The Ghoul Reviews

This extremely rare Boris Karloff vehicle had been virtually unavailable in the US until Sinister Cinema video came up with a tape taken from British television. While the film has developed something of a "lost classic" reputation over time (after years of searching, a print was finally found in New York City in 1969), it is certainly no masterpiece--but quite interesting nonetheless. Karloff's first British film (he left England in 1909) casts him as Prof. Morlant, an eccentric English Egyptologist obsessed with the powers of the ancient Egyptian gods. On his deathbed he commands his servant, Laing (Ernest Thesiger), to bind the sacred jewel known as "The Eternal Light" to his hand, warning that if the jewel is stolen, he will return from the grave seeking revenge. After Morlant's death, a greedy lawyer, a bogus priest, and an Egyptian student arrive at the estate and search for the jewel. When it is wrenched out of his hand, the dead Morlant indeed comes back to life, strangles the guilty party, and returns to his tomb with the jewel. Made and released on the heels of Karloff's hit THE MUMMY, this was one of the first English attempts at horror, and the filmmakers obviously looked to the popular Universal film for inspiration. Fairly moody and atmospheric, the film relies heavily on Karloff's presence for effect, but by killing him off at the beginning, then bringing him back for the climax, it burdens itself with a long, dull stretch in the middle that has no dynamic power of its own. Luckily, the excellent cast Gaumont assembled helps move things along. Remade in 1962 as the comedy NO PLACE LIKE HOMICIDE!