviet Union in the 1950s. This gave the ending an extra punch. For me, it’s 5.5/10. (09/12/2022)