ANTON PHIBES

The Phibes Philes:  Ed Wood’s Night Of The Ghouls

The Phibes Philes:  Ed Wood’s Night Of The Ghouls

I firmly believe that “Plan 9 from Outer Space” is a genuine classic of cinema. Any film student can make a competent monster movie; only maestro Ed Wood could’ve given us something as magnificent as “Plan 9.” They say it’s the “worst movie ever made,” but no film that entertaining can even be considered for such a title. There’s more heart and bizarre creativity in one millisecond of “Plan 9” than there is in the average summer blockbuster. Criswell’s histrionic hosting, Tor Johnson’s hulking menace, and Vampira’s eerie presence are all things I treasure deeply. “Plan 9” is one of the most beloved “bad” movies of all time, and it happens to be one of my favorite movies.

Ed Wood’s “Glen or Glenda” and “Bride of the Monster” enjoy similar reputations as “awful” films that are genuinely entertaining. However, Wood made one last monster movie before he made the leap to nudies and pornography: the inexplicable “Night of the Ghouls.” There’s no massive cult following for this Wood Wonder. People don’t even think enough about this movie to call it the worst ever. However, I would argue that it’s by far his “best” movie. By that, I mean it’s his most technically accomplished. In the case of an Ed Wood picture, that may have hurt its reputation. “Night of the Ghouls” is too well-made to endear itself the way “Plan 9” did. It’s also too silly to really function as a straight horror movie. In a body of work crafted by and loved by outsiders, “Night of the Ghouls” remains the resident misfit.

“Night of the Ghouls” wasn’t released… it escaped. Made in 1959 but released in 1983, the film was locked away in a post-production house for decades. Wood could not pay the lab fees, so “Night of the Ghouls” was hidden away like the Ark of the Covenant in a government warehouse. It wasn’t until eccentric B-movie collector Wade Williams paid the lab fees and released the movie on fabulous home video. Considering that it was essentially lost for decades before Ed Wood became a pop culture icon, it’s astonishing how well it works with the director’s other major films. In fact, it firmly establishes three of them as being set within a single universe. Marvel wishes they had a series as bold and audacious as the Ed Wood Cinematic Universe.

There are some clear ties to “Plan 9 from Outer Space” here. The most obvious connection is the inclusion of a real-life fake psychic, The Amazing Criswell, whose predictions were almost always wrong. (The only time he was correct was when he predicted US President John F. Kennedy would not run for re-election in 1964 because something was going to happen to him in November 1963. Creepy.) Criswell reprises his role as the narrator, hamming it up the way only Criswell could. He even figures into the actual story as one of the undead. Criswell is the one element that really brings “Night of the Ghouls” into “so-bad-it’s-good” territory, but I wouldn’t trade him for the world. Wood, however, did not share my sentiment. Apparently, he wanted to replace some of Criswell’s scenes with archival footage of Bela Lugosi.

With all that said, “Night of the Ghouls” is really a sequel to “Bride of the Monster,” the schlock sensation that gave the world Bela Lugosi’s “Atomic Supermen” speech. For starters, the script frequently references the case involving the “old house on Willows Lake,” which directly connects to the previous film. There’s no killer octopus this time, but the inimitable wrestler Tor Johnson reprises his role as the silent brute Lobo. This time, Lobo was severely burnt after the event of “Bride of the Monster,” showing off some pretty impressive scar makeup. However, the most significant connection is Paul Marco, the bumbling cop Kelton, who is the only character to appear in all three movies. In fact, some people refer to these movies as the Kelton the Cop Trilogy. Another returning character is Police Captain Robbins of Homicide, although Harvey B. Dunn played the character in Bride of the Monster. Here, he is played by John Carpenter. Unfortunately, it’s not THAT John Carpenter.

The plot itself is pretty neat. Fake medium Dr. Acula (possibly the first major use of that wonderfully awful joke) stages phony seances at the house where “Bride of the Monster” happened. Unfortunately for Dr. Acula and his fellow shysters, the Doc’s powers are more powerful than even he realizes, and the dead soon walk the earth for 13 hours. (Why 13? It’s spooky, that’s why!) Jeannie Stevens, as The Black Ghost, is filling in for Vampira, who stares right into the viewer’s soul with her piercing gaze. As previously mentioned, Criswell plays a zombie in the same exact manner in which he narrates. We also have a trumpet on a string, a sheet ghost dancing to a slide whistle, and Ed Wood’s headshot used as the world’s least convincing wanted poster. As expected from Wood, it’s gloriously goofy.

And yet, it isn’t nearly as goofy as one would expect. The story flows rather well, the atmosphere is effective, and there are even a few shots I would dare call effective. A few critics have suggested that Wood was actually in on the joke, that his unintentionally silly style was actually very intentional. I don’t know how true that is, but certain moments in “Night of the Ghouls” suggest that Wood had a good sense of humor. The most surprising thing about “Night of the Ghouls” is that it could almost pass as a ’40s Universal thriller. It’s certainly nowhere near “The Wolf Man,” though it isn’t far removed from “Night Monster” or the “Inner Sanctum” movies. Perhaps Ed Wood could’ve been a decent studio director in another life. It’s just lucky for us that we got the one-of-a-kind Wood, who mastered cardboard tombstones and bizarre uses of stock footage.

Am I saying “Night of the Ghouls” is a hidden gem? Well, I guess I am! It’s no “Plan 9 from Outer Space,” but nothing will ever approach that masterpiece. To me, “Night of the Ghouls” is excellent for the same reasons I think it’s been neglected. It’s a better-than-average Wood film on the technical side, so you get a decent haunted house picture that also has Wood’s quirks. Wood himself reportedly played The Black Ghost in some shots. Very few directors would have the nerve to try that, but Wood had plenty of nerve and heart. That heart is what separates this from other serviceable spook pictures from the era. With Wood’s recognizable trademarks and a cast of recognizable oddballs, “Night of the Ghouls” feels like a family reunion. I’m glad they paid that lab bill.

ANTON PHIBES
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