The Ghoul

We are in the world of Hammer Production now subtly calling themselves Tyburn , dealing with some drivers after a local auto race begin disappearing . Violin player ex-missionary : Peter Cushing arrives back from India with a mystical Hindu servant and a horrible secret. Bright young things crash their motor outside the front gate and are whisked away in by poor man : John Hurt. The unfortunate youngsters are lost on the marshes that long time ago were used by the army as a training area. But they wind up at a worst place, at the dark mansion where stalks terrible secrets.

This Horror film contains thrills, chills , brisk frames, blood and gore. A familiar script full of shocks, screams and surprises by John Elder and remarkable presence by the splendid Peter Cushing , as he enhanced everything he was in . Nice settings and production design, including moorland scenes completed with smoke bomb billowing away just out of camera . Cast is pretty good, the always great Peter Cushing as a defrocked clergyman, the picture improves immensely once he shows up, he was born to act in movies like this , the Hammer girl Veronica Carlson, Alexandra Bastedo , Ian McCulloch , Glenn Watford as a religious Hindú and sadly wasted John Hurt as the lunatic family gardener .

The picture displays a colorful but dark cinematograhy by John Wilcox with full of foggy ambient . As well as thrilling and suspenseful musical score by Harry Robertson and conducted by regular Philip Martell . The motion picture written by John Elder or Anthony Hinds was professionally directed by Freddie Francis who usually worked with Peter Cushing . He was a good director and a prestigious cameraman . Freddie made a lot of terror films , many of them starred by Peter Cushing , such as : The Creeping Flesh, Craze, Paranoiac, The Skull , Witness madness , Son of Dracula, Legend of the Werewolf , Trog , The Deadly Bees , Dracula Has risen from the Grave , Tortura garden , Hysteria , Docotor Terror , Nightmare , The Evil of Frankenstein, The Brain, Doctor and the Devils , Tales from the crypt , Crypt tales . Rating : 6/10 . Passable and acceptable . The flick will appeal to Peter Cushing fans .

At a party in the 1920s, two dizzy couples challenge each other to a car race to Land's End. But the race ends in fog near a lonely, dark mansion where Peter Cushing offers hospitality at a gruesome price!

A seriously underrated horror film that boasts some great atmosphere, swirling mists across the moor, the dread and an engaging story, but the pace can be slow at times. However, generally this is a good chiller that also features some gory moments, if only towards the end. Loved the 1920's setting. Peter Cushing acts superbly, like usual, and looks quite melancholic. His wife had died recently. In the scene the woman in the photo is his wife.

This is the first film from Tyburn Productions (a supposed latter-day successor to Hammer and Amicus; they also had Peter Cushing starring in Legend of the Werewolf(1975) and Masks of Death(1984)).

This has to rank as one of Peter Cushing's most memorable performances - his role is portrayed with such dedicated nervousness and emotion, that the viewer immediately gets his sympathy.

The female photographs used in the movie are of his real wife Helen, who had passed away in 1971. The tears that Peter Cushing sheds in this film are for real and it did affect the rest of the cast quite deeply.

Aside from this, the plot stumbles along with yawning gaps of pointless dialogue and actionless scenes, until the Ghoul is revealed at the end. It's not really worth the wait!

Watch it only for a dedicated professional at work who steals all the scenes and makes a poor film seem passable.

"The Ghoul" was produced by Tyburn Films - one of the British Horror Companies that spurted up in response to Hammer Studio's worldwide Gothic horror movie success. This one should be of immediate interest to anyone who likes those films as it stars Hammer veteran Peter Cushing, Hammer starlet Veronica Carlson and is written and directed by Hammer stalwarts Anthony Hinds and Freddie Francis.

Ghoul begins at a roaring 1920's party where four bored guests decide to go drag racing and wind up at a strange mansion in the forest where a former priest (Cushing) resides with his creepy Indian housekeeper (brilliantly portrayed by Gwen Watford), and sadistic groundskeeper (a very early role by John Hurt). Now, I'm sure some of you may be raising your eyebrow and thinking "that tired story again?" - but as anyone who likes these kinds of movies knows, its all about the execution and this one's got it nailed down perfectly.

There are some gory surprises, nice Gothic stylings, and excellent performances nestled inside of this very vague, very familiar story. Alexandra Bastedo, is particularly wonderful as one of the feisty teenagers, ethereally beautiful Carlson is always a joy to watch and Cushing gives one of his finest turns ever here. Anyone who likes Hammer movies or Gothic horror in general would be well-advised in seeking out this lost treasure that for some reason, in spite of its stellar cast and production crew, has escaped a genuine DVD release in any country.

England during the 1920s.At a party, two bored men challenge each other to a car race to Land's End.But one of the cars breaks down.Daphne Wells-Hunter walks to the nearby country estate to find help and meets Dr Lawrence,a former missionary to India,who lives in seclusion there. But then she is killed by the bald,cadaverous man that Lawrence keeps locked in an upstairs room and her companion is pushed over the cliff in the car.Their friends come looking for them and refuse to believe Lawrence's explanation that it was an accident.Interesting British production from Tyburn Films,founded by Kevin Francis.Not much is ever explained about cannibalistic ghoul hidden on the attic.The atmosphere of strangeness amid the mist-flowing moors is certainly well evoked and Peter Cushing gives a memorable performance as always.I have seen this film for the first time as a kid and it really creeped me out.8 out of 10.