My take: A basic zombie/ghoul movie with all of the clichés of the era on full display.
Rating: 2 out of 4 stars
The Mad Ghoul is the 28th movie listed in Studies in Terror. So far, I’ve seen a remake and a nonsensical sequel. Now, I am starting to spot a host of old clichés. The Mad Ghoul is a prime example of this.
Poster for The Mad Ghoul
In this story, a scientist uses an ancient formula to kill and control a man so that he can win the heart of a woman. He uses this zombie/ghoul to kill, and there’s a fast talking reporter on the trail of the crimes this duo commits.
I have seen all of these elements before…
- There was a mad scientist in The Return of Doctor X
- An ancient formula for resurrection was used in The Ghoul
- Men were killed and controlled in White Zombie
- There was a fast talking reporter in The Return of Doctor X and in The Mystery of the Wax Museum
When watching new horror movies, I often ask myself, “Can’t they think of anything new?!” Turns out, they haven’t thought of anything new in a very, very long time.
I’m giving this movie a lot of flak, but it isn’t entirely terrible. It has a lecherous old scientist, whose creepy innuendos at the young singer he is in love with had me cringing. It also has some good action scenes with the ghoul on the attack, which were fun to watch (though my husband had a real talent for interrupting the movie right in the middle of those scenes; I sometimes think that he waits just outside the room and then charges in right when he hears it getting good).
I would recommend this to people who like classic horror movies from the 30s and 40s. I would also recommend it to those who want to see early zombie films.
I watched the movie online on a strange (and not wholly reliable) site with old movies. Also, there appears to be no decent trailer for the movie on YouTube. You’ll just have to watch the movie yourself.
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