SparkMore
n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.
Aedonerre
I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.
Kamila Bell
This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.
Mandeep Tyson
The acting in this movie is really good.
kensworld-135-305975
I must be one of the few people on earth that likes this film, for in general terms it has been dismissed by critics and fans alike. I guess therefore, it is down to me to explain the appeal of 'The Ghoul'. Well, first and foremost it has Peter Cushing, who makes the film, and gives one of his best ever performances. Filmed when he had recently lost his wife, this must have been a difficult time for him, but he nevertheless rises to the occasion and gives a most sensitive performance. There is one touching scene where you see him look at an actual photo of Helen whilst talking to Veronica Carlson. Apart from Veronica Carlson, the film also benefits from some fine performances from John Hurt and Gwen Watford. It's a film supposedly set in Cornwall with swirling mists from the moors, adding to the atmosphere of the house itself. The opening of the film is quite unique and conjures up an atmosphere right from the start, even if there is a certain amount of deception involved. Peter Cushing was one of my favourite actors and it is unfortunate to say the least, that this film has not been issued on DVD, supposedly because Tyburn Films have gone out of production and nobody else has the rights to issue anything from that catalogue. This means that the excellent interview with Peter Cushing called 'One Way Ticket to Hollywood' (only on video) also remains unissued. The two things together would make an admirable issue onto DVD. It would be a shame if these films were lost forever. Peter Cushing doesn't deserve this, nor do his fans! As for now, I make no apology for heaping some overdue praise on a film which has been unfairly ignored and deserves to be re-evaluated.
kevnick
"The Ghoul" is a Hammer wannabe from producer Kevin Francis and Tyburn Films. Directed by Kevin's father, Oscar-winning cinematographer and veteran genre director Freddie Francis. The film benefits from nice sets and costumes, good performances by the leads Peter Cushing, John Hurt, and Veronica Carlson, and the sure hand of Freddie Francis at the helm. But the action is non-existent, even for a performance-driven film fan like myself. This thing doesn't even move! The cinema equivalent of rigor mortis. I literally had to pause and walk away from the film several times before finishing. Tyburn and Kevin Francis have done much better with films like "Persecution" (aka: "Terror of Sheba") and "Legend of the Werewolf" (also with Cushing). Not to mention the fine 1984 British TV-film "Sherlock Holmes and the Masks of Death" (again with Cushing as Holmes). For fans of Cushing, Hurt, and Carlson only.....
Aaron1375
I sort of liked this one, but mainly because of the performances of Peter Cushing and John Hurt. Also, Ian McCullough is rather good in it too. However, if you have seen the movie "The Oblong Box" and "The Dunwich Horror" you will know where this one is going. No surprises are in store for you and there really are few murders so it is not exactly a gore fest. So the only thing this one really has going is the actors I have already mentioned and if you do not really care for them I would have to suggest you skip this one. The ending to this one is also very much like the ending to "The Oblong Box" where you wait to see the face of the killer and in the end it is really not all that big a deal. Still though, the movie manages to not to be to boring, well to me anyway and if you are a big Peter Cushing fan you may want to check it out.
GroovyDoom
SPOILAGEI enjoyed this movie to a certain degree. It's a passable time killer, and it presents an interesting situation (if overly inspired by "Psycho"), but the real interest here lies in the sets, particularly the sprawling mansion where the action takes place. Filled with ornate woodwork, yawning fireplaces, and staircases that go up, up, and further up, this place is a morbid dream house. The fact that it is isolated on an English moor makes me wonder if places like this actually exist. What I mean is, why would anybody with the money to build such a magnificent home want to put it in the middle of the marshes? Why would they choose such an inhospitable place to live?Ah but anyway, back to "The Ghoul". Snooty partygoers get drunk on champagne and make an ill-advised effort to "race" their cars to Land's End.It doesn't really go as planned, however, and one couple breaks down near the manse of Peter Cushing, which houses "The Ghoul"--Cushing's insane son who is into cannibalism. One of the women wanders to the mansion against the warnings of the mad groundskeeper, and she winds up as ghoul-bait. The groundskeeper kills her male companion (what, the ghoul doesn't like male flesh?) and eventually another couple comes looking for them. The scenario is repeated, but Cushing has reached the breaking point and decides to shoot his son, and himself.There's a lot of kookiness going on in this movie, and some uncomfortable positioning of Indian culture as some exotic evil, but as I said before, what really makes this movie work at all is the attention that went into the building of the sets. I have no idea if the house is real or just a set itself, but those staircases...and that woodwork!