Baby Snatching Horror
In the past the town of Hollowglen found themselves dealing with a witch, not that they knew it when they tossed her deformed baby in to a fire as some sort of ritual. But they soon realised afterwards when she cursed the town with a goblin which leapt from the fire and each year would return on Halloween to kill the town's infants. In the present the recently remarried Neil Perkins (Gil Bellows) arrives in Hollowglen with his wife Kate (Camille Sullivan), their baby and 17 year old daughter Nikki (Tracy Spiridakos) from his first marriage along with her friend Cammy (Erin Boyes). But it seems that many of the townsfolk who fear the curse of the goblin are not happy to see the arrival of Nick and his family especially with such a baby with them.
"Goblin" like many made for TV horror movies is like a box of Cadbury Milk Tray; some parts of it work others don't and whilst there are more refined horror movies in the end it fills a hole if you are happy to accept just okay. Part of the problem with "Goblin" is that it doesn't really have much storyline as we have this Goblin who returns to Hollowglen each Halloween to rid the town of its offspring it isn't enough to sustain 90 minutes. Oh there is some mystery surrounding those in the town and whether they accept what is happening, keeping it secret from those new in the town but it still isn't enough to fill the entire movie.
As such for a while "Goblin" becomes distracted by the family dynamics as Neil has issues with his troublesome teen daughter who hates that he remarried and hates her stepmom. In a way it seems to be pandering to a youthful audience with time spent with his daughter and her friend who flirts with young men and so on. It also seems to be pandering to a younger market when it focuses on the horror of the actual Goblin with it becoming a typical cabin in the woods slasher flick with some minor frights but nothing special as typified by a series of scenes of a blooded Cammy being chased through the woods.
Because "Goblin" is clearly aimed at a teen market the majority of the movie focuses on the younger cast members such as Tracy Spiridakos and Erin Boyes with Gil Bellows frequently relegated to a supporting role. It is a shame because if anyone could have made this entertaining it is Bellows who has the right look and laid back attitude to make it entertaining.
What this all boils down to is that "Goblin" ends up just an ordinary horror movie which trades at a simple level to entertain a youthful audience with a focus on young characters. It isn't great but by no means completely terrible and so ends up just about middle of the road.
