Disturbing yet enthralling

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Sentenced to a horrific death by his evil father for cowardess, Canterville her Charles Laughton must find a brave descendent to be released from a family curse. 300 years go by with no luck, and with his abandoned castle now inhabited by American soldiers. the bored ghost does what the idol dead do: pass the time by trying to scare the living. It's no shock to the audience that ironically one of those Americans (Robert Young) has the family birth mark, and with the help of distant Canterville relative (Margaret O'Brien), Young fulfills his destiny, faces his own cowardess and aides Laughton in escaping from the curse which keeps ghosts earthbound eternally.A true crowd pleaser, mixing in comedy, slight horror and war propaganda, this features three great performances, two of which are by notorious scene stealers and hams. Laughton is showy but filled with touching philosophy, longing for eternal rest after 300 years of a living non death, and O'Brien only goes off on a screeching tangent once but out of necessity. Young proves himself as always to be the completely likable all American hero. Joining them are Rags Ragland as Young's best pal, Una O'Connor as the hysterical and superstitious maid, and Elisabeth Risdon as Obrien's kindly aunt. There's a great jitterbug scene (referred to as woogie boogie by two British locales), a funny attempted haunting sequence by Laughton (where he gets scared himself) and an encounter with a missile at the end which is both tense and funny. An absolute winner overall in my book!

The current rating for this film (6.7) is too low. A more accurate figure would be between 7 and 8. This is an excellent film, a classic fantasy picture on par with Lost Horizon (1937), Miracle on 34th Street (1947), The Old Dark House (1932), Scrooge (1935), Scrooge (1938), Blithe Spirit (1945), Gaslight (1940), I Walked with a Zombie (1943), The Uninvited (1944), Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), Dead of Night (1945), Death Takes a Holiday (1934), Alice in Wonderland (1933). It's not quite as good as It's a Wonderful Life, A Matter of Life and Death (Stairway to Heaven), Babes in Toyland (1934), Cat People (1944), The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941), Picture of Dorian Gray (1945), Thief of Baghdad (1940), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932).

Margaret O'Brien tries to help one of her long-dead ancestors in "The Canterville Ghost," a 1944 film also starring Charles Laughton, Robert Young, and Frank Faylen. Jessica de Canterville's (O'Brien) family owns a castle which is being used to house soldiers during their stay in the area. The castle has a very famous ghost named Sir Simon de Canterville (Charles Laughton) whose father had him imprisoned inside a wall for cowardice centuries earlier. Simon roams the castle, looking like the Cowardly Lion in royal costume. The only way he can rest for eternity is if a relative performs a courageous act in his name, i.e., by taking his signet ring and wearing it when he does the brave thing. Alas, the entire family for centuries has run the other way when danger appears, so Simon isn't having any luck. When six-year-old Lady Jessica de Canterville realizes that one of the soldiers is related to her, she begs him to help poor, tired Simon.This is a wonderful movie, buoyed by the presence of Margaret O'Brien, surely one of the most adorable children to ever hit the screen. She's a fine actress, too - very sincere and natural. Although Mary Astor wrote in her diary that she was terrified of O'Brian during the filming of "Meet Me in St. Louis," it's kind of hard to believe. Charles Laughton turns in another masterful performance as Simon, who scares people because he thinks that as a ghost, it's what he should do. He's a riot. As Cuffy Williams, the soldier related to Jessica and Simon, Robert Young is very good as a man who begins to doubt his own courage."The Canterville Ghost" is loads of fun for the entire family, with plenty of comedy and some nice lessons, one of which is, when you really want something, you often need patience until you achieve it.

Okay, I'm the first to admit this movie has almost nothing to do with Wilde's original story, but I can't help loving it. Like most versions of the story, this one is adapted for the time it was made in, so this one revolves around war and bravery. When I was eight years old I forced my entire birthday party to watch this movie and every year after they all always wanted to watch it. It's been a long time since I 've had a birthday party like that, but some of those friends have even gone out and bought the movie since then. We all had a little crush on Robert Young in this. Margaret O'Brian is fabulous sneaking around the Ghost's room and doing her bob of a curtsy. And of course Charles Laughton spitting in at the portraits of his cowardly kinsmen. The comedic timing is wonderful and there are great one liners. Best line: "I believe they call it woogie boogie".