Horror Countdown 2015: Night of the Ghouls (1959)

Night of the Ghouls (1959) dir. Ed Wood, Wade Williams Presentation

And now we bring down the curtain on Edward D. Wood Jr.'s last horror film before he began his slow descent into skin flicks and juvenile delinquency scare films.

We open with a lengthy use of stock footage with Criswell (himself) narrating. When we finally get to footage shot for the film, it's the age old standard of two teens making out in a parked car. When the boy gets too fresh, the girl slaps him and storms off. Tragic for them both their make-out session took place near the stomping grounds of the Black Ghost (Jeannie Stevens), who hates the living. Their grisly remains are blamed on a roving maniac.

Captain Robbins (John Carpenter) summons Lt. Bradford (Duke Moore) and puts him on the case. He specifically wants Bradford, as the kids were murdered "near the old house on Willows Lake" and since Bradford was so quick to solve the last case, and since someone went to the trouble of rebuilding the old place since it was destroyed last time, leads the police to think something is afoot.

Patrolman Kelton (Paul Marco) is assigned to work with Bradford. The policeman grouses about having to deal with mad doctors, aliens, and monsters all the time since he joined the force.

Bradford, still dressed in his top and tails, rushes out to the old house. Greeted by the strange Dr. Acula (Kenne Duncan), Bradford passes himself off as a prospective client. Acula hints that there are other people in the house besides his audience for his seances. He's right, as Lobo (Tor Johnson) is alive, burned, and crazy. Kelton, meanwhile, is menaced by both the Black Ghost and the White Ghost (Valda Hansan).

Bradford is right to suspect something, as Dr. Acula confronts the White Ghost. It seems the pair are fakers, passing themselves off as a psychic and a ghost, respectfully. The White Ghost is worried though. What if the Black Ghost is real? Dr. Acula doesn't think so, but then there have been some odd noises coming from the basement in recent days...

Shot in 1958 but not released until the following year, Night of the Ghouls does have some neat ideas. A phony psychic summoning real ghosts? That could have been a tight little story even if the continuity is a bit screwy. I suppose that about sums up Mr. Wood's career. A grain of something good buried under mounds of junk.