THE GHOUL
UK, 1975, 87 minutes, Colour.
Peter Cushing, John Hurt, Alexandra Bastedo, Gwen Watford, Veronica Carlson.
Directed by Freddie Francis.
The Ghoul is a horror film in the Hammer tradition. Starring, inevitably, Peter Cushing, it also stars John Hurt. The film was directed by Freddie Francis who has made quite a number of horror films and quite a range of subjects. The Ghoul offers its dictionary definition, has its suspense till the monster appears and some delayed horror. It is average horror entertainment.
1. The appeal of horror films: monsters, the monstrous and its behaviour, fantasy, danger, the overcoming of fantasy? The significance of the opening with the games and the testing of fear? Did this symbolize the reaction of the audience?
2. The contribution of the 20s settings: the young party set, the rash decision to have a race, the inexperience of driving in the countryside with the pride of cars, the varying types? The significance of their being lost? Their coping with real danger after testing their fears at a party?
3. The transition from the world of London, expensive cars to the moors, the fog, the mansion, mystery and survival? How effectively was this transition made?
4. The focus on Tom: what kind of person was he, his madness, his role as a servant and assistant, the background of the army and his sense of inferiority, his fascination with women, the oddity of his room, his role in the household his supporting Dr. Lawrence, getting rid of the car, moving to murder, the sense of menace, especially with Angela? Tom as a representation of evil, the ugliness of his death?
5. The contrast with Dr. Lawrence: as an elderly gentleman, as a minister, his confrontation with Indian religion and Christianity, his praying, his dependence on Atiah, his anguish and his caution, his lies to visitors, his allowing victims to be killed? The revelation that the ghoul was his son? The pain of shooting his son? why had he brought him to England, and helped him?
6. Geoffrey and Angela? The atmosphere of threats, death?
7. Ayah and the exotic, the background of India for a flavour for the horror film?
8. The ghoul himself: the definition the film gave at the beginning, the fact that he was off-screen for so much of the time, the atmosphere of menace, the bloodthirsty murders, the human food given to him, the build-up until he was seen, the horror of his eating flesh, the horror of his killing and his death?
9. The quality of this horror film, the value of its being made and shown?
