MST3K 907 - Hobgoblins

“	Did you know Nick went on to play...Pong in his underwear while drinking beer?	”
	- Crow

907 - Hobgoblins
Air/Release Date	June 27, 1998
Movie Director	Rick Sloane
Year	1988
Cast	Billy Frank Kelley Palmer Paige Sullivan Duane Whitaker
Preceded by	906 - The Space Children
Followed by	908 - The Touch of Satan

The Movie

Synopsis

The hobgoblins in Hobgoblins

The film opens with a security guard named Dennis investigating a deserted film vault at an old movie studio. While inside, his fantasy of being a rock star comes to life, but he dies while performing on stage. His boss, Mr. McCreedy (Jeffrey Culver), closes the door upon discovering the body. A young man named Kevin (Tom Bartlett) takes the vacant job so that he can impress his girlfriend Amy (Paige Sullivan). After his first shift, he drives home to Amy, finding that his two friends, the sex-crazedDaphne (Kelley Palmer) and the dorky Kyle (Steven Boggs), waiting for him, and Daphne's Army boyfriend Nick (Billy Frank) arrives. Nick and Kevin spar with rakes in a long, protracted, repetitive scene. After Kevin loses horribly, Amy berates him for his weaknesses while Daphne and Nick have sex in Nick's van in the background of the scene.

Daphne (Kelley Palmer) in Hobgoblins

While in pursuit of a burglar the next evening, Kevin stumbles across the vault, which contains a small group of hairy, demonic little aliens — the hobgoblins. They escape, leaving Kevin stunned. His boss, the elderly Mr. McCreedy, explains that the hobgoblins crash landed on the studio lot decades earlier, and he has been closely guarding them ever since. The hobgoblins have the hypnotic power to make a person's wildest fantasies come true; however, they also kill their victims in the process when people's fantasies turn against them.

The hobgoblins go straight to Kevin's house, where his friends are partying, as they are attracted by the bright lights. The hobgoblins quickly make their fantasies come true, but with dire consequences. The quiet, prudish Amy's fantasy leads her to the sleazy nightclub Club Scum. Kevin and the others follow her there. It turns out that Amy's deepest fantasy is to lose her sexual inhibitions and be a stripper.

The nightclub erupts into chaos while Kevin and his friends try to kill the rampaging hobgoblins. Nick is given a fantasy in which he leads a commando raid. In the melee, Nick is set on fire by a hand grenade thrown by his commanding officer and is apparently killed (again, his fantasy goes to extremes and turns against him), though he returns later in the movie, bandaged and on crutches, but otherwise unharmed. Kevin kills the hobgoblin in control of Amy before she can have sex with the scruffy bouncer Roadrash (Duane Whitaker). Although Amy is restored to her original personality, her experience leaves her less sexually repressed than she was before.

Thinking that all the hobgoblins are dead, Kevin, Amy, Kyle, and Daphne return to the lot to report back to Mr. McCreedy. Kevin is confronted by the burglar from earlier that night and beats him in a fight, finally proving his bravery to Amy. Kevin's victory is short lived as the burglar (yet another phantom created by the hobgoblins) pulls a gun from an ankle holster and aims it at Kevin. Just as the burglar is about to fire, McCreedy shoots the alien, thus saving Kevin's life. The remaining hobgoblins run back into the vault, which McCreedy has filled with explosives. The hobgoblins are then blown to pieces. Amy promises to have sex with Kevin, Nick returns to have sex with Daphne, and Kyle, odd man out, asks to use McCreedy's phone, presumably for more phone sex.

Background

• Hobgoblins is a film written and directed by Rick Sloane, who personally suggested the movie to Best Brains as a candidate for the MST treatment. The Brains soon came to regret taking Sloane up on his offer; in particular, Michael J. Nelson has been quoted as saying that in his opinion, Hobgoblins is even worse than Manos: The Hands of Fate.
• The character actor who plays the bouncer in this film, Duane Whitaker, later got the role of the pawn shop owner in the 1994 hit film Pulp Fiction. This happened after filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, who worked at a videostore at the time, saw Duane in this film and the rest is history.
• The band playing at Club Scum are The Fontanelles, a relatively well-known punk rock group in the Los Angeles underground music scene at one time. The song they are performing is one of their better known releases, Kiss Kicker '99.  The actual studio version can be heard here.
• During the flashback where Mr. McCreedy describes how he first encountered the hobgoblins, he can be seen holding a promotional flyer for The Visitants, one of Rick Sloane's previous films.

• In 2007, Sloane announced his plans to make Hobgoblins 2. And indeed he did in 2009. [1]
• Hobgoblins was one of the films selected to be part of the Hulu series "13 Nights of Elvira" in 2014. Rick Sloane operated a Hobgoblin puppet in the closing segment.

The Episode

Mike, Crow, and Servo regret jumping on Pearl's couch.

Host Segments

Prologue: Due to the Robert Palmer version of the song "I Didn't Mean To Turn You On", the SOL crew have been exposed to the concept of accidental and involutary turn-ons, with even the slightest gesture being construed as a attempt to turn each other on.

Segment One: The on-turning has reached a stage of increasing malice with intentional turning on. Meanwhile Pearl is remodelling Castle Forrester, and her new couch has turned up early, having Brain Guy send it up to SOL for storage. However, Mike and the Bots jump up and down on it, with all manner of 'stainable liquids.' Pearl threatens swift retribution if they don't stop, but her words fall on deaf ears. So she sends them The Movie.

Mike and the Bots place dummy versions of themselves in an ill-conceived attempt to escape both the movie & the SOL.

Segment Two: Due to the questionable stereotypes in the movie, Crow decides to create a film called "Let's Talk Women!", but his limited exposure to women outside of movies causes him to proclaim them to be mythical creatures. Mike reminds him of Pearl, but chokes when Crow demands that Mike name one other woman.

Segment Three: Crow sets up a 'crisis hotline' to help people who have seen the film Hobgoblins, but Bobo abuses Crow's goodwill to discuss another less savory crisis...

Segment Four: Continuing to use cardboard cut-outs, Mike and the Bots unsuccessfully try to flee, with Brain Guy spending fruitless minutes trying to point out to Pearl and Bobo the ruse.

Segment Five: Servo is The Terminator, having traveled back in time to "take care of" Rick Sloane. Crow's film research points out he may have had opposite effect however. With a heavy heart, Pearl takes back the couch from the immature SOL crew, but the couch is no more safe from her minions either.

Stinger: The Hobgoblins ride around in a golf cart.

Quotes & References

• "We on the road to nowhere...come on inside!"
  While Dennis is living his fantasy of being a rockstar, Crow sings the song "Road to Nowhere" by Talking Heads.

• "Paige Sullivan..."
  Servo is singing the name to the tune of "Ed Sullivan" from the musical Bye Bye Birdie.
• As the name "TAMI BAKKE" appears: “Is she related to Wacky T. Bakke?”
  Wacky Tobacky (sp) is a colloquial name for marijuana, derived from the fact that it is often smoked like tobacco, but renders the user "wacky".

• "This is a really cheap bio-pic on Jim Morrison..."
  Jim Morrison was the lead singer of the '60s band The Doors.

• "We paid for this wing with the profits from D.C. Cab!"
  D.C. Cab is a 1983 comedy movie starring Mr. T.

• "The true story of Neil Peart."
  Neil Peart is the drummer for the Canadian progressive rock band Rush. Note that Crow mispronounces his last name as "Pert", rather than "Peert".

• "They made love in their Chevy van, and that's NOT all right with me!"
  Crow is paraphrasing the song "Chevy Van" by Sammy Johns. Note that the van featured in this movie is actually a Dodge rather than a Chevrolet.
• "They've stumbled onto Mel's Rock Pile!"
  "Mel's Rock Pile" was a recurring SCTV sketch in which the nebbishy Mel (played by Eugene Levy) played music while his teenage audience danced around him (and often made fun of him).
• "Take on me...take, me, on!"
  Lyrics from the a-ha song "Take On Me". The video takes place inside of a newspaper comic, which the black and white security cam footage resembles.
• "Invest in arbitrage and read Jay McInerney!"
  Arbitrage is a term used in stock trading and other forms of high finance. Jay McInerney is best known for his 1984 novel Bright Lights, Big City, which was turned into a movie starring Michael J. Fox.
• "That's not a woman, that's David Lee Roth"

David Lee Roth is a heavy metal/hard rock volcalist and known for wearing spandex clothing. Crow refers to David Lee Roth when Fantasia is trying to push the car down the hill, in which her spandex pants are visible.

• "I don't like Shari Lewis' new show."
  Shari Lewis was the creator and host of the educational TV show Lamb Chop's Play-Along, whose title character was a hand puppet like the hobgoblins, but slightly less creepy.

• "This guy gets his kicks calling about used Vegas!"
  The Chevrolet Vega was a compact car built during the 1970s.

• "Wilkommen, bienvenue..."
  A reference to "Wilkommen", a song from the Broadway musical Cabaret (and a comparison of the androgynous MC at Club "Scum" with the androgynous MC in that movie.)
• "Wow, this makes me want to take out my extensive Adam Ant collection"
  Adam Ant is the alias of British punk/rock musician Stuart Leslie Goddard. He was lead singer of the band Adam and the Ants during the late 70's and early 80's before going solo.

• "'Hobgoblins' is usually shown on a double bill with 'The Harder They Come'."
  The Harder They Come is a 1972 film starring reggae musician Jimmy Cliff. The implication is that being stoned will make Hobgoblins more watchable.

• "Pinky! Brain!"
  A reference to the Animaniacs characters Pinky and the Brain.
• "Fresh Fish!"
  A reference to a Laurel and Hardy sketch in which they sell fish out of a truck.
• "This fight is making nostalgic for the movie Gymkata."

Gymkata is a 1985 gymnastics/martial arts movie, and as Servo indicates it's usually regarded as being close to the caliber of movie that aired on MST.

• "He found Ben Stein's money!"

Win Ben Stein's Money was a Comedy Central gameshow from the late 90's. The prize money was actually put up by the show's sponsors.

• "The Koalas are attacking! We hate QANTAS! Grrrrr!"
  The bots point out the Hobgoblins resemblance to Koalas, making reference to the fact that QANTAS is the national airline for Australia, the animal's native country.
• "Hey, don't scratch the Quarterflash!"

Quarterflash is a 80's band best known for the song "Harden My Heart".

Memorable Quotes

Servo: Can you catch a venereal disease from a movie?

[A man in a gray uniform walks along with a loud crunching.]

Mike: What, has he got Pringles in his shoes?

Servo: Proof that janitors walk upright!

[Dennis opens the vault door.]

Mike: Burgess Meredith is inside reading.

[McCreedy closes the bank-like vault door after Dennis is killed inside.]

Servo [as Announcer]: Member, FDI-Murder!

Crow [as Announcer]: Death guaranteed for up to 50,000 die! ^[N]

[The pre-credits sequence ends and the titles begin.]

Servo: Hey, the end credits! Well, it was a terrible movie. At least it was short!

Mike: These are the beginning credits!

Servo: Oh, well, then kill me, please?

A surveillance monitor shows black-and-white footage of a slow-moving robber.]

Mike: It's some guy sneaking around like a silent film villain!

Servo: [singing] Take on me...

Daphne: [singing to "Everybody Have Fun Tonight"] Everybody have sex tonight!

Servo: Everybody throw up tonight.

Crow: Ironically, no one in the band Wang Chung had sex that night.

McCreedy: But... I warned... Those creatures... The vault... I tried...

Servo: Sentence fragments. Just phrases.

[Army-trained Nick shows wimpy Kevin how to fight with garden tools, ruthlessly beating him.]

Crow: So, does Hardware Hank have a major defense contract, or…?

. . .

[Nick begins repeatedly swinging his rake over his head at Kevin.]

Mike: He's also a black belt in Whac-A-Mole.

. . .

[Nick and Kevin continue to fight with their rakes, strafing past a coiled garden hose.]

Mike: Oh! There! Right there! Did you see it? The hose just out-acted them.

Crow: Can we make it a rule that, in the future, films have to be made by filmmakers?

Mike: [singing along to generic '80s synth music]

It's the '80s!

Do a lot of coke and vote for Ronald Reagan!

[As the Hobgoblins form up together]

Servo: Meet the Hobgoblins: Frankie, Sniffles, Bounce-Bounce, and the Claw.

[Daphne and Nick step out of his van after having conspicuous sex in it.]

Servo: Ugh! They made love in their Chevy van and that is not alright with me!

[Mild-mannered assistant security guard Kevin goes looking for a would-be robber.]

Crow: So, did the ad for the job read, "Wanted: whiny, halfwit coward"?

[Kyle's big-haired, leopard-and-lamé-clad floozy date pushes his car toward a cliff.]

Crow: That is not a woman! That's David Lee Roth!

. . .

[Later in that scene, the car begins to roll off the cliff after Kevin's friend gets out.]

Servo: The car will do anything to get out of this movie!

[The car rolls down the cliff and explodes.]

Crow: In an unforeseen tragedy, the two actors were not in the car at the time of the crash!

[Kevin and his friend watch the "flames" from the explosion.]

Mike [as Kevin]: Look at that guy wave the gel in front of the light!

[Kevin shoots a gun into the air]

Crow: Oh, great! You just shot down Air Force One, you dope!

[The screen shows the name of star Tom Bartlet]

Servo: The king of the Wisconsin Dells finally gets a movie.

[Mike and the bots have made cardboard cutouts of themselves and equipped them with a tape recorder to fool Pearl.]

Mike Cutout: This sure is a bad movie, won't you?

Servo Cutout: It sure is, you know!

Crow Cutout: Say, fellas. Here's a little song about that movie, "Hobgoblins."

Mike Cutout: Are you kidding me?

Servo Cutout: Then let's go!

All [singing]: Hobgoblins, hobgoblins, what do you do with those hobgoblins? They're over here, they're over there, those darn hobgoblins are everywhere! Yay! Woo!

. . .

Mike Cutout: Watch out, here comes one now!

Crow Cutout: Look out, you little doodad!

Servo Cutout: Something's sure going to happen!

[The Mike cutout falls over and the tape recorder starts to wind down.]

Mike Cutout: Well, I think we all learned a valuable lesson about hobgoblins today... [Speech fades out.]

McCreedy: Did I ever tell you what I did during the war?

Kevin: No, what?

Crow [as McCreedy]: Shot off my toe and got out!

Video Release

• Commercially released on DVD by Rhino in November 2005 as part of The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection: Volume 8, a 4-DVD set with The Phantom Planet, Monster A-Go Go, and The Dead Talk Back. The DVD was later pulled due to rights issues.

External links

• The Annotated Hobgoblins by Michael Cheyne

preceded by: Season 8			MST3K Season 9			followed by: Season 10
			1998
901	The Projected Man	1998-03-14	906	The Space Children	1998-06-13	911	Devil Fish	1998-08-15
902	The Phantom Planet	1998-03-21	907	Hobgoblins	1998-06-27	912	The Screaming Skull	1998-08-29
903	The Pumaman	1998-04-04	908	The Touch of Satan	1998-07-11	913	Quest of the Delta Knights	1998-09-26
904	Werewolf	1998-04-18	909	Gorgo	1998-07-18
905	The Deadly Bees	1998-05-09	910	The Final Sacrifice	1998-07-25