GHOULIES Is Crawling Back to Life With a New Horror Trilogy Planned
Those nasty little monsters from Ghoulies are getting ready to crawl back out of the toilet! The long-planned reboot of the cult horror-comedy is moving forward again after a legal dispute put the project on hold, with the filmmakers now targeting a 2027 production start.
Back in 2024, original Ghoulies co-writer and producer Jefery Levy announced plans to revive the franchise alongside director and co-writer Luca Bercovici. The two had reclaimed the domestic rights to the original film and wanted to launch a new trilogy that would introduce the mischievous little demons to a new generation of horror fans.
Things were moving along nicely at first. Producer and writer Theo Lemasters revealed in 2024 that two scripts for the planned trilogy were finished, while the third was already halfway written.
“We are shopping it now and hoping to film in late Summer/Early Fall,” Lemasters said at the time. Unfortunately, those plans hit a snag when a legal dispute brought development to a halt.
According to Brain Mutant, federal court records reveal that Lemasters filed a lawsuit against Levy in the Central District of California in 2025 (Case No. 2:25-cv-11481). The dispute prevented the filmmakers from securing financing and moving ahead with the reboot.
Fortunately, the situation appears to have been resolved. Brain Mutant reports that a settlement was reached earlier this month, clearing a major obstacle for the project.
The outlet explains: “On October 5, the defense counsel filed the official Notice of Settlement. The following day, October 6, District Judge Fernando M. Olguin issued the Order Dismissing Action.“
Levy is eager to get things rolling again, telling the outlet: “We have an incredible reboot script. Cannot get financing until the legal issue is settled. Once the legal issue is settled, we will begin production on Ghoulies 2027.”
It's encouraging news for fans who have been hoping to see these creatures return. Levy's reference to Ghoulies 2027 also raises the possibility that the filmmakers are aiming for a release that year, although no official release date has been announced.
The filmmakers have ambitions beyond simply making another movie. Previous plans included expanding the Ghoulies franchise with books, action figures, apparel, and other collectibles. If the reboot takes off, fans could have plenty of new monster merchandise to get their hands on.
For those unfamiliar with the original, Ghoulies was released in 1985 through producer Charles Band's Empire Pictures, the company associated with cult horror favorites like Puppet Master and Subspecies. Bercovici, who also directed Rockula, helmed the movie from a screenplay he co-wrote with Levy.
The story follows Jonathan Graves, played by Peter Liapis, a young man who inherits an ancestral mansion with his girlfriend. Unfortunately, the property comes with some nasty family history, including a Satanic father buried on the grounds.
Jonathan eventually becomes consumed by supernatural power and discovers he can summon an assortment of hideous little demons. The movie also featured Mariska Hargitay as Donna, a friend of the couple who has an unfortunate encounter with the creatures.
Hargitay recently gave the film a fun shoutout during the Emmys, reminding audiences that she got her start in Ghoulies, “where a monster pops out of a toilet.”
With its ridiculous monsters, practical creature effects, and wonderfully strange '80s horror charm, Ghoulies remains a fun piece of cult cinema. It'll be interesting to see how Bercovici and Levy approach the reboot and whether they can capture the same goofy monster-movie energy that made the original memorable.