Dr Lawrance (PETER CUSHING) is a defrocked priest who has a terrible secret hidden in his attic - his cannibalistic son whom he is good enough to supply with suitable victims.
Tyburn was the production company fronted by director Freddie Francis' son Kevin Francis. THE GHOUL was the first of two films that Freddie directed for him, the other was LEGEND OF THE WEREWOLF. There is a nice feeling for period detail here and Peter Cushing is as reliable as ever. However, the film is actually a rip-off from PSYCHO and it's certainly far from the best genre movies that Francis directed. The golden age of the British horror film had long gone by the time that this last gasp was produced. Interestingly, the cast includes John Hurt whom Francis would work with when he photographed THE ELEPHANT MAN (1980) for David Lynch. After LEGEND OF THE WEREWOLF, Francis elected to quit horror films and returned to his roots as a successful cinematographer picking up his second Oscar in 1989 for his colour camera-work on GLORY which starred Denzel Washington. Francis is the only Englishman to have won Oscars for both black and white and colour.
Tyburn was the production company fronted by director Freddie Francis' son Kevin Francis. THE GHOUL was the first of two films that Freddie directed for him, the other was LEGEND OF THE WEREWOLF. There is a nice feeling for period detail here and Peter Cushing is as reliable as ever. However, the film is actually a rip-off from PSYCHO and it's certainly far from the best genre movies that Francis directed. The golden age of the British horror film had long gone by the time that this last gasp was produced. Interestingly, the cast includes John Hurt whom Francis would work with when he photographed THE ELEPHANT MAN (1980) for David Lynch. After LEGEND OF THE WEREWOLF, Francis elected to quit horror films and returned to his roots as a successful cinematographer picking up his second Oscar in 1989 for his colour camera-work on GLORY which starred Denzel Washington. Francis is the only Englishman to have won Oscars for both black and white and colour.