Session: Italian Gothic Horror Month, Week 4
Movie: The Ghost (1963)
Directed by Riccardo Freda
As always, there may be spoilers here. And the trailer may be NSFW and/or NSFL.
Plot:
After he is killed by his wife and her lover, Dr. Hichcock seems to be coming back for revenge. Hilarity ensues.
Reaction:
A kind of crossover between gothic horror, crimmi and giallo, The Ghost was definitely the best of the four films we saw in this session. All the main characters are contemptible, which endears the film to me.
It will be a long time before I forget the razor-slashing scene, with the blood pouring down the screen. And I loved the aspect of the plot that everyone is trying to fuck everyone else over -- so the most dangerous thing a character can do is trust another character. I just eat up that kind of shit.
The only thing I didn't like -- though I recognize it was necessary -- was Hichcock's monologue near the end, in which he explained to his now-paralyzed wife how he accomplished everything he did. It was necessary because, without it there would have been a bajillion apparent plot holes. The audience would be saying, "Wait! How did he do this? How did he do that? How did he do the other?" Somehow, the only way the screenwriters could fill in those holes was through an expository speech in which Hichcock literally explained everything. I hate those devices, as they always seem artificial.
Keith disagrees with me on that last point. He said that he can see Hichcock delivering that monologue because he was so proud of his elaborate plan. I don;t buy it, but I figured I'd acknowledge it here.
Ratings:
Me: 8.5
Christina: 9.5
Ethan: 8.5
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