Night of the Ghouls

Night of the Ghouls

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Movie Reviews of Night of the Ghouls

Movie Review: Monsters to be Pitied! Monsters to be Despised!
Summary: 5 Stars

"Night of the Ghouls" starts with Wood regular Criswell in a coffin (big surprise) rambling on with verbal compost such as "For many years I have told you the almost unbelievable, related to the unreal, and showed to be more than fact." Just when that is sinking in, we get sidetracked on a ten minute plot cul-de-sac about juvenile delinquency ("Is this the major horror of our times?") illustrated with a scandalous sock hop and fist fight sequence. Logically this, of course, leads to a narrated discussion on statistics of motor vehicle accidents (watch for a cameo of Ed Wood himself as a crash victim) as kept by the National Safety Council. Huh?

All this may lead you to ask, "Yes, but where are the ghouls?", and a fair question that is. We finally get to see a woman in a gauzy dress looking for all the world like a bad Stevie Nicks impersonator, frighten two very hammy old actors with her terrifying fingernails. I refer to her as the Budget Zombie, and once you've seen the movie, you will understand why. Thank goodness Wood regular Kelton the cop (Paul Marco) is on the case along with Lieutenant Daniel Bradford, professional ghost chaser. (That's the movie's actual words, honest.) Kelton spends the bulk of this film (the third in the exciting "Kelton Trilogy") shivering in a police car after a ghost frightened him so badly he was compelled to run into a tree.

Needless to say, all the problems we find are as a result of nefarious activity in the 'old house at Willows Lake' (which was the former Bela and Tor residence in "Bride of the Monster", we are led to understand.) This time it is the home of fraudulent conniver 'Dr. Acula', which may be the worst single pun in movie making history (played by professional heavy Kenne Duncan.) Dr. Acula is busy conducting bogus seances, which are the second least realistic seances ever filmed, narrowly edged out by the disturbingly comical seance in "The Wild, Wild World of Batwoman." Present at the seance are a couple of skeletons, a trumpet suspended by strings playing random notes (you are clinically dead if this does not make you laugh), a ghost which is lamer than any Halloween costume ever (yes; it's a guy with a sheet on), all accompanied by a decidedly un-spooky slide whistle, and last, but certainly not least, a piece of what appears to be a Tupperware of some sort, or possibly a Salad Spinner, 'levitating' in a most entertaining way accompanied by a cat playing a zither (apparently.) You must see this scene to believe it. Oh, yes, and for dramatic effect, Dr. Acula channels an idiot who can barely speak English wearing a colander on his head to relay information on the deceased from beyond the grave to their living relatives, one of whom is wearing the most imaginative (and large) feather trimmed fedora I have ever seen. To add a touch of panache, famed Coleman Francis regular Tony Cardoza ("The Skydivers", "Red Zone Cuba") makes a special guest appearance as 'Tony.' Watch for it!

This is a wonderful specimen of Wood. Though not as great as the immortal "Plan 9", "Night of the Ghouls" has its own charms, and is worth the time of any viewer interested in the history of grade Z cinema, or for that matter, anyone who just wants a good laugh. The trumpets and levitating kitchenware alone are worth the asking price of this DVD, which, by the way, is of splendid quality, though sadly lacking added features. Thank you Ed Wood for this little known gem, and thank you, Image Entertainment, for bringing us this DVD!

Summary of Night of the Ghouls