The Ghoul (1933 film)

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The Ghoul

Directed by	T. Hayes Hunter
Produced by	Michael Balcon
Written by	Frank King (play), Rupert Downing, Leonard Hines, Roland Pertwee, John Hastings Turner
Starring	Boris Karloff, Cedric Hardwicke, Ernest Thesiger
Music by	Louis Levy, Leighton Lucas
Cinematography	Günther Krampf
Editing by	Ian Dalrymple, Ralph Kemplen
Distributed by	Gaumont-British Picture Corporation
Release date(s)	1933
Running time	77 min
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
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The Ghoul is a 1933 British horror film starring Boris Karloff, Cedric Hardwicke and Ernest Thesiger. The plot centres around a Professor (Karloff) who is to be buried with an Egyptian jewel in order to attain eternal life. When the jewel is stolen by his servant, the professor rises from the dead to reclaim it.

The film, based on the play and novel by Dr. Frank King and Leonard J. Hines, was once considered to be a lost film since the original nitrate negative had succumbed to decomposition and no prints of the film were known to exist. However, an incomplete and partly decomposed Czech release print was discovered which was the only available print for several decades. Then, finally, an excellent quality print was discovered in the archives of the British Film Institute. It has since been made available on DVD.

[edit] Synopsis

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The film's story is set mainly in the decrepit mansion of an old Egyptologist, Professor Morlant (Boris Karloff). Morlant is dying, but he possesses hope for a "cure" in a sacred gemstone - the "Eternal Light." According to legend, this gemstone will bestow upon its owner the gift of immortality if offered to the god Anubis after death. Morlant intends to use the gemstone and carefully instructs Laing, his fear-stricken manservant (Ernest Thesiger), on the proper arrangements after his death. Of course, should the manservant fail to carry out Morlant's exact orders, the old archaeologist promises to return from the dead to seek his revenge!

Morlant eventually dies, and like bugs from the woodworks, heirs and fortune-seekers quickly appear out of the night to lay claim to the Morlant fortune and the sacred gemstone. One heir is the stiff and rude Ralph (Anthony Bushell), a chap so despicably unlikable that I must gleefully report that he gets shot later in the film (but sadly survives his wound). The second heir, Betty (Dorothy Hyson), is friendlier but exhibits extreme brain-freeze when she cozies up to Ralph, who is supposed to be her cousin. Comic relief is provided by Betty's daffy Gracie Allen-ish roommate Kaney (Kathleen Harrison) and a local parson (Sir Ralph Richardson). Other fortune-hunters include Broughton, Morlant's greedy lawyer (Cedric Hardwicke), and Dagore (Harold Huth), a mysterious Egyptian with a secret agenda of his own.

These uninvited guests and visitors, arriving together at the Morlant mansion, soon learn that they are not alone. As it turns out, Laing had disobeyed his former master, neglecting to bury the "Eternal Light" with Morlant but hiding it away instead. And so, on an evening of the full moon, in the dead of night, the door to Morlant's mausoleum slowly swings open and from within, a dark figure emerges for vengeance.

Suffice it to say that the evening is not a pleasant one. This creepy ambience is further enhanced by the dreary nature of the Morlant mansion. A dark and old manor, it is filled with the prerequisite shadows, long hallways lit by flickering candlelight, and fluttering curtains swayed by whistling winds. When Karloff himself finally re-appears, the film resonates with tremendous atmosphere. As a classically stage-trained actor, Karloff was an accomplished actor and demonstrates incredible screen presence in The Ghoul. Karloff's performance in this film is further justification of his status as one of the greats of the horror genre.

The Ghoul is a classic reminder of how horror films were once made. This British film compares quite favorably to its more famous Universal counterparts, equaling them in atmosphere, cinematography, and style. The storyline may be a little creaky in typical 1930's fashion, but the visuals and Karloff's performance help to make this film a classic. Rarely are "lost" films ever recovered, so the restoration of The Ghoul is truly a major boon for all fans of classic horror films.

From a review by Ed Nguyen: http://www.dvdmoviecentral.com/ReviewsText/ghoul.htm