"The Ghoul" quickly turned out to be a rather big disappointment, and yet I can't even properly state what went wrong with it. I'm usually a big sucker for typically British 70's horror and Freddie Francis' film perfectly features all the necessary ingredients, like multiple fog-enshrouded Moorlands and dark secrets that are kept locked up in the attic of a gigantic countryside mansion, but somehow it just wasn't good enough. It's all there, including the presence of two highly respectable British actors, and still "The Ghoul" is an overall weak and forgettable film. The plot is repetitive and features a lot of clichés and stereotypes, several long parts of the film are dreadfully slow-moving and boring and most of all it's very low on shocks & bloodshed. "The Ghoul" is your usual tale of a handful of people ending up at the wrong place at the wrong time and eventually falling victim to the "thing" in the attic. At least how they end up in the perilous mansion is ingenious, as two rich and bored couples challenge each other to a car race through largely unknown areas of the British countryside. Trapped in the impenetrable Moors and low on petrol, the first couple arrives at the eerie secluded mansion owned by ex-missionary Dr. Lawrence (Peter Cushing) and his oddly behaving staff members Tom (John Hurt) and Ayah (Gwen Watford). Dr. Lawrence is very hospitable but it's quite clear that he still hides a dark secret from the time he spent in India. Moreover, it's a dark secret with a desire to kill and mutilate. The titular Ghoul is definitely an interesting horror monster, but the script fails to supply him with a decent background and doesn't even bother to explain anything about his maniacal tendencies. There's almost no tension in the entire film and none of the younger characters (the racers) deserve your empathy. The Moors and interior filming locations are very atmospheric the almighty Peter Cushing gives away a formidably tormented performance as always. John Hurt is excellent too, as the slightly insane gardener with a military background. After looking up this film at the IMDb, I regretfully noticed that director Freddie Francis passed away recently (March 2007) at the blessed age of 89 years old. Francis was one of the most prominent horror directors of the British "golden" area and he made more than a dozen classics that are all a lot better than "The Ghoul", like "The Creeping Flesh", "Tales from the Crypt", "Torture Garden", "The Evil of Frankenstein" and "Paranoiac". He also was an acclaimed and highly respected cinematographer who often worked for David Lynch. Rest in peace, Mr. Francis.
