The Ghoul (1933)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

T. Hayes Hunter

Writers:

Rupert Downing (adaptation)
Leonard Hines (writer)

Release Date:

25 November 1933 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

An Ancient Curse Is About To Be Unleashed.

Plot:

An Egyptologist returns from the dead to take revenge on those who have violated his tomb.

Plot Keywords:

Jewel | Arab | Professor | Eternal Life | Ghoul

Cast

Boris Karloff	...	Prof. Morlant
Cedric Hardwicke	...	Broughton
Ernest Thesiger	...	Laing
Dorothy Hyson	...	Betty Harlon
Anthony Bushell	...	Ralph Morlant
Kathleen Harrison	...	Kaney
Harold Huth	...	Aga Ben Dragore
D.A. Clarke-Smith	...	Mahmoud
Ralph Richardson	...	Nigel Hartley

Runtime:

77 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (British Acoustic)

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (1935) | Australia:PG | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating: 1996)

Filming Locations:

Lime Grove Studios, Lime Grove, Shepherd's Bush, London, England, UK

Company:

Gaumont British Picture Corporation

Trivia:

For years this was regarded as a "lost film" with no prints or elements known to exist. A nitrate release print was discovered in the Czech National Archives in Prague. This print was a subtitled edited version that was in poor condition and contained numerous splices. Years later, a print of the uncut British version was finally discovered.

Goofs:

Continuity: Ralph backs up against a wall twice when Dragore comes in and draws a gun on him and Betty.

Quotes:

Broughton: Almost his last words were a threat to return from the dead. In my opinion, he was mad!

Movie Connections:

References The Sheik (1921)

Soundtrack:

Götterdämmerung

Better than all that

Most of the other commenters seem to have seen a truncated, blurry version of this movie. The new DVD certainly kept me entertained! It's true that the movie is very dark, but the shadowy photography is beautiful and Germanic -- prime '30s look, fog, candlelight, and all. I just checked, and I see that cinematographer Gunther Krampf also shot NOSFERATU, THE STUDENT OF PRAGUE, and PANDORA'S BOX. Pretty good resume!

Hoaky old dark house cliches and humor, for sure, but funny if you know the genre. The woman who wants to be the "sheikh's" love slave is a real hoot. Karloff, Thesiger, Hardwick, and Richardson are all very good, as are the romantic couple who spar and then decide they like each other (surprise!). Karloff's self-mutilation scene is brilliantly disturbing. And wait a second, is that a patch of bamboo he stumbles into just in front of the Yorkshire moors? This is all great fun, perhaps best if you check any high expectations at the door.