One would think that all the classic creep turns by such a seminal horror star as Boris Karloff would have been unearthed long ago, but there was always the exception--his British fright flick The Ghoul, which was considered "lost" and then only found in rather ragged form.  Well, fortunately, a very nice print of it was discovered by MGM, packed into one of their budget DVDs and now we can all once again see and enjoy...

By JEFF BERES

When MGM released The Ghoul on DVD last September, I bought it, but with reservations.

In my experience, when a studio waits years to release a DVD starring a famous actor, something’s amiss. Universal released wonderful versions of their Classic Monster films (Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolf Man, etc.) while the DVD phenomenon was in its infancy.

So why did MGM sit on The Ghoul for so long? Well, according to Glenn Erickson from the DVD Talk Website, The Ghoul was considered a lost film until someone called the British Film Institute and found a pristine copy. Lucky for us.

This is one complicated plot. I’ll try to give you the gist of it without any spoilers:

A mysterious Egyptian named Mahmoud (D.A. Clarke-Smith) confronts a slightly less mysterious Egyptian, Aga Ben Dragore (Harold Huth) about a famous Egyptian religious artifact called "the eternal light." Dragore says he sold it to that "robber of the dead," famous Egyptologist Professor Morlant (Karloff), who lies on his deathbed.

At the same time, Morlant calls his "Man" Laing (the great Ernest Thesiger) to his bedside and tells him to wrap the eternal light, a star shaped medallion, in his (Morlant’s) hand so he can present it to the Egyptian god when he dies. This act will earn him immortality. And he adds that if anyone double-crosses him, he’ll come back from the grave to exact his revenge.

Morlant’s sleazy lawyer Broughton (Cedric Hardwicke) overhears the plan. And a nosey Parson (Ralph Richardson) invites himself into Morlant’s house on the premise of saving Morlant’s un-Christian soul.

When Morlant dies, his living heirs Betty Harlan (Dorothy Hyson) and Ralph Morlant (Anthony Bushell) are summoned to the house for the reading of the will.

Dragore and Mahmoud also make their way to Morlant’s house to retrieve the eternal light, which they consider stolen property.

Well, since the film is called The Ghoul, it’s not giving anything away to say Morlant does "come back" from the dead and the cast plays hot potato with the eternal light medallion. Hang in there for a fairly graphic scene near the end and a lot of fast talking to plug up the plot holes. Everything got plugged, as far as I could tell.

While The Ghoul isn’t quite a classic, it’s a fascinating film and a blast to watch for a few reasons:

1. A wonderfully complicated plot that leaps along like an antelope. Don’t sit back and think since it’s an old black and white film, it’s gonna lope along at a snail’s pace. It doesn’t. I found myself back tracking quite often to see what I missed. And above all, don’t skip the ending. There are multiple payoffs, plot wise, and a wonderfully brutal scene with Karloff and a dagger.

2. An over-the-top performance by Karloff. No, it’s not another Frankenstein’s monster. There’s no pathos in Dr. Morlant. He’s evil, self absorbed, uncaring, greedy, a thief…well, he’s not a nice guy. The only thing he has going for him is he’s right about the people around him. They ARE after his medallion.

So we kind of feel for him once he gets the screws put to him. While Karloff’s performance is a little stagy (see below) it’s also a big performance. And riveting. We want him to get the idol back. We want him to get eternal life. We’re rooting for him like we always root for the underdog fighting impossible odds.

3. Maybe the best sets I’ve ever seen. And that includes the classic Universal Horror films and Sunset Boulevard. Every room we enter looks like a David Lynch photograph. And not just Morlant’s mansion. Even Harlan’s apartment was dripping with shadows and mood.

I remember seeing Citizen Kane in a film class in college. The professor pointed out that Kane was the first film to maintain a depth of field in each shot, which means everything in the shot is in focus at the same time. The Ghoul uses this technique to let our eyes wander about every room, digging into each recession and connecting room, wondering what or who is in the shadows.

Speaking of David Lynch, many of the shots reminded me of a statement he made about his paintings. He likes to create a lot of black space so the observer can "dream" in it.

I found myself dreaming often during The Ghoul, wondering what was in the next room, or in that closet over there. Which is probably why I had to keep scanning the DVD back to see what I missed.

4. Stunning photography and direction. Not a lot of camera movement but every shot is wonderfully framed. There was one shot of Ralph Morlant standing behind Miss Harlan at a window. Above them hovers an artificial bat. No explanation, no one says "What’s that bat doing there?" It’s just taken for granted in the phantasmagorical world of the film. Very cool.

So why isn’t it a classic? Well, although Boris gives it all he’s got, and them some, he doesn’t have much screen time. His performance bookends the film, appearing at the beginning and the end. And his performance was too big in a few scenes, like he was playing on a stage to the back row. That’s deadly on film.

Another problem is the filmmakers took so much time setting up interesting supporting characters, they forgot to give us a real protagonist. Boris is a bookend. Laing and Broughton, getting ample screen time, are only one-note characters after the medallion. The most rational character, Ralph Morlant, doesn’t show up till near the halfway point of the film. And he’s a real dick till the final reel. He lightens up a little toward the end, but it’s too late.

The film needs a likable main character the audience can relate to to lead us through the film. It’s like the film is a lumbering monster with a mind (the engaging plot) but without a heart (a protag we can relate to.) Without the protagonist, we sit back and wait for Boris to climb out of the tomb and hope he wipes everyone out. Luckily, we can still enjoy the weaving plot and the awesome sets and photography.

So let’s call The Ghoul a near classic. I heartily recommend you pick up this DVD (I think I paid $12.00 for it, new), pop some popcorn and watch this flick late one rainy Saturday night. Classic, shmassic, you’ll have a good time.

Thanks, Jeff.  Although The Ghoul isn't a great horror flick, it's a vastly entertaining one, spiced by another marvelously mannered performance by Ernest "Dr. Pretorious" Thesiger, a wealth of nice production values, and, of course, a truly creepy turn by the great Karloff as a "true ghoul."  The fact that such a clean and crisp version of it has been found and put on DVD is a cause for rejoicing for classic horror fans.

Article copyright © Jeff Beres

Return To Archives