The Headless Ghost

One of my sci-fi/horror/fantasy reviews written 50 years ago: Directed by Peter Graham Scott. Produced by Jack Greenwood; Executive Producer: Herman Cohen, for Merton Park Studios, Released in America by American-International Pictures. Screenplay by Aben Kandel and Herman Cohen; Photography by John Wiles; Edited by Bernard Gribble; Music by Gerard Schurmann; Production Manager: Jim O'Connolly. Starring: Richard Lyon, Liliane Sottane, Clive Revill, David Rose, Jack Allen, Carl Bernard, Trevor Barnett and Janina Faye.

Visiting students are thrust into centuries-old battle when they help out a poor old ghost in an old castle. A quite fun little British cheapie picture.

When " The Headless Ghost " was originally released in the United Kingdom it played the lower half of a double feature programme. The main feature was Roger Corman's " A Bucket of Blood ". I saw these two at the Biograph Cinema on Wilton Road, Victoria,in west London, at that time ( 1960 ), the oldest cinema in the capital. Although " The Headless Ghost " was rather tedious fare, it had an innocent charm, and I do recall the odd chuckle. The British Board of Film Censors passed the film for exhibition with a " U " certificate ( for viewing by all ages ). " A Bucket of Blood " was passed with an " X " certificate, for viewing only by those over 16 years of age. As a consequence, no young children were able to enjoy the ghostly delights in this particular double-bill, which, at a little over two hours, must rank as one of the shortest programmes ever. Give " The Headless Ghost " a chance. Play it with the Corman film and try to imagine what it must have been like sitting in a smelly flea-pit, located in a run down part of London, way back half a century ago.

I've just watched The Headless Ghost for the first time and quite liked it, even though I'm not a huge fan of comedy. This had a little drama with it two.

A coach load of tourists arrive at the haunted Ambrose Castle and three of these, two Americans and a young Dainish woman decide to stay behind for the night to see if it really is haunted. It isn't long before strange things start to happen and one of the ghosts appears from a painting and later, they confront the Headless Ghost of the title and end up helping him to get reattach his head to his body and achieve this at the end.

Despite it being a comedy, The Headless Ghost is rather creepy and atmospheric at times.

Watch it if you get the chance. Great fun.

Rating: 3 stars out of 5.

I was impressed at the good grace with which the Earl of Ambrose (Jack Allen) took the impertinence shown by a brash young American visitor in suggesting that claims of the castle being haunted were just 'mularkey' cooked up to draw in the punters; especially as the little oaf doesn't even inquire if he's ever actually seen any ghosts himself.

Despite the whimsical title sequence, the racy exotic dance by Josephine Blake that accompanies the ghostly banquet and a fairly gruesome moment involving a snake (plus the fact that on its original release Anglo-Amalgamated paired this film with the incredibly nasty 'Horrors of the Black Museum', also scored by Gerard Schurmann) belied my initial expectation that this would be a children's film.

The rather grand castle set looks as if it was left over from an earlier production, and the torches in wall mounts left burning overnight would probably even in 1959 have been in breach of fire regulations.

A trio of students aren't convinced that Ambrose Castle is haunted, so they contrive a way to stay overnight, and discover one or two surprises.

It's a little unfair to judge this film in 2020, because to my eyes it is unsophisticated and silly, but at the time I imagine this would have been somewhat imaginative and definitely a little different. For 1959 it looks pretty good, with nice sets and costumes, and a few decent effects. The banquet scene looks very good.

On the downside it is silly, perhaps one to watch with youngsters that enjoy a ghost story, as it does have the feeling of a children's ghost story. Not to be taken seriously, but mildly entertaining. 5/10