The Ghoul **** (1933, Boris Karloff, Ernest Thesiger, Ralph Richardson, Kathleen Harrison, Cedric Hardwicke) – Classic Movie Review 2,905

‘From the Depths of the Earth, He Will Rise.’ Boris Karloff returns in triumph to his home country for the great eerie fun 1933 British black and white horror movie The Ghoul.

‘An Ancient Curse Is About To Be Unleashed. From the Depths of the Earth, He Will Rise.’

Director T Hayes Hunter’s 1933 British black and white horror movie The Ghoul finds Boris Karloff returning in triumph to Britain after Frankenstein (1931) turned him into a star in Hollywood. He enjoys top billing, though his screen time is less than others in the cast and he has no dialogue after his opening scene. It is the first British sound era horror movie.

Karloff gives a rousing turn as the misguided Professor Henry Morlant, an important renowned Egyptologist who dies with an ancient sacred jewel in his hand, vowing to arise from the grave if it is stolen. Harold Huth plays Sheikh Aga Ben Dragore, an enigmatic knife-wielding Egyptian seeking the jewel that has been stolen from an ancient tomb.

The thief tells him he sold it to Professor Morlant, who is dying from a disfiguring disease. Morlant thinks the jewel that he calls the Eternal Light will give him the power of rejuvenation if it is offered to the ancient Egyptian god Anubis. After Morlant’s burial in an Egyptian-style tomb on his estate, an unknown robber steals the jewel from his corpse. The Egyptologist then fulfils his vow and returns from the dead to take revenge on the tomb raiders.

Despite a hesitant pace, this chiller is great, eerie fun all round, with Karloff matched by a cast of equally distinguished eccentric performers like Ernest Thesiger (as the Professor’s club-footed servant Laing), Ralph Richardson (in his credited film début as the villain, phoney parson Nigel Hartley), Kathleen Harrison (as comic relief Miss Kaney) and Cedric Hardwicke (as the Professor’s crooked lawyer Broughton).

Also in the cast are Dorothy Hyson, Anthony Bushell, Harold Huth, D A Clarke-Smith, George Relph and Jack Raine.

The six credited writers include Frank King and Leonard Hines, on whose 1928 novel and subsequent play the film is based, as well as L DuGarde Peach, Roland Pertwee, John Hastings Turner and Rupert Downing (adaptation).

It is loosely remade as What a Carve Up! (1961), with Sid James, Kenneth Connor, and Shirley Eaton, released in the US as No Place Like Homicide.

Once again, Karloff is stuck appearing in heavy make-up (this time by artist Heinrich Heitfeld) that he hated.

Karloff and Thesiger acted together in The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and in The Old Dark House (1932). Karloff plays Thesiger’s butler in The Old Dark House and in The Ghoul Thesiger plays Karloff’s butler. Almost 25 years after his death, Karloff appeared in archive footage taken from The Ghoul in the opening credits of Weird Science (1994).

When Karloff returned to England to shoot The Ghoul, it was the first time in nearly 25 years that he returned to his home country and reunited with his family. It was Karloff’s first British feature. His last is Curse of the Crimson Altar in 1968.

Karloff had a slow rise to fame. The 1931 Frankenstein was Karloff’s 82nd film. Born William Henry Pratt in England, he emigrated to Canada in 1909, joining a Canadian touring company as ‘Boris Karloff’. He moved to Hollywood in 1919 and he found regular work as an extra at Universal Studios.

Ralph Richardson appears in his first speaking part, as Nigel Hartley, his first credited film role. He had a quick rise to fame. The following year he had his first starring role, as the hero in The Return of Bulldog Drummond (1934).

The Ghoul survives but only just. The film disappeared and was considered lost, though in 1969 a subtitled, nitrate release print partial copy in poor condition was found in Prague (then in Czechoslovakia). It was missing eight minutes of footage, including two murder scenes. But in the early 1980s, the nitrate camera negative of the full film was found in perfect condition in a disused film vault at Shepperton Studios. New prints were made, and Channel 4 screened it in the UK. In 2003, MGM/UA released the restored full version on DVD and it was released in the UK by Network Distributing on DVD and Blu-Ray.

Cast: Boris Karloff as Professor Henry Morlant, Cedric Hardwicke as solicitor Mr Broughton, Ernest Thesiger as clubfooted servant Laing, Dorothy Hyson as niece Miss Betty Harlon, Anthony Bushell as nephew Ralph Morlant,  Kathleen Harrison as Miss Kaney, Harold Huth as Sheikh Aga Ben Dragore, D A Clarke-Smith as Mahmoud, Ralph Richardson as Nigel Hartley, Jack Raine as chauffeur Davis, and George Relph as Doctor.

The Ghoul is directed by T Hayes Hunter, runs 79/ 77 minutes or 73 minutes (TV prints), is made by Gaumont-British Picture Corporation, is released by Woolf & Freedman Film Service (UK) and Gaumont British Picture Corporation of America (US), is written by L DuGarde Peach, Roland Pertwee, John Hastings Turner and Rupert Downing (adaptation), based on play by Dr Frank King and Leonard Hines, is shot in black and white by Günther Krampf, is produced by Michael Balcon, is scored by Louis Levy and Leighton Lucas, and is designed by Alfred Junge.

It was shot from March 1933 to May 1933 at Lime Grove Studios, Shepherd’s Bush, London.

Release dates: 6 August 1933 (London premiere), 7 August 1933 (UK) and 25 November 1933 (US).

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