Better Late Then Never

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Ghouls! The movie itself is a ghoul. It dwelled in a filmic graveyard for 23 years before some misguided soul unearthed the remains and paid to process the film. Now the creature wanders the dark halls of cable and sadistic late shows inflicting groans, snickers, and stomach-aches on masochists like me. No, it doesn't reach the inspired level of Plan 9, but it tries. Filmed in somebody's seedy garage (Wood never uses sets when a curtain will do), the goofy Wood trademarks are all present—bad acting, clueless dialog, a $1.50 budget, and his beloved lightning bolts which I take are from angry movie gods with bad aim. Then there's a pair of Wood's all- stars— the poor man's Nostradamus, Criswell, and everyone's favorite man mountain, Tor Johnson. Still, Woods' goulash does have one distinction— the worst comedy relief on record. Where Paul Marco came from I don't know, but his Patrolman Kelton makes Barney Fife look like Einstein, and about a fraction as funny. I'm just sorry our old six-gun pal Kenne Duncan needed a payday or at least bus fare to the beach. You can tell he misses those old Saturday matinees by the way he sleepwalks through his lines. Okay, on the subject of Wood, I'm beating a dead horse. So let me put down the word processor and find out when his next fun-fest is on. Oh my gosh, the biggest horror of all— I'm looking forward to it.

The last DVD left in my Ed Wood box, Night of the Ghouls. Again, Ed Wood loved to keep me on my toes after being surprised by the last couple of films that I saw that were created by him. Glen or Glenda being a sad documentary that went into a strange warped scary movie. Plan 9 which is just as hilarious as they say it is. Bride of the Monster which is silly but meant with good intentions and a great performance by Bela Lugosi . Jail Bait which turned out to be a good film and was extremely well written. Night of the Ghouls was made after Plan 9 from Outer Space, so I know that he wasn't on his hot streak any more. But bless him, he does try, unfortunately he fell flat with this one. While it's certainly silly at times, with some over the top bad special effects, bad performances there are some laughingly bad moments. But given credit where it's due, I understood where Ed Wood was going with this story and had the creepy elements to it, they just were not met with the limited means that he should have been given.A team of scam-artist mediums make money out of unsuspecting clients until, much to their surprise, some real ghosts arrive to haunt them. I don't know if I would recommend this film, if you are looking to watch any of Ed Wood's work, I would say to go for it. But it's a bad movie, like I said, it's the actors and the special effects that really killed the whole idea of what Ed Wood had in mind. He has a couple of his regulars in here, but unfortunately not the good kind with Criswald and the ever larger than life Tor Johnson. But Ed Wood never did judge people, if he did he would never have any friends. I think the funniest thing about this film was the flying trumpet that was so obviously being hung on a string. There are walking skeletons that are obviously being propped up. Like I said, not good effects, but they get a good chuckle. Over all, not the worst movie I have ever seen in my life, but it is Ed's worst since you could give credit where it's due with his other films. However Ed Wood had passion for film and I hope that future generations will see his gift and study his work. His world may be crazy, but at least he gave it a very good try.3/10

Ed Wood loses Bela Lugosi. His "Plan 9" wasn't what he thought it was, nobody seems interested in his hopes to create something meaningful, and so he decides to return to the Gothic horror films he loved as a child, in some sense, maybe, possibly, slightly, to start afresh. And he fails. Again.Night of the Ghouls loses a lot that makes "Plan 9 from Outer Space" so endearing. It's corny premise has no world-changing theme to back it up. Bela Lugosi can't add his particular brand of screen presence to at least make the film digestible. Others of his stock company aren't even talking to him. Thus, Wood makes up for lost encouragement by adding more silly lightning strikes, a floating saxophone (oh yeah, you can see the strings, just like the flying saucers in "Plan 9"), a man in a sheet as a ghost, and even worse sound editing and acting to basically reach what I feel is his lowest and most incompetent results. Is it possible the man is just trying to fail? If there's anything redeemable in this, it's that Ed Wood still believes with all his heart that Tor Johnson is scary, and that helps make Night of the Ghouls just as charming and cute as his previous features. Also, this film is at least more interesting than "Jail Bait" because Wood's imagination is out to provide the most random and outrageous results. "Night of the Ghouls" is, and should always be, one of Wood's lesser known works, but for any Woodheads out there it's still worth the rental it undoubtedly remains.--PolarisDiB

'Night' meets the high standards Edward D. Wood, Jr. It's a minor classic, albeit a crucial one, commensurate with the 1953 psychodrama, "Glen or Glenda", termed by scurrilous wags 'Bargain Basement Equus'.Previously unaware of 'Night's' existence, I enjoyed it on Elvira's L.A. TV show. I was living in Palm Springs pursuing film work. I therefore appreciated those who bravely film the unfilmable. 'Night' is just that - unfilmable. 'Dr. Acula' is a pun so moronic it would shame a five year old. It defines the film. Clueless starlets wander groggily. A bumbling - and badly overacting cop - quakes before them. Dr. Acula scams the rich.Sound familiar? You bet. Sham-psychics scamming wealthy swells were featured in Raymond Chandler's Phillip Marlowe novels. Albeit with one trifling distinction. Chandler could write. Ed Wood, well....'Night' is not without merit. Paul Marco's overblown 'Kelton' could be sold as 'Do This on Your First Audition & It Will be Your Last'. There are good performances. There are bad. There are a precious few which embarrass viewers. Thespian Marco strives for that mark - and hits it. Cheesy sets used with shameless repetition abound. Watch for the pine-panel door. It's in the police station. It's in 'Dr. Acula's' home. It's all over. Like dog doot. And, please, would some kind soul explain why in all Wood films, walls are hung with heavy drapes? Spaceships, police stations, doctor's offices, the drapes..the drapes... What is the hidden meaning?As with audition techniques, never do what Wood's cops and robbers do. Why do they flick a gun when pulling its trigger? Cryptic symbolism? Artifice, a cinematic trick to direct your eyes to it? Underscore emotionality behind the shot? One thing it's not is good shooting. Flicking guns won't make bullets go faster. It simply makes them go where they shouldn't. The camera always tells the truth. Watch the eyes and faces of those gathered round Dr. Acula. Curiosity and awe in a twinkling turn to 'what on earth am I doing here?' You may ask yourself as much as the film slogs to its boring conclusion. Still, you'll appreciate why it takes more than being Tor Johnson to play Calliban. You'll know why Criswell's narration is no substitute for that of Orson Welles. Then again, Orson Welles couldn't produce Night of the Ghouls.Paul Vincent ZecchinoManasoviet Key, FL30 January, 2006