The Mad Ghoul (1943) dir. James Hogan, Universal Pictures Company, Inc.
Moving into the Universal Monsters proper, we find ourselves in the mid-40s.
Dr. Morris (George Zucco) has discovered a rare type of nerve gas used by the Mayans. He hires medical student Ted Allison (David Bruce) to help him in his research. Allison is a good assistant, but Morris mostly hired him due to Allison's girlfriend, musician Isabel (Evelyn Ankers). Morris has a rather strong fixation on the singer.
So naturally he exposes Ted to the gas, turning him into a kind of zombie. The state can be reversed, however, but only with fluid from a fresh heart. With this down, Morris and Ted follow Isabel on her tour. Morris makes overtures to Isabel, but she interprets this to go after her pianist Eric (Turhan Bey)
The police, in a rather surprisingly sharp move, notice the rash of grave robbing that happens along Isabel's tour. This points Morris and Ted on a collision course with not only Isabel but also Eric.
Not awful, but points for having the closest thing to an accurate ghoul on screen. Zucco saves the film, although Bey is stuck in rather thankless role.
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