‘The dead of night is alive with the dead!’
Night of the Ghouls is a 1959 American horror film about a fake spiritualist who accidentally raises the dead.
Written, produced, directed and edited by Edward D. Wood Jr. (Plan 9 from Outer Space; Bride of the Monster; Glen or Glenda), the Atomic Productions movie stars Kenne Duncan, Duke Moore, Tor Johnson (Beast of Yucca Flats; The Unearthly) and Valda Hansen.
Our review:
Night of the Ghouls begins with Criswell, the “psychic” who also provided the introduction for Wood’s best-known film, Plan 9 from Outer Space, sitting up in a coffin and telling us that we’re about to see a film about the dead and the problems of everyday Americans. This is followed by one of Wood’s trademark stock footage montages: cars crash, teenagers fight, drunken bums stare at the camera. It’s a scary world out there!
And it’s about to get scarier. The police have received reports that a deserted old mansion that was previously destroyed by lightning has been rebuilt! Lt. Dan Bradford (Duke Moore) is assigned to investigate the case with the help of cowardly Patrolman Kelton (Paul Marco). Bradford was called away from the opera so he wanders through the entire film in a tuxedo. Apparently, this case is so important that he couldn’t even change clothes before investigating.
Anyway, it turns out that the house has been rebuilt by Doctor Acula (Kenne Duncan), who wears a turban and claims that he can speak to the dead. Acula lives in the house with his silent and scarred assistant, Lobo (Tor Johnson).
A typical Doctor Acula seance involves a floating trumpet playing off-key, several skeletons sitting at a table, and a mysterious woman in white. Acula says that the house is full of spirits but it turns out that Acula is just a guy named Karl and that even the woman in white is just an actress that he hired. Acula’s a fraud!
Well, fraud or not, it turns out that Acula is right about one thing. There are actual ghosts in the house and it turns out that they’re not happy about the house’s new inhabitant!
Night of the Ghouls is a typical Ed Wood film, which is to say that it’s in black-and-white, it’s extremely low budget, and it’s a lot of fun even though it’s not very good. The film’s plot has a make-it-up-as-you-go feel to it and, with a running time of only 70 minutes, it’s over before you can get too bored. While the cast may be largely inept, they’re also rather enthusiastic and it’s hard not to enjoy watching them try their best to sell Wood’s uniquely overbaked dialogue.
Finally, fans of Ed Wood will also be happy to know that Night of the Ghouls contains references to both Bride of the Monster and Plan 9 from Outer Space, establishing that the Ed Wood cinematic universe existed long before Marvel made their first movie.
Lisa Marie Bowman, guest reviewer via Horror Critic
Cast and characters:
Kenne Duncan … Doctor Acula
Duke Moore … Lt. Daniel Bradford (as ‘Duke’ Moore)
Tor Johnson … Lobo
Valda Hansen … The White Ghost
Johnny Carpenter … Captain Robbins (as John Carpenter)
Paul Marco … Kelton
Don Nagel … Crandel
Bud Osborne … Darmoor
Jeannie Stevens … The Black Ghost
Harvey B. Dunn … Henry
Margaret Mason … Martha
Clay Stone … Young Man
Marcelle Hemphill … Mrs Wingate Yates Foster
Tom Mason … Foster Ghost
James La Maida … Hall
Anthony Cardoza … Tony (as Tony Cardoza)
John Gautieri … Boy
Karen Hairston … Girl
Karl Johnson … Dead Man
Leonard Barnes … Dead Man
Frank Barbarick … Dead Man
Francis Misitano … Dead Man
David De Mering … Dead Man (as David De Maring)
Criswell … Criswell
Henry Bederski … Drunk
Conrad Brooks … Man in Fight
Mona McKinnon … Juvenile Delinquent Girl
Edward D. Wood Jr. … Man in Fight (uncredited)
Filming locations:
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Technical specs:
69 minutes
Black and white
Aspect ratio: 1.85: 1
Audio: Mono
Working title:
Revenge of the Dead
Fun facts:
Edward D. Wood Jr. finished the principal photography and rough cut of the film by late 1957, but couldn’t afford the post-production work. The film laboratory opted to keep the negative footage until the bill could be paid. By the 1980s, film historians either considered this a lost film. Film archivist Wade Williams managed to locate the film, paid the film lab and released it on VHS in 1984.
Trailer:
More Ed Wood movies:
PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE Bela Lugosi! Vampira! Tor Johnson! Free online in b/w [4K] or colour
BRIDE OF THE MONSTER Ed Wood! Bela Lugosi! Tor Johnson! – free online
MOVIES & MANIA provides previews of new films, our own movie reviews/ratings, and links to other reviews from trustworthy recommended sources - all in one handy web location. Plus, links to legitimately watch 1000s OF MOVIES FREE ONLINE via platforms such as Amazon Prime, Plex, Roku, Tubi and on YouTube. As an Amazon Associate, we earn a very tiny amount from any qualifying purchases.GLEN OR GLENDA (1953) Reviews of Ed Wood’s cross-dresser ‘classic’ – free to watch on YouTube
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