“Goblin,” filmed in the deep woods of British Columbia, tells the story of a cursed Colorado hamlet where an extremely tall and malicious goblin appears every Halloween to kill newborns and anyone who stands in its path. Unlike comedies disguised as horror films like "Cabin Fever," "Goblin" approaches its subject matter with complete seriousness, avoiding any camp or humor. That’s how monster movies should be made; once you introduce jokes, it's impossible to take the film seriously and experience genuine fear—a key goal of horror. I was impressed by the quality of both the acting and writing, especially considering this is a low-budget TV movie. The characters aren’t simple stereotypes; they feel like believable people, and the actors portray them effectively. The film includes all the expected elements of a deep woods horror story—attractive women, attractive women fleeing in terror (often scantily clad – I'm just having fun, so don’t take it too seriously, lol), youthful romances, a creepy monster, and characters you can root for, particularly Gil Bellows as the father and his family/friends. The cast of “gorgeous babes” includes Tracy Spiridakos, Erin Boyes, and Julia Maxwell, who is wearing an alluring goth-girl costume complete with stockings and heels (no surprise the Goblin goes after her!). Camille Sullivan, playing Bellows’ wife, also deserves recognition. Speaking of the monster, goblins are typically small creatures, but not in this film. This goblin stands close to seven feet tall and can teleport. While its CGI appearance is noticeable during the final ten minutes, resembling a low-budget “Pumpkinhead,” it mostly appears cloaked in a mysterious black hooded robe that adds to its eerie quality. The fact that it emits an unpleasant odor is a nice touch. One critic criticized the film’s logic, questioning why the goblin kills random people if its primary target is babies. The explanation is that the goblin's purpose, dictated by the curse, is to kill infants because they represent new life and potential. As for the other victims, an older character explains near the end that the goblin detects the scent of infants on anyone who’s been near a baby; hence its interest in the girls babysitting Nathan. The goblin is clearly demonic—a minion of evil—and demons don't spare lives when they are carrying out their mission: to “kill, steal and destroy.” Therefore, the goblin was delighted at the prospect of terrorizing and killing additional people. On the downside, although the story takes place during Halloween, it’s obviously summertime (the children’s clothing and foliage give it away). Also, the final confrontation involving a car and spear felt somewhat predictable. However, these shortcomings are minor compared to the overall quality of the film. "Goblin," despite being a TV movie, is an exceptional deep woods monster flick. The goblin is genuinely frightening, and the characters are so realistic and well-developed that you become invested in their fate and are truly shocked when the monster tears them apart. The film runs for 1 hour and 32 minutes and was filmed in Pitt Meadows, British Columbia. GRADE: A

Source on TMDB