| The Ghoul | |
|---|---|
dvd.jpg')) UK VHS cover | |
| Directed by | Freddie Francis |
| Produced by | Kevin Francis |
| Written by | Anthony Hinds |
| Starring | Peter Cushing John Hurt Veronica Carlson |
| Music by | Harry Robertson |
| Cinematography | John Wilcox |
| Edited by | Henry Richardson |
Production company | Tyburn Film Productions |
| Distributed by | Rank Film Distributors |
Release date | May 1975 (UK) |
Running time | 93 minutes (Uncut theatrical release). 88 min/80 min (2002 DVD unauthorized release) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Ghoul is a 1975 British Tyburn Film Productions horror film directed by Freddie Francis and starring Peter Cushing, John Hurt, Alexandra Bastedo, Veronica Carlson, Gwen Watford, Don Henderson and Ian McCulloch. In the United States, the film was released as Night Of The Ghoul and The Thing In The Attic.
Plot
In 1920s England, a party of upper-class people take part in an motorcar race to Land's End. One couple, Daphne Wells Hunter (Veronica Carlson) and Billy (Stewart Bevan), get lost in a heavy fog and run out of petrol. Billy goes to look for fuel, but takes so long that Daphne ventures out on her own to find him. She locates a rural manor house run by Mr. Lawrence (Peter Cushing), a former clergyman. He receives her kindly and sends his disturbed gardener, Tom Rawlings (John Hurt), to find Billy. Tom finds Billy asleep in the car and pushes the car with him inside over a ravine, killing him.
Meanwhile, Lawrence tells Daphne about a trip his family took to India; his experience with certain cults there horrified him so much that he renounced religion in general. This decision was heavily influenced by the fate of his wife Harriet and son Simon, who were converted to a dangerous new faith by the son of a local nobleman. Harriet was afterwards so horrified by the things she had done that she committed suicide.
Still waiting for Billy, Daphne falls asleep in a guest room. Seeing this, Lawrence's Indian housekeeper, Ayah (Gwen Watford), lets out a blood-covered man (Don Henderson) from the attic, who stabs and kills Daphne. Afterwards, Ayah ritually cooks Daphne's flesh for the man to eat and burns her clothes.
Daphne and Billy's friends, Angela (Alexandra Bastedo) and Geoffrey ( Ian McCulloch), learn of Billy's death from the local police sergeant (Dan Meaden) and set out on a private mission to find Daphne. They too run out of petrol and are separated in the search for help. Angela locates Lawrence's house and is captured by Tom, who tries to rape her. When Lawrence discovers her presence, he reluctantly decides to offer her as another sacrifice to the man in his attic. Tom is sent to get rid of Geoffrey, who found the estate first and was convinced by Lawrence that Angela and Daphne safely made it back into town.
Tom botches his attempt to kill Geoffrey when he half-sinks into a bog. Geoffrey rescues Tom and orders him to explain himself. Tom admits that Daphne was fed to something non-human living in Lawrence's attic. Geoffrey returns to the house and confronts Lawrence, who admits that the man in his attic is Simon; the man has been a cannibal since his conversion, and Ayah is another cult member who came from India to prepare his food. Lawrence kept Simon alive because he promised Harriet he would do so. Geoffrey barges into the attic and confronts Simon, only to be stabbed and killed.
Meanwhile, Tom sneaks into the guest room where Angela is imprisoned and tries again to rape her, but is stabbed and killed by Simon, who has escaped from the attic. Before Simon can harm Angela, Lawrence enters and shoots him dead. Angela flees from the house, screaming in terror. Heartbroken by what he has done, Lawrence goes into his chapel room and commits suicide by shooting himself.
Cast
- Peter Cushing as Mr. Lawrence
- Alexandra Bastedo as Angela
- Ian McCulloch as Geoffrey
- John Hurt as Tom Rawlings
- Veronica Carlson as Daphne Wells Hunter
- Stewart Bevan as Billy
- Don Henderson as Simon Lawrence
- Gwen Watford as Ayah
- Dan Meaden as Police Sergeant
- John D. Collins as Party Guest
Production
This was the second film produced by Tyburn Film Productions.[1] It was shot on location at Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England from 4 March 1974.[1] While the film was in production, actor Peter Cushing went through emotional turmoil: before he signed on to do this film, he lost his beloved wife Helen to natural causes, leading him to wish he would die himself and soon. According to co-star Veronica Carlson, director Freddie Francis made Cushing do multiple takes during the scene where he talks about his love for his late wife. This caused Cushing great distress and reduced the widowed actor and some of the crew to tears. Cushing played other men who lost family members in other horror films in the 1970s, including the 1972 film Asylum and the 1973 film The Creeping Flesh.
Reception
Variety praised the "assured acting" and "impressive set decoration" but called the film "far too tame for its own good," with a script that "moves from A to Z without generating much excitement and surprise in between."[2] Geoff Brown of The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote that the revelation of the titular character near the end was "hardly worth the wait," and that "only John Hurt injects more than a fraction of life into his character and dialogue."[3]
TV Guide gave the film two stars out of four, writing that "Cushing and other familiar Hammer faces give this the old college try, but Francis' dull direction--endless shots of Henderson's legs creeping down the stairs--makes the cause hopeless."[4]