Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyable British chiller
Review: "The ghoul" is a pleasant horror movie without being a masterpiece. This British chiller tells the story of a professor of Egyptology (Boris Karloff) who is in possession of a mysterious jewel called "the eternal light". When the professor dies, the jewel is stolen by his servant (Ernest Thesiger). The professor will step out from his grave for revenge. The atmosphere of this film is most of the time enjoyable, but unfortunately it becomes too talky sometimes. Karloff is very impressive as a walking dead. The first minutes just before he dies are particulary thrilling. Foggy London adds to the general impression of mystery. And of course there is Ernest Thesiger who gives a great performance. Two years later he will be the excentric and diabolical Dr. Pretorius in "Brides of Frankenstein"! The direction of T.Hayes Hunter is perhaps too academic and we're missing the touch of Universal studios. It would have been a nice subject for film directors like Tod Browning or James Whale.
The quality of this DVD is very good - don't forget the film was made in 1933. I can only recommand this rarely seen horror movie from Great Britain.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable British chiller
Review: "The ghoul" is a pleasant horror movie without being a masterpiece. This British chiller tells the story of a professor of Egyptology (Boris Karloff) who is in possession of a mysterious jewel called "the eternal light". When the professor dies, the jewel is stolen by his servant (Ernest Thesiger). The professor will step out from his grave for revenge. The atmosphere of this film is most of the time enjoyable, but unfortunately it becomes too talky sometimes. Karloff is very impressive as a walking dead. The first minutes just before he dies are particulary thrilling. Foggy London adds to the general impression of mystery. And of course there is Ernest Thesiger who gives a great performance. Two years later he will be the excentric and diabolical Dr. Pretorius in "Brides of Frankenstein"! The direction of T.Hayes Hunter is perhaps too academic and we're missing the touch of Universal studios. It would have been a nice subject for film directors like Tod Browning or James Whale.
The quality of this DVD is very good - don't forget the film was made in 1933. I can only recommand this rarely seen horror movie from Great Britain.
Rating: 
Summary: Amazing picture and sound on this DVD!
Review: (The 5 stars are for picture quality -- as for the movie, hey, it's Boris Karloff in the '30's! You know you want it!) Hats off to MGM! This film was considered lost for many years. When it finally showed up on video it was a scratchy, spliced-up VHS without the original credits or theme music. I was astounded when I saw the quality of this DVD. It's scratch-free and complete! Plus it's a smooth looking picture with very little grain -- I only wish that Universal's DVD of Bride of Frankenstein looked this good. The sound is very clear too.
In short, you won't confuse it with a modern release (it's 70 years old), and there are no extras of any kind, but for a film this old and obscure it's FAR more than I expected. Go get it!
Rating: 
Summary: Boris is great, but ...
Review: ... this British horror film shot in March/April of 1933 and released in October of that same year isn't quite up to snuff. Karloff plays Egyptologist Professor Morlant, who believes that, if at the first full moon following his death, his soul brings a jewel called The Eternal Light to the god Anubis, he will be rewarded with eternal life. When Morlant dies, the jewel is bandaged to his left hand and his body is entombed with the statute of Anubis. But his servant (played by Ernest Thesiger, later of "Bride of Frankenstein") steals the jewel and, when Morlant awakes (the shot of his arm reaching straight up into the air from the sarcophagus is most striking) and finds the jewel missing, he breaks out of his grave, murdering a few people (I think - the way the strangulation scenes are shot, Karloff's efforts seem weak, and after awhile the victims get back up again) until he finds his jewel. Karloff isn't allowed many lines or chances to redeem this minor picture. His character dies quickly in the beginning (though his death scene is impressive, with the actor's pantomime skills and broken speech well suggestive of a dying man, not to mention a great-looking make-up job), so you never get to know him. Once he comes back to life, he utters not a word, just staggers around chasing after his jewel. There is a running attempt at humor in the form of a female friend of the heroine, who is fascinated by an Arab who also wants to lay his hands on The Eternal Light. He orders her around and she loves it, but the scenes and the humor stick out like a sore thumb and lack the amusing touch of director James Whale ("The Ghoul" was directed by T. Hayes Hunter, whom several in the cast apparently disliked). As Paul Jensen notes in his book, "Boris Karloff and His Films", "The Ghoul" merely becomes "a variation on the familiar reading-of-the-will eccentric household, non-supernatural melodrama" and not a very memorable one at that. One does, however, get to see a VERY young Sir Ralph Richardson - he plays the local vicar, Nigel Hartley, who has his own interest in the jewel. Only for die-hard Karloff fans - like myself.
Rating:
Summary: The Eternal Light
Review: A jewel (The Eternal Light) comes into the possession of Professor Morlant (Boris Karloff). The jewel is supposed to have the powers of the ancient Egyptian gods, in which Morlant believes will give him immortality. On Morlant deathbed he instructs his servant, Laing to bind the jewel in his hand and he warns Laing if the jewel is stolen, he will rise from the dead and hunt for revenge. Laing steals the jewel. After Morlant death, he arises from the dead and discovers the jewel has been stolen and then goes looking for it. The makeup is effective and Boris does appear to resemble something more dead than alive. The Ghoul was Boris Karloff's first British produced file and England's first major effort to capitalize in on horror films.
Rating:
Summary: Boris Karloff in the first major British horror film
Review: A valuable gem known as "The Eternal Light" is stolen from a Egyptian tomb and ends up in the possession of Professor Morlant (Boris Karloff). The Professor is dying, but believes the powers of the ancient Egyptian god Anubis will give him immortality through the gem. Before he dies, Morlant tells his servant, Laing (Ernest Thesiger) to bind the gem in his hand when he is dead. He also warns Laing that if the jewel is stolen, he will rise from the dead and seek revenge. Of course, Laing steals the gem after Morlant's death and as the professor's heirs and others arrive at the estate to search for the jewel, the Professor rises from his tomb. "The Ghoul" was really the first major horror film produced in England and obviously tries to follow-up on his previous success in Universal's "The Mummy." A rather simple tale that moves too slow for the most part, the film does show that even when his makeup is relatively simple, there is something about the way Karloff stares and the way he walks that is more suggestive of the dead than the living. Directed in 1933 by T. Hayes Hunter, the film features future Knights of the Empire Cedric Hardwicke and Ralph Richardson. Based on the novel and play by Dr. Frank King and Leonard J. Hines, "The Ghoul" was actually remade as a comedy in 1962 called "No Place Like Homicide!" with Philip O'Flynn of the Carry On gang in the Karloff role.
Rating:
Summary: Boris Karloff and an Egyptian gem that grants immortality
Review: A valuable gem known as "The Eternal Light" is stolen from a Egyptian tomb and ends up in the possession of Professor Morlant (Boris Karloff). The Professor is dying, but believes the powers of the ancient Egyptian gods will give him immortality through the gem. Before he dies, Morlant tells his servant, Laing (Ernest Thesiger) to bind the gem in his hand when he is dead. He also warns Laing that if the jewel is stolen, he will rise from the dead and seek revenge. Of course, Laing steals the gem after Morlant's death and as the professor's heirs and others arrive at the estate to search for the jewel, the Professor rises from his tomb. "The Ghoul" was really the first major horror film produced in England and obviously tries to follow-up on his previous success in Universal's "The Mummy." A rather simple tale that moves too slow for the most part, the film does show that even when his makeup is relatively simple, there is something about the way Karloff stares and the way he walks that is more suggestive of the dead than the living. Directed in 1933 by T. Hayes Hunter, the film features future Knights of the Empire Cedric Hardwicke and Ralph Richardson. Based on the novel and play by Dr. Frank King and Leonard J. Hines, "The Ghoul" was actually remade as a comedy in 1962 called "No Place Like Homicide!" with Philip O'Flynn of the Carry On gang in the Karloff role.
Rating:
Summary: KARLOFF THE MENACE
Review: After "Frankenstein", Boris Karloff was lured back to his native Britain to star in "The Ghoul" in 1933.Very few Karloff fans own this forgotten gem, and almost no one has ever seen it. History reported the print had turned to dust, when one final nitrate was found in a janitor's closet in 1968. Only two rare video releases of "The Ghoul" have ever been available, and this is the better print. The picture quality is uneven, and sometimes the sound drops out, but anyone who loves the Karloff canon will want to own this "Lost Film". Karloff plays a demented Egyptologist who defends his sacred Scarab gem with a curse to return from the dead. The story builds to a eerie, fiery climax that you will want to watch again and again. Lovers of film lore get a peek at Ernest Theisiger, the famous Sir Ralph Richardson{as a vicar}, and perhaps the earliest film entrance of Sir Cedric Hardwicke(very nasty}. Pick this one up before it once again becomes a "Lost Film"....
Rating:
Summary: GOOD AND LITTLE KNOWN KARLOFF HORROR
Review: After finishing Frankenstein and The Mummy, Boris Karloff would return for a time to his native England to do films and theatre. On of the films he did, his first in England was this 1933 horror, The Ghoul. The film was lost for decades an only recently was found in the past 25 years.
Derivative of The Mummy, Karloff plays Egyptoligist Professor Morlant who is on his deathbed at the beginning of the film. He instructs his servant Laing, to bury him with an Egyptian artifact called "the Eternal Light" bandaged in his hand. At the light of the first full moon, the artifact is supposed to restore Morlant to life and make him immortal.
Laing however steals the gem from his hand...not to keep, but to give to Morlants heirs. However others have designs on the gem including Broughton, Morlants business manager and a couple of mysterious Egyptians.
At the full moon, Morlant returns to life, but as an undead ghoul, bent on revenge. Karloff, looks not too much unlike the Ardeth Bey character from the Mummy with wizened, somewhat decomposing features as he moves about killing those who seek to steal from him.
If there is one negative of the movie it's that karloff isn't in it all that much. He dies in the first 10 minutes or so and then doesn't appear again until some 30 -35 minutes later. Not exactly what you would expect from a "starring" role.
The stellar cast features Ernest Thesiger as Laing. Thesiger would go on to star with karloff in the Bride of Frankenstein as the evil Dr. Pretorious. Broughton is played by the cooly evil Sir Cedrick Hardwicke. And a Young Sir Ralph Richardson plays a local vicar.
The print is exceptional. Very clear with excellent sound and contrast. Unfortunately there are no extra features but It's still a good movie and quite inexpensive.
Rating: 
Summary: Too decrepit to make an educated review
Review: As a huge Boris Karloff fan, I was delighted when I found one of his films I've never heard of available on VHS. I ordered the "special edition" - it's the one for [$$$]at Amazon.com - released by Delta Entertainment/ Laserlight Digital in 1998. Surprisingly, this video version includes an introduction from none other than Tony Curtis. Obviously reading from dummy cards, it becomes immediately apparent that Curtis had no business introducing a "long lost" Karloff classic. It was awful. Then, we are shown a trailer of the original Frankenstein. If you think the picture quality of the trailer is bad, wait 'til you see the main event.It's a mess. I know we're lucky to have any version of this film still around - it was allegedly lost for years before a print was found in 1969 - but this is a travesty. There are intermittent cuts throughout, the sound is muffled, and the picture is so dark that sometimes you can't see what is happening. With all this in mind, it wouldn't be fair to review this picture. How can somebody review something he didn't really see, I ask you? It's a shame, too. The Britsih film stars many of her Majesty's big-name stars, some who also appeared in some of the Universal classic horror films, including Ernest Thesiger (The Old Dark House, The Bride of Frankenstein) and Sir Cedric Hardwicke (The Ghost of Frankenstein). It also starred Sir Ralph Richardson (Dragonslayer). I cannot recommend this film not because it's a bad movie, but because the transfer is horrible. Perhaps there's a better version out there somewhere somebody wants to take a chance on ... just don't take a chance on this.
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