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{{Short description|1959 film by Ed Wood}} {{Short description|1984 film by Ed Wood}}
{{more footnotes|date=March 2016}} {{more footnotes needed|date=March 2016}}
{{Infobox film {{Infobox film
| name = Night of the Ghouls | name = Night of the Ghouls
Line 6: Line 6:
| caption = Image DVD cover | caption = Image DVD cover
| director = ] | director = ]
| producer = Ed Wood | producer = Ed Wood<br>]<br>Anthony Cardoza
| writer = Ed Wood | writer = Ed Wood
| starring = ]<br>]<br>] | starring = ]<br>]<br>]<br>]<br>]<br>]
| music = | music =
| cinematography = ] | cinematography = ]
| editing = Ed Wood | editing = Ed Wood
| distributor = | distributor =
| released = {{Film date|1959}}
| released = March, 1959 at the Vista Theatre in Hollywood <ref>Rudolph Grey, Nightmare of Ecstasy: The Life and Art of Edward D. Wood, Jr. (1992). pg. 206. ISBN 978-0-922915-24-8.</ref>
| runtime = 69 minutes | runtime = 69 minutes
| country = United States | country = United States
| language = English | language = English
| budget = | budget =
| color_process = Black and white | color_process = Black and white
}} }}
] ]
'''''Night of the Ghouls''''' is a 1959 ] written and directed by ]. The film features some reoccurring cast members and characters from Wood's 1955 '']'', including ] reprising his role of Lobo and ] again playing the character of Kelton the cop, while ] plays himself in the ] of the film.<ref name="Craig">Craig (2009), p. 178-199</ref> Another returning character is Police Captain Robbins of Homicide, although the character was played by ] in ''Bride'', and by ] in ''Night''. (Dunn however does appear in ''Night'', albeit playing a altogether different character). '''''Night of the Ghouls''''' is a ] written and directed by ]. The film was shot between April and May 1958.{{sfn|Grey|1992|p=206}} The film features some reoccurring cast members and characters from Wood's 1955 '']'', including ] reprising his role of Lobo and ] again playing the character of Kelton the cop, while ] plays himself in the ] of the film.<ref name="Craig">Craig (2009), p. 178-199</ref> Another returning character is Police Captain Robbins of Homicide, although the character was played by ] in ''Bride of the Monster'', and by ] in ''Night of the Ghouls''.

Filmed in April and May of 1958, ''Night of the Ghouls'' received a small theatrical screening (under Wood's original title ''Revenge of the Dead'') at the Vista Theatre in Hollywood (according to actress ]) in March of 1959, after which the film disappeared completely from circulation.<ref>Rudolph Grey, Nightmare of Ecstasy: The Life and Art of Edward D. Wood, Jr. (1992). pg. 206. ISBN 978-0-922915-24-8.</ref> It was never sold to television, and was thought for years to be a ]. It was only released directly to video (retitled ''Night of the Ghouls'') by Wade Williams years later in 1984.


==Plot== ==Plot==
<!-- Film summaries must be less than 700 words long. -->
The basic plot involves the police investigating a supposed ]. The house is discovered to serve as headquarters for a ] who pretends to be able to contact the dead, and charges naive customers large amounts of money to allow them to speak to their deceased loved ones.<ref name="Craig" />
At the beginning, ] rises from a ] and narrates the events of the film.<ref name="Craig" /> Then a montage starts showing juvenile delinquency, street fighting, and driving under the influence. The sequence ends with the bloody corpse of the drunk driver staring blankly at the camera. According to Criswell's narration, this is a rather typical end to "a drunken holiday weekend".<ref name="Craig" />


The film features a prologue and a brief acting role by ], who also narrated Wood's '']''. The prologue has Criswell rising from a ], leaving unclear if the "metaphysical" narrator is awaking from a normal sleep, or whether he is actually a corpse returning to life. The latter implication can be seen as ] the final scenes of the film.<ref name="Craig" /> The film then cuts to a teenaged couple kissing in a ]. When the boy gets too demanding, the girl ] him and exits the car. The Black Ghost, an ] creature that lurks in the woods near them, later kills the young couple. The murders receive press attention but are thought to be the work of a maniac.<ref name="Craig" />


⚫ In a police station of ], Inspector Robbins waits for Detective Bradford at his office. Bradford soon arrives, dressed in a formal evening wear. He was called to work while on his way to the ], and he protests the idea of working an unexpected assignment. But Robbins informs him that the case involves the "old house on Willows lake", which played a part in ]. The house was destroyed by lightning, but someone rebuilt it. A ] scene establishes that the elderly Edwards couple had a terrifying encounter with the White Ghost by this house.<ref name="Craig" /> Having heard the story, Bradford accepts the assignment to investigate the old house. Robbins assigns Kelton to escort the Detective. Kelton has previously dealt with the supernatural in the events depicted in '']'' and '']''.<ref name="Craig" />
One of the opening scenes features a montage of seemingly unrelated events, which seem to feature Wood's view of the ] era and its social problems: ], ], and ]. A memorable sequence has a car driving off a cliff and crashing. The sequence ends with the bloody corpse of the drunk driver staring blankly at the camera. According to Criswell's narration, this is a rather typical end to "a drunken holiday weekend".<ref name="Craig" /> The narrative properly begins with a teenaged couple kissing in a ], parked at night in what is probably a ]. When the boy gets too aggressive, the girl ends the embrace with a ] and exits the car. At this point the narrative introduces the Black Ghost which lurks in the woods near them. In short order, first the girl and then the boy are attacked by the ] creature and die. According to Criswell's narration, the two murders received press attention but were thought to be the work of a maniac.<ref name="Craig" />


⚫ Bradford drives to the house and enters through an open door, to be confronted by Dr. Acula, who is dressed in a ] and cryptically mentions that there are many already in the house, both living and dead. Bradford convinces Acula that he is just another prospective client, so his entrance is accepted.<ref name="Craig" /> One of "the many" in the house is a remnant of its past, Lobo. A character from ''Bride of the Monster'', Lobo is depicted as disfigured from the flames which once destroyed this house. Outside the house, Kelton arrives late and has brief encounters with both the Black Ghost and the White Ghost. Meanwhile, at a ], Acula and his clients share the table with human skeletons.<ref name="Craig" /> Dr. Acula turns out to be a fake ] by the name of "Karl", as Bradford suspected earlier, and reveals that the White Ghost is an actress named Sheila.<ref name="Craig" /> Her role is to scare away intruders.<ref name="Hogan">Hogan (1997), p. 233</ref><ref name="Ruffles">Ruffles (2004), p. 211</ref> She is concerned by the presence of the Black Ghost which is not part of their hoax, though the cynical Acula dismisses her fears — he does not believe in the supernatural.<ref name="Craig" />
⚫ In a police station of ], Inspector Robbins is waiting for Detective Bradford at his office. Bradford soon arrives, dressed in a ] and formal evening wear. He was called to work while on his way to the ], and he protests the idea of working an unexpected assignment. But Robbins informs him that the case involves the "old house on Willows lake", which played a part in an earlier case investigated by Bradford. (This is a reference to the events of '']''). The house was destroyed by lightning, but someone rebuilt it. A ] scene establishes that the elderly Edwards couple had a terrifying encounter with the White Ghost by this house.<ref name="Craig" /> Having heard the story, Bradford accepts the assignment to investigate the old house. Robbins assigns Kelton to escort the Detective, despite the protests of the man that "''Monsters! Space people! Mad doctors! They didn't teach me about such things in the police academy! And yet that's all I've been assigned to since I became on active duty"''. The line is used to recall Kelton's experiences in '']'' and '']'', and to explicitly connect this film to its predecessors.<ref name="Craig" />


⚫ Both Bradford and Kelton have strange and sometimes violent confrontations within the house, and are eventually joined by reinforcements. As their accomplices fall to the police, Karl and Sheila attempt to escape through a ]. There they are confronted by a group of undead men. Among them is Criswell, who is the only one that can speak, who explains to Karl that the supposedly "fake" psychic does have genuine powers and his ] efforts actually work. These dead men were restored to life, if only for a few hours, but they intend to take Karl with them in their return to the grave.<ref name="Craig" /> As Karl dies, Sheila escapes the house to meet her own fate. The Black Ghost, genuinely undead, takes control of the impostor and tells her that it is time to join "the others" at the grave. As the police try to understand what happened to the deceased Karl, we see an undead Sheila, now truly a White Ghost.<ref name="Craig" />
⚫ Bradford drives a ] to the house and enters through an open door, to be confronted by Dr. Acula (played by ]). Dressed in a ] and cryptically mentioning that there are many already in the house, both living and dead, Acula is a rather strange figure. But Bradford convinces Acula that he is just another prospective client, so his entrance is accepted.<ref name="Craig" /> The narrator soon establishes that one of "the many" in the house is a remnant of its past, Lobo. A character from ''Bride'', Lobo is depicted as disfigured from the flames which once destroyed this house. Outside the house, Kelton arrives late and has brief encounters with both the Black and the White Ghost. The scene shifts to a strange ], where Acula and his clients share the table with human skeletons.<ref name="Craig" /> A subsequent scene both confirms that Dr. Acula is a fake ] by the name of "Karl", as Bradford suspected earlier, and reveals that the White Ghost is an actress by the name of "Sheila".<ref name="Craig" /> Her role is to scare away intruders.<ref name="Hogan">Hogan (1997), p. 233</ref><ref name="Ruffles">Ruffles (2004), p. 211</ref> She is concerned by the presence of the Black Ghost which is not part of their hoax, though the cynical Acula dismisses her fears. He doesn't believe in the supernatural.<ref name="Craig" />


⚫ In a brief epilogue, the narrator returns to his coffin. Claiming that it is time for both the old dead and the new to return to their graves, he reminds the viewer that they too can soon join them in death.<ref name="Craig" />
⚫ Both Bradford and Kelton have strange and sometimes violent confrontations within the house, and are eventually joined by reinforcements. As their accomplices fall to the police, Karl and Sheila attempt to escape through a ]. There they are confronted by a group of undead men, including one played by Criswell. The latter is the only one of them who speaks, explaining to Karl that the supposedly "fake" psychic does have genuine powers and his ] efforts actually worked. These dead men were restored to life, if only for a few hours, but they intend to take Karl with them in their return to the grave.<ref name="Craig" /> As Karl dies, Sheila escapes the house to meet her own fate. The Black Ghost, genuinely undead, takes control of the impostor and tells her that it is time to join "the others" at the grave. As the police try to understand what happened to the deceased Karl, the narrative ends with a shot of an undead Sheila, now truly a White Ghost.<ref name="Craig" />

⚫ In a brief epilogue which also closes the frame story, the narrator returns to his coffin. Claiming that it is time for both the old dead and the new to return to their graves, he reminds the viewer that he/she too can soon join them in death.<ref name="Craig" />


==Cast== ==Cast==
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* ] as Lobo (reprising role from '']'') * ] as Lobo (reprising role from '']'')
* ] as Sheila, the White Ghost * ] as Sheila, the White Ghost
* ] as Capt. Robbins (as John Carpenter) (the character played by ] in ''Bride'') * ] as Capt. Robbins (as John Carpenter) (the character played by ] in ''Bride of the Monster'')
* ] as Patrolman Kelton (reprising his role from both ''Bride'' and '']'')<ref name="Challis1986">{{cite news |editor-last=Challis |editor-first=Paul |date=November 30, 1986 |title=Worst movies get cult following |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/285874074/ |newspaper=The Daily Spectrum |location=Saint George, Utah |publisher=Donald E. Hogan |volume=24 |issue=253 |page=7 |edition=Washington County |via=]}}</ref> * ] as Patrolman Kelton (reprising his role from both ''Bride of the Monster'' and '']'')<ref name="Challis1986">{{cite news |editor-last=Challis |editor-first=Paul |date=November 30, 1986 |title=Worst movies get cult following |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/285874074/ |newspaper=The Daily Spectrum |location=Saint George, Utah |publisher=Donald E. Hogan |volume=24 |issue=253 |page=7 |edition=Washington County |via=]}}</ref>
* Don Nagel as Sgt. Crandall * Don Nagel as Sgt. Crandall
* ] as Mr. Darmoor * ] as Mr. Darmoor
* Jeannie Stevens as The Black Ghost/Mannequin * Jeannie Stevens as The Black Ghost/Mannequin
* ] as Henry Edwards (Dunn played Captain Robbins in ''Bride'') * ] as Henry Edwards (Dunn played Captain Robbins in ''Bride of the Monster'')
* Margaret Mason (Tom Mason's real-life wife) as Martha Edwards * Margaret Mason (Tom Mason's real-life wife) as Martha Edwards
* ] as himself * ] as himself
* Tom Mason as Undead man in coffin * Tom Mason as undead man in coffin
* Ed Wood and Conrad Brooks as men in fight sequence (footage from Wood's unfinished ''Hellborn'')


==Production and analysis== ==Production and analysis==
Rob Craig suggests that the film could be in part based on an earlier work, '']'' (1933), produced by ]. The two films have significant similarities in concept. In the earlier film, Swami Yomurda (]) and his minions stage an elaborate scheme to extort money from gullible victims. Yomurda and his group use technological means to convince their victims that they are receiving ] from the ].<ref name="Craig" /> Craig himself, however, notes that ''Night'' cannot be conceived as a straightforward ], since Wood used the same template to tell a quite different story from the 1930s ].<ref name="Craig" /> Rob Craig suggests that the film could be in part based on an earlier work, '']'' (1933), produced by ]. The two films have significant similarities in concept. In the earlier film, Swami Yomurda (]) and his minions stage an elaborate scheme to extort money from gullible victims. Yomurda and his group use technological means to convince their victims that they are receiving ] from the ].<ref name="Craig" /> Craig himself, however, notes that ''Night of the Ghouls'' cannot be conceived as a straightforward ], since Wood used the same template to tell a quite different story from the 1930s ].<ref name="Craig" />


There are also notable similarities of this film with one of its contemporaries, '']'' (1957) by Boris Petroff. In both films: the characters gather at an isolated location far from the city, a charismatic deceiver exploits other humans for his own purposes, promising them extraordinary services, undercover agents of the law manage to expose the conspiracies, and the villains meet their fates at the hands of someone they previously exploited.<ref name="Craig2">Craig (2013), p. 135-137</ref> ] also plays a character called "Lobo" in both films, and both of the Lobo characters are monstrous manservants working for the main villains.<ref name="Craig2">Craig (2013), p. 135-137</ref> Both films were shot around the same time, though it is unclear if one was intentionally modeled after the other.<ref name="Craig2">Craig (2013), p. 135-137</ref> There are also notable similarities of this film with one of its contemporaries, '']'' (1957) by ]. In both films the characters gather at an isolated location far from the city, a charismatic deceiver exploits other humans for his own purposes, promising them extraordinary services, undercover agents of the law manage to expose the conspiracies, and the villains meet their fates at the hands of someone they previously exploited.<ref name="Craig2">Craig (2013), p. 135-137</ref> ] also plays a character called "Lobo" in both films, and both of the Lobo characters are monstrous manservants working for the main villains.<ref name="Craig2">Craig (2013), p. 135-137</ref> Both films were shot around the same time, though it is unclear if one was intentionally modeled after the other.<ref name="Craig2">Craig (2013), p. 135-137</ref>


The notion of a genuine ghost and a fake one that are active on the same area is not unique to this film. '']'' (1940) has a real ghost appear in the end, '']'' (1957) has a real ghost among several fakes, and '']'' (1959) has a real ghost residing in a "fake" haunted house.<ref name="Ruffles">Ruffles (2004), p. 211</ref> The notion of a genuine ghost and a fake one that are active on the same area is not unique to this film. '']'' (1940) has a real ghost appear in the end, '']'' (1957) has a real ghost among several fakes, and '']'' (1959) has a real ghost residing in a "fake" haunted house.<ref name="Ruffles">Ruffles (2004), p. 211</ref>


Craig considers the film to have elements common in ], and also to have much of the ] and ] of a typical ] play.<ref name="Craig" /> The opening montage of violence and the death of the drunk driver serve to underscore both the randomness and the lack of meaning of human life and death.<ref name="Craig" /> The fates of Karl and Sheila are clearly meant to serve as a form of ], and the finale can also be seen as a triumph of ] over the mortals trying to exploit it.<ref name="Craig" /> The final words of Criswell also serve to remind viewers of the truth, that everyone dies and that Death is destined to triumph over Life. Craig finds the film to be Wood's version of a ].<ref name="Craig" /> Craig considers the film to have elements common in ], and also to have much of the pessimism and nihilism of a typical ] play.<ref name="Craig" /> The opening montage of violence and the death of the drunk driver serve to underscore both the randomness and the lack of meaning of human life and death.<ref name="Craig" /> The fates of Karl and Sheila are clearly meant to serve as a form of ], and the finale can also be seen as a triumph of ] over the mortals trying to exploit it.<ref name="Craig" /> The final words of Criswell also serve to remind viewers of the truth, that everyone dies and that Death is destined to triumph over Life. Craig finds the film to be Wood's version of a ].<ref name="Craig" />


The film makes extensive use of static ], which David Hogan considered to have contributed to making this an "atypically boring" film by Wood.<ref name="Hogan">Hogan (1997), p. 233</ref> The film's main setting is the rebuilt house on Willows Lake that burned down in ''Bride of the Monster''. There are frequent references to the mad scientist (]) and Lobo (Tor Johnson), the latter of whom returns, his face now half-destroyed from the fire.<ref name="Craig" /> The narrative notion that the house by Willow Lake is a recently reconstructed building is contradicted by the actual appearance of the house, which seems to be old and in disrepair. Craig suggests that the house would not look out of place in a ].<ref name="Craig" /> The film makes extensive use of static ], which David Hogan considered to have contributed to making this an "atypically boring" film by Wood.<ref name="Hogan">Hogan (1997), p. 233</ref> The film's main setting is the rebuilt house on Willows Lake that burned down in ''Bride of the Monster''. There are frequent references to the mad scientist (]) and Lobo (Tor Johnson), the latter of whom returns, his face now half-destroyed from the fire.<ref name="Craig" /> The narrative notion that the house by Willow Lake is a recently reconstructed building is contradicted by the actual appearance of the house, which seems to be old and in disrepair. Craig suggests that the house would not look out of place in a ].<ref name="Craig" />


The formal-wearing police investigator seems as a rather anachronistic figure, more reminiscent of a figure from a ] work or a ].<ref name="Craig" /> ], who plays the White Ghost, was seen as Wood's ]. She had reportedly impressed him with her vivacity and allure.<ref name="Craig" /> David Hogan considered the spookiest scenes to be the ones featuring either Hansen or Jeannie Stevens, playing the film's ghostly ].<ref name="Hogan">Hogan (1997), p. 233</ref> The formal-wearing police investigator seems a rather anachronistic figure, more reminiscent of a figure from a ] work or a ].<ref name="Craig" /> ], who plays the White Ghost, was seen as Wood's ]. She had reportedly impressed him with her vivacity and allure.<ref name="Craig" /> David Hogan considered the spookiest scenes to be the ones featuring either Hansen or Jeannie Stevens, playing the film's ghostly ].<ref name="Hogan">Hogan (1997), p. 233</ref>


Wood, his face hidden by a dark veil, doubled for the Black Ghost in several shots. According to actor ], Wood could not get Jeannie Stevens to film these scenes. So he wore the costume and acted as her stand-in.<ref name="Craig" /><ref name="Weaver">Weaver (2000), p. 257</ref> Also, a publicity photo of Wood is seen on a wanted poster on the wall of the police station.<ref name="Craig" /> Wood, his face hidden by a dark veil, doubled for the Black Ghost in several shots. According to actor ], Wood could not get Jeannie Stevens to film these scenes. So he wore the costume and acted as her stand-in.<ref name="Craig" /><ref name="Weaver">Weaver (2000), p. 257</ref> Also, a publicity photo of Wood is seen on a wanted poster on the wall of the police station.<ref name="Craig" />


Tom Mason, who doubled for Bela Lugosi in ''Plan 9 From Outer Space'' appeared in the film as one of the undead, while his wife Margaret Mason played the somewhat substantial role of "Martha" (the woman in the car frightened by the White Ghost). In 1992, Margaret Mason was one of the people interviewed for the Ed Wood documentary ''Flying Saucers Over Hollywood: The Plan Nine Companion''. Tom Mason, who doubled for Bela Lugosi in ''Plan 9 From Outer Space'' appeared in ''Night of the Ghouls'' as one of the undead, while his wife Margaret Mason played the role of "Martha" (the woman in the car frightened by the White Ghost). In 1992, Margaret Mason was one of the people interviewed for the Ed Wood documentary ''Flying Saucers Over Hollywood: The Plan Nine Companion''.


The séances featured in the film have some atypical elements. Skulls are set on the séance table and skeletons are sitting around it. The sound effects and floating trumpet would not be out of place in a 19th-century séance, though the electronically altered voice of the deceased is a far more modern element.<ref name="Ruffles">Ruffles (2004), p. 211</ref> The séances featured in the film have some atypical elements. Skulls are set on the séance table and skeletons are sitting around it. The sound effects and floating trumpet would not be out of place in a 19th-century séance, though the electronically altered voice of the deceased is a far more modern element.<ref name="Ruffles">Ruffles (2004), p. 211</ref>


This film is the third part of what Wood aficionados refer to as "The Kelton Trilogy", a trio of films featuring ] as "Officer Kelton", a whining, reluctant policeman. The other two films were '']'' and '']''.<ref name="Craig" /> Although said to be a sequel to ''Bride of the Monster'', ''Night of the Ghouls'' featured only two characters from that film (Kelton and Lobo), and, in a ], it is claimed that Lt. Bradford had worked on the earlier case when he in fact did not appear in ''Bride''. His exploration of Dr. Acula's house was borrowed from Wood's short film ] and voice-over narration was added to integrate it into the story. As a result, there was no room for Harvey B. Dunn, who played Captain Tom Robbins in ''Bride'', to reprise his earlier role. Instead, he was given a small supporting role as a frightened motorist who encounters one of the "ghouls".<ref name="Craig" /> This film is the third part of what Wood aficionados refer to as "The Kelton Trilogy", a trio of films featuring ] as "Officer Kelton", a whining, reluctant policeman. The other two films were '']'' and '']''.<ref name="Craig" /> Although said to be a sequel to ''Bride of the Monster'', ''Night of the Ghouls'' featured only two characters from that film (Kelton and Lobo), and, in a ], it is claimed that Lt. Bradford had worked on the earlier case when he in fact did not appear in ''Bride of the Monster''. His exploration of Dr. Acula's house was borrowed from Wood's short film ] and voice-over narration was added to integrate it into the story. As a result, there was no room for Harvey B. Dunn, who played Captain Tom Robbins in ''Bride of the Monster'', to reprise his earlier role. Instead, he was given a small supporting role as a frightened motorist who encounters one of the "ghouls".<ref name="Craig" /> Wood must have written the screenplay for this film before 1956, as he originally planned to star Bela Lugosi in it.<ref>Lugosi: His Life on Film, Stage, and in the Hearts of Horror Lovers by Gary D. Rhodes (2006) McFarland & Company, ISBN 978-0786427659</ref>


==Release== ==Release==
⚫ ''Night of the Ghouls'' was originally to be called ''Revenge of the Dead''.{{sfn|Grey|1992|p=172}} A December 1958 article about cast member Valda Hansen described the film as being "soon to be released".<ref name="Smith1958">{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Helen |editor-first=Taylor Kraft |editor-last=Fred |title=Half Danish 'Ice Maiden' |date=December 7, 1958 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/19656636/ |newspaper=Independent Press-Telegram |location=Long Beach, California |volume=7 |issue=16 |department=Southland |page=9 |via=]}}</ref> A contemporary article in "Famous Monsters of Filmland" referred to the soon-to-be-released film as "Night of the Ghouls". ] recalled in an interview that the film had a preview screening in 1959 at the Vista Theatre in Hollywood.{{sfn|Craig|2009|p=94}}{{sfn|Grey|1992|p=94}} He said that after watching it on the big screen, Wood felt it needed further editing. A 1959 letter from Wood to ], the film's associate producer, records some of Wood's plans to re-edit the film, including removing some of Criswell's scenes and replacing them with some Bela Lugosi archive footage, as well as a possible title change.{{sfn|Craig|2009|p=94}} Wood, however, was never able to make the changes since the film's ownership remained under the control of the lab.<ref name="Craig" />{{page needed|date=September 2022}}<ref name="Hogan">Hogan (1997), p. 233</ref>
⚫ Kansas City film hobbyist-entrepreneur and Ed Wood fan ] managed to locate the film, paid the long overdue bills to the lab, and claimed full ownership of it. He also gave it its first home video release via VHS in 1984.<ref>{{cite news |last=Teets |first=John |title='Day After' tops latest videocassette entries |date=February 10, 1984 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/129803448/ |newspaper=The Palm Beach Post |volume=75 |issue=260 |department=TGIF |page=25 |quote='Night of the Ghouls' is fresh out, with a $49.95 suggested retail, and I can't wait to see if it lives up to its billing as one of the worst films ever made in the United States. |via=]}}</ref><ref name="Hogan">Hogan (1997), p. 233</ref>


⚫ Years later, Kansas City film hobbyist-entrepreneur and Ed Wood fan Wade Williams managed to locate the film, paid the long overdue bills to the lab, and claimed full ownership of it. He also gave it its first home video release via VHS in 1984.<ref>{{cite news |last=Teets |first=John |title='Day After' tops latest videocassette entries |date=February 10, 1984 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/129803448/ |newspaper=The Palm Beach Post |volume=75 |issue=260 |department=TGIF |page=25 |quote='Night of the Ghouls' is fresh out, with a $49.95 suggested retail, and I can't wait to see if it lives up to its billing as one of the worst films ever made in the United States. |via=]}}</ref><ref name="Hogan">Hogan (1997), p. 233</ref> This was the film's world premiere.{{sfn|Rhodes|Weaver|2015|p=72}}
⚫ A 1958 article on actress Valda Hansen described ''Night of the Ghouls'' as being "recently released".<ref name="Smith1958">{{cite news |last=Smith |first=Helen |editor-first=Taylor Kraft |editor-last=Fred |title=Half Danish 'Ice Maiden' |date=December 7, 1958 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/19656636/ |newspaper=Independent Press-Telegram |location=Long Beach, California |volume=7 |issue=16 |department=Southland |page=9 |via=]}}</ref> According to the recollections of cast members ] and Valda Hansen, the film had a local theatrical release in March of 1959 at the Vista Theatre in Hollywood (under the film's original title ''Revenge of the Dead''),{{sfn|Craig|2009|p=199}} and they said that, after watching it, Ed Wood expressed dissatisfaction with the picture and felt it needed further editing. A letter from Wood to ], the film's associate producer, records some of his plans for the film, including removing some of Criswell's scenes and replacing them with some Bela Lugosi archive footage, as well as a possible title change.<ref name="Craig" /> Wood, however, was never able to make the changes, as the film's ownership remained under the control of the lab.<ref name="Craig" /><ref name="Hogan">Hogan (1997), p. 233</ref>


==Critical reception==
The film was produced and previewed under its original working title ''Revenge of the Dead''. Some believe Wade Williams retitled it ''Night of the Ghouls'' upon its 1984 video release,<ref name="Craig" /> but the film was already being referred to by that title back in 1960 when it received extensive preview coverage in an early issue of '']'' magazine. FM reviewed it in 1960 as if the film was already in release, even showing some stills from the film and referring to the picture as ''Night of the Ghouls''.
Writing in ], critic Bruce Eder reported that the film has "the strangeness, in the dialogue and characterizations, that one expects from one of Wood's movies," that "the edges of Wood's budget show more than ever, both onscreen and even in the music," and that it "isn't nearly as diverting ''Plan 9 From Outer Space''."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Eder |first1=Bruce |title=Night of the Ghouls (1960) |url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/night-of-the-ghouls-vm1064889/review |website=AllMovie |publisher=Netaktion, LLC |access-date=2023-11-02}}</ref> Film critic ] wrote in ], "Of course it's terrible," that "the acting is bad," and that compared to other films by Wood, "it's fairly coherent but more than a little boring, populated by less interesting characters than usual."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Erickson |first1=Glenn |title=Night of the Ghouls |url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s511ghouls.html |website=DVD Talk |publisher=DVDTalk.com |access-date=2023-11-02}}</ref>


==Bibliography== ==Bibliography==
* ''The Haunted World of Edward D. Wood, Jr.'' (1996), documentary film directed by Brett Thompson * ''The Haunted World of Edward D. Wood, Jr.'' (1996), documentary film directed by Brett Thompson
* ], ''Nightmare of Ecstasy: The Life and Art of Edward D. Wood, Jr.'' (1992) {{ISBN|978-0-922915-24-8}} * ], ''Nightmare of Ecstasy: The Life and Art of Edward D. Wood, Jr.'' (1992) {{ISBN|978-0-922915-24-8}}
*Will Sloan, "Can Your Heart Stand the Shocking Facts About Kelton the Cop A/K/A Paul Marco?" ''Filmfax'' (April 2005), p.&nbsp;88-89 * Will Sloan, "Can Your Heart Stand the Shocking Facts About Kelton the Cop A/K/A Paul Marco?" ''Filmfax'' (April 2005), p.&nbsp;88-89


== Sources == == Sources ==
* {{citation | last1=Craig | first1=Rob| title=''Ed Wood, Mad Genius: A Critical Study of the Films'' | chapter= Night of the Ghouls (ca. 1959)| year=2009 | publisher=]| isbn=978-0786454235| chapter-url =https://books.google.com/books?id=XrjzCGsiyWEC&pg=PA199}} * {{cite book|title=Ed Wood, Mad Genius: A Critical Study of the Films|last=Craig|first=Rob|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc.|year=2009|isbn=978-0-7864-3955-3}}
* {{citation | last1=Craig | first1=Rob| title=''It Came from 1957'' | chapter= The Unearthly| year=2013 | publisher=]| isbn=978-0786477777| chapter-url =https://books.google.com/books?id=DZDqAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA137 }} * {{citation | last1=Craig | first1=Rob| title=''It Came from 1957'' | chapter= The Unearthly| year=2013 | publisher=]| isbn=978-0786477777| chapter-url =https://books.google.com/books?id=DZDqAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA137}}
* {{citation | last1=Hogan | first1=David J.| title=''Dark Romance: Sexuality in the Horror Film'' | chapter= Edward D. Wood, Jr| year=1997 | publisher=]| isbn=978-0786462483| chapter-url =https://books.google.com/books?id=QzpoSGkslEgC&pg=PA328 }} * {{cite book|title=Nightmare of Ecstacy: The Life and Art of Edward D. Wood Jr.|last=Grey|first=Rudolph|publisher=Feral House|year=1992|isbn=0-922915-04-0}}
* {{citation | last1=Hogan | first1=David J.| title=''Dark Romance: Sexuality in the Horror Film'' | chapter= Edward D. Wood, Jr| year=1997 | publisher=]| isbn=978-0786462483| chapter-url =https://books.google.com/books?id=QzpoSGkslEgC&pg=PA328}}
* {{citation | last1=Ruffles | first1=Tom| title=''Ghost Images: Cinema of the Afterlife'' | chapter= A Thematic Approach to Cinematic Ghosts| year=2004 | publisher=]| isbn=978-0786484218| chapter-url =https://books.google.com/books?id=za8FamEz9wIC&pg=PA265 }} * {{cite book|last1=Rhodes|first1=Gary D.|last2=Weaver|first2=Tom|title=Ed Wood's Bride of the Monster|publisher=BearManor Media|isbn=978-1-59393-857-4|year=2015}}
* {{citation | last1=Ruffles | first1=Tom| title=''Ghost Images: Cinema of the Afterlife'' | chapter= A Thematic Approach to Cinematic Ghosts| year=2004 | publisher=]| isbn=978-0786484218| chapter-url =https://books.google.com/books?id=za8FamEz9wIC&pg=PA265}}
* {{citation | last1=Weaver | first1=Tom| title=''Return of the B Science Fiction and Horror Heroes: The Mutant Melding of Two Volumes of Classic Interviews'' | chapter= Paul Marco| year=2000 | publisher=]| isbn=978-0786407552| chapter-url =https://books.google.com/books?id=L8PK4jszVDoC&pg=PA257 }} * {{citation | last1=Weaver | first1=Tom| title=''Return of the B Science Fiction and Horror Heroes: The Mutant Melding of Two Volumes of Classic Interviews'' | chapter= Paul Marco| year=2000 | publisher=]| isbn=978-0786407552| chapter-url =https://books.google.com/books?id=L8PK4jszVDoC&pg=PA257}}

==See also==
* ]


==References== ==References==
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{{Wikiquote}} {{Wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title|0156843}} * {{IMDb title|0156843}}

* {{Amg movie|35298}}
* {{Internet Archive film|id=LaCasaDeLosSaucesNightOfTheGhouls1959VOSE}}


{{Ed Wood}} {{Ed Wood}}


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Latest revision as of 03:09, 22 December 2024

1984 film by Ed Wood
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Night of the Ghouls
Image DVD cover
Directed byEd Wood
Written byEd Wood
Produced byEd Wood
Tom Mason
Anthony Cardoza
StarringKenne Duncan
Duke Moore
Tor Johnson
Valda Hansen
Paul Marco
Criswell
CinematographyWilliam C. Thompson
Edited byEd Wood
Color processBlack and white
Release date
  • 1959 (1959)
Running time69 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Night of the Ghouls

Night of the Ghouls is a horror film written and directed by Ed Wood. The film was shot between April and May 1958. The film features some reoccurring cast members and characters from Wood's 1955 Bride of the Monster, including Tor Johnson reprising his role of Lobo and Paul Marco again playing the character of Kelton the cop, while the Amazing Criswell plays himself in the frame story of the film. Another returning character is Police Captain Robbins of Homicide, although the character was played by Harvey B. Dunn in Bride of the Monster, and by Johnny Carpenter in Night of the Ghouls.

Plot

At the beginning, Criswell rises from a coffin and narrates the events of the film. Then a montage starts showing juvenile delinquency, street fighting, and driving under the influence. The sequence ends with the bloody corpse of the drunk driver staring blankly at the camera. According to Criswell's narration, this is a rather typical end to "a drunken holiday weekend".

The film then cuts to a teenaged couple kissing in a convertible. When the boy gets too demanding, the girl slaps him and exits the car. The Black Ghost, an undead creature that lurks in the woods near them, later kills the young couple. The murders receive press attention but are thought to be the work of a maniac.

In a police station of East Los Angeles, California, Inspector Robbins waits for Detective Bradford at his office. Bradford soon arrives, dressed in a formal evening wear. He was called to work while on his way to the opera, and he protests the idea of working an unexpected assignment. But Robbins informs him that the case involves the "old house on Willows lake", which played a part in an earlier case investigated by Bradford. The house was destroyed by lightning, but someone rebuilt it. A flashback scene establishes that the elderly Edwards couple had a terrifying encounter with the White Ghost by this house. Having heard the story, Bradford accepts the assignment to investigate the old house. Robbins assigns Kelton to escort the Detective. Kelton has previously dealt with the supernatural in the events depicted in Bride of the Monster and Plan 9 from Outer Space.

Bradford drives to the house and enters through an open door, to be confronted by Dr. Acula, who is dressed in a turban and cryptically mentions that there are many already in the house, both living and dead. Bradford convinces Acula that he is just another prospective client, so his entrance is accepted. One of "the many" in the house is a remnant of its past, Lobo. A character from Bride of the Monster, Lobo is depicted as disfigured from the flames which once destroyed this house. Outside the house, Kelton arrives late and has brief encounters with both the Black Ghost and the White Ghost. Meanwhile, at a séance, Acula and his clients share the table with human skeletons. Dr. Acula turns out to be a fake psychic by the name of "Karl", as Bradford suspected earlier, and reveals that the White Ghost is an actress named Sheila. Her role is to scare away intruders. She is concerned by the presence of the Black Ghost which is not part of their hoax, though the cynical Acula dismisses her fears — he does not believe in the supernatural.

Both Bradford and Kelton have strange and sometimes violent confrontations within the house, and are eventually joined by reinforcements. As their accomplices fall to the police, Karl and Sheila attempt to escape through a mortuary room. There they are confronted by a group of undead men. Among them is Criswell, who is the only one that can speak, who explains to Karl that the supposedly "fake" psychic does have genuine powers and his necromantic efforts actually work. These dead men were restored to life, if only for a few hours, but they intend to take Karl with them in their return to the grave. As Karl dies, Sheila escapes the house to meet her own fate. The Black Ghost, genuinely undead, takes control of the impostor and tells her that it is time to join "the others" at the grave. As the police try to understand what happened to the deceased Karl, we see an undead Sheila, now truly a White Ghost.

In a brief epilogue, the narrator returns to his coffin. Claiming that it is time for both the old dead and the new to return to their graves, he reminds the viewer that they too can soon join them in death.

Cast

  • Kenne Duncan as Dr. Karl Acula
  • Duke Moore as Lt. Dan Bradford (as 'Duke' Moore)
  • Tor Johnson as Lobo (reprising role from Bride of the Monster)
  • Valda Hansen as Sheila, the White Ghost
  • Johnny Carpenter as Capt. Robbins (as John Carpenter) (the character played by Harvey B. Dunn in Bride of the Monster)
  • Paul Marco as Patrolman Kelton (reprising his role from both Bride of the Monster and Plan 9 from Outer Space)
  • Don Nagel as Sgt. Crandall
  • Bud Osborne as Mr. Darmoor
  • Jeannie Stevens as The Black Ghost/Mannequin
  • Harvey B. Dunn as Henry Edwards (Dunn played Captain Robbins in Bride of the Monster)
  • Margaret Mason (Tom Mason's real-life wife) as Martha Edwards
  • Criswell as himself
  • Tom Mason as undead man in coffin
  • Ed Wood and Conrad Brooks as men in fight sequence (footage from Wood's unfinished Hellborn)

Production and analysis

Rob Craig suggests that the film could be in part based on an earlier work, Sucker Money (1933), produced by Willis Kent. The two films have significant similarities in concept. In the earlier film, Swami Yomurda (Mischa Auer) and his minions stage an elaborate scheme to extort money from gullible victims. Yomurda and his group use technological means to convince their victims that they are receiving audiovisual from the otherworld. Craig himself, however, notes that Night of the Ghouls cannot be conceived as a straightforward remake, since Wood used the same template to tell a quite different story from the 1930s melodrama.

There are also notable similarities of this film with one of its contemporaries, The Unearthly (1957) by Boris Petroff. In both films the characters gather at an isolated location far from the city, a charismatic deceiver exploits other humans for his own purposes, promising them extraordinary services, undercover agents of the law manage to expose the conspiracies, and the villains meet their fates at the hands of someone they previously exploited. Tor Johnson also plays a character called "Lobo" in both films, and both of the Lobo characters are monstrous manservants working for the main villains. Both films were shot around the same time, though it is unclear if one was intentionally modeled after the other.

The notion of a genuine ghost and a fake one that are active on the same area is not unique to this film. The Ghost Breakers (1940) has a real ghost appear in the end, Spook Chasers (1957) has a real ghost among several fakes, and Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow (1959) has a real ghost residing in a "fake" haunted house.

Craig considers the film to have elements common in absurdist fiction, and also to have much of the pessimism and nihilism of a typical Samuel Beckett play. The opening montage of violence and the death of the drunk driver serve to underscore both the randomness and the lack of meaning of human life and death. The fates of Karl and Sheila are clearly meant to serve as a form of poetic justice, and the finale can also be seen as a triumph of Death over the mortals trying to exploit it. The final words of Criswell also serve to remind viewers of the truth, that everyone dies and that Death is destined to triumph over Life. Craig finds the film to be Wood's version of a requiem.

The film makes extensive use of static two shot, which David Hogan considered to have contributed to making this an "atypically boring" film by Wood. The film's main setting is the rebuilt house on Willows Lake that burned down in Bride of the Monster. There are frequent references to the mad scientist (Bela Lugosi) and Lobo (Tor Johnson), the latter of whom returns, his face now half-destroyed from the fire. The narrative notion that the house by Willow Lake is a recently reconstructed building is contradicted by the actual appearance of the house, which seems to be old and in disrepair. Craig suggests that the house would not look out of place in a Hooverville.

The formal-wearing police investigator seems a rather anachronistic figure, more reminiscent of a figure from a gothic fiction work or a costume drama. Valda Hansen, who plays the White Ghost, was seen as Wood's ingenue. She had reportedly impressed him with her vivacity and allure. David Hogan considered the spookiest scenes to be the ones featuring either Hansen or Jeannie Stevens, playing the film's ghostly femmes fatales.

Wood, his face hidden by a dark veil, doubled for the Black Ghost in several shots. According to actor Paul Marco, Wood could not get Jeannie Stevens to film these scenes. So he wore the costume and acted as her stand-in. Also, a publicity photo of Wood is seen on a wanted poster on the wall of the police station.

Tom Mason, who doubled for Bela Lugosi in Plan 9 From Outer Space appeared in Night of the Ghouls as one of the undead, while his wife Margaret Mason played the role of "Martha" (the woman in the car frightened by the White Ghost). In 1992, Margaret Mason was one of the people interviewed for the Ed Wood documentary Flying Saucers Over Hollywood: The Plan Nine Companion.

The séances featured in the film have some atypical elements. Skulls are set on the séance table and skeletons are sitting around it. The sound effects and floating trumpet would not be out of place in a 19th-century séance, though the electronically altered voice of the deceased is a far more modern element.

This film is the third part of what Wood aficionados refer to as "The Kelton Trilogy", a trio of films featuring Paul Marco as "Officer Kelton", a whining, reluctant policeman. The other two films were Bride of the Monster and Plan 9 from Outer Space. Although said to be a sequel to Bride of the Monster, Night of the Ghouls featured only two characters from that film (Kelton and Lobo), and, in a retcon, it is claimed that Lt. Bradford had worked on the earlier case when he in fact did not appear in Bride of the Monster. His exploration of Dr. Acula's house was borrowed from Wood's short film Final Curtain and voice-over narration was added to integrate it into the story. As a result, there was no room for Harvey B. Dunn, who played Captain Tom Robbins in Bride of the Monster, to reprise his earlier role. Instead, he was given a small supporting role as a frightened motorist who encounters one of the "ghouls". Wood must have written the screenplay for this film before 1956, as he originally planned to star Bela Lugosi in it.

Release

Night of the Ghouls was originally to be called Revenge of the Dead. A December 1958 article about cast member Valda Hansen described the film as being "soon to be released". A contemporary article in "Famous Monsters of Filmland" referred to the soon-to-be-released film as "Night of the Ghouls". Paul Marco recalled in an interview that the film had a preview screening in 1959 at the Vista Theatre in Hollywood. He said that after watching it on the big screen, Wood felt it needed further editing. A 1959 letter from Wood to Anthony Cardoza, the film's associate producer, records some of Wood's plans to re-edit the film, including removing some of Criswell's scenes and replacing them with some Bela Lugosi archive footage, as well as a possible title change. Wood, however, was never able to make the changes since the film's ownership remained under the control of the lab.

Years later, Kansas City film hobbyist-entrepreneur and Ed Wood fan Wade Williams managed to locate the film, paid the long overdue bills to the lab, and claimed full ownership of it. He also gave it its first home video release via VHS in 1984. This was the film's world premiere.

Critical reception

Writing in AllMovie, critic Bruce Eder reported that the film has "the strangeness, in the dialogue and characterizations, that one expects from one of Wood's movies," that "the edges of Wood's budget show more than ever, both onscreen and even in the music," and that it "isn't nearly as diverting Plan 9 From Outer Space." Film critic Glenn Erickson wrote in DVD Talk, "Of course it's terrible," that "the acting is bad," and that compared to other films by Wood, "it's fairly coherent but more than a little boring, populated by less interesting characters than usual."

Bibliography

  • The Haunted World of Edward D. Wood, Jr. (1996), documentary film directed by Brett Thompson
  • Rudolph Grey, Nightmare of Ecstasy: The Life and Art of Edward D. Wood, Jr. (1992) ISBN 978-0-922915-24-8
  • Will Sloan, "Can Your Heart Stand the Shocking Facts About Kelton the Cop A/K/A Paul Marco?" Filmfax (April 2005), p. 88-89

Sources

References

  1. Grey 1992, p. 206.
  2. ^ Craig (2009), p. 178-199
  3. ^ Hogan (1997), p. 233
  4. ^ Ruffles (2004), p. 211
  5. Challis, Paul, ed. (November 30, 1986). "Worst movies get cult following". The Daily Spectrum. Vol. 24, no. 253 (Washington County ed.). Saint George, Utah: Donald E. Hogan. p. 7 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Craig (2013), p. 135-137
  7. Weaver (2000), p. 257
  8. Lugosi: His Life on Film, Stage, and in the Hearts of Horror Lovers by Gary D. Rhodes (2006) McFarland & Company, ISBN 978-0786427659
  9. Grey 1992, p. 172.
  10. Smith, Helen (December 7, 1958). Fred, Taylor Kraft (ed.). "Half Danish 'Ice Maiden'". Southland. Independent Press-Telegram. Vol. 7, no. 16. Long Beach, California. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Craig 2009, p. 94.
  12. Grey 1992, p. 94.
  13. Teets, John (February 10, 1984). "'Day After' tops latest videocassette entries". TGIF. The Palm Beach Post. Vol. 75, no. 260. p. 25 – via Newspapers.com. 'Night of the Ghouls' is fresh out, with a $49.95 suggested retail, and I can't wait to see if it lives up to its billing as one of the worst films ever made in the United States.
  14. Rhodes & Weaver 2015, p. 72.
  15. Eder, Bruce. "Night of the Ghouls (1960)". AllMovie. Netaktion, LLC. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
  16. Erickson, Glenn. "Night of the Ghouls". DVD Talk. DVDTalk.com. Retrieved 2023-11-02.

External links


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