The Ghost Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Ghost Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 20, 2026

Riccardo Freda's "The Ghost" (1863) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films. The supplemental features on the release include recent audio interview with star Barbara Steele; recent program with film historian Roberto Curti; recent program author and critic with Tim Lucas; archival program with actress actress Harriet Medin; original trailers; and more. In English or Italian, with optional English and English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Acknowledging a proper relationship between The Ghost and its famous predecessor, The Horrible Dr. Hichcock, is not difficult. However, it is quite difficult to tell whether this relationship was always intended. The Ghost begins with a pretty rough sequence that establishes its relationship to The Horrible Dr. Hichcock but then abruptly veers in an entirely new direction. It is unclear why. It feels like something, possibly crucial, is missing here, either because it was never filmed, or because it was filmed but later, for some unknown reason, removed.

Barbara Steele’s performance also makes it easy to speculate that perhaps the relationship between The Ghost and The Horrible Dr. Hichcock should have been of greater significance. In both films, Steele’s performance is crucial for the management of the desired atmosphere. However, in The Ghost, the spooky material and drama frequently clash in awkward ways, suggesting there should have been more, or that additional material might have been filmed but left on the cutting floor.

Scotland, 1910. In a secluded castle, the very wealthy, seriously ill, wheelchair-bound Dr. John Hichcock (Elio Jotta) is looked after by his significantly younger wife, Margaret (Steele), and Dr. Charles Livingstone (Peter Baldwin), with whom she is having an affair. After the two lovers poison Dr. Hichcock and he is buried, his will, featuring a detailed description of how his wealth is to be distributed, is unsealed. However, while attempting to outsmart the family lawyer, the loyal maid (Harriet Medin), and everyone else in the area who has begun speculating that Dr. Hichcock’s death may have been premature, the lovers are confronted by a ghost, looking a lot like the dead Dr. Hichcock, trying to spoil their happiness.

Riccardo Freda’s films -- virtually all of them, not just his horror films -- are very easy to deconstruct once one realizes that they tend to mimic the strengths of Mario Bava’s best films. However, this is pretty ironic because Freda was the more experienced director, and Bava learned a lot from him while working as a cinematographer and lighting technician on many of his projects.

The Ghost is a minor entry in Freda’s oeuvre. However, because it reunited Freda and Steele immediately after The Horrible Dr. Hichcock, and was essentially a ‘lost film’ for many years, it developed a reputation. Now that it has been fully restored in 4K, it is easy to evaluate properly and, of course, compare to The Horrible Dr. Hichcock.

All things considered, including whether The Ghost may or may not have been conceived as some type of meaningful sequel, The Horrible Dr. Hichcock is unquestionably the superior film. For an entirely predictable reason, too. It produces a better atmosphere, making Steele’s performance more intriguing. The Ghost is a decent looking film. However, it works with simpler, rougher material, which makes it awfully difficult for Freda to be creative in any memorable ways.

The Ghost Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Ghost arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films.

The release introduces an exclusive new 4K restoration of The Ghost, sourced from the original camera negative and a 35mm release print. The 4K restoration was completed at Augustus Color and produced by Severin Films.

The 4K restoration is also made available on 4K Blu-ray in this combo pack release. I viewed most of it in native 4K and the rest in 1080p on the Blu-ray.

The 4K restoration and its native 4K and 1080p presentations are enormously satisfying. While small fluctuations remain, all visuals have strong, very pleasing organic quality. Just by looking at the screencaptures provided with this review, the darker and brighter ones, it is easy to conclude that The Ghost has never looked this good on a home video release before. On my system, some visuals look slightly more attractive in 1080p because the higher resolution and HDR grade can exacerbate the fluctuations mentioned above. Color reproduction and balance are very good. Some small fluctuations are again noticeable, but all primaries and supporting nuances are properly set, ensuring that the entire film has a very faithful period appearance. Image stability is excellent. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

The Ghost Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit) and Italian: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit). Optional English SDH (for the former) and English (for the latter) subtitles are provided.

The English track is preferable because the stars deliver their lines in English. However, it features overdubbing, and select sections of are pretty uneven. If you turn up the volume slightly more than usual, you will also hear light hiss trying to sneak in as well. Obviously, these are native limitations, so the lossless track retains them. Dynamic contrasts are rather good, or at least given the nature, quality, and age of the production. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

The Ghost Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by critic Kat Ellinger.

• Barbara Steele - in this audio interview, Barbara Steele discusses her childhood years in London, why she was attracted to Paris, and the evolution of her acting career. Steele also comments on her professional relationships various directors, like Federico Fellini, Mario Bava, Ricardo Freda, and Joe Dante, as well as some of the characters she played over the years. In English, not subtitled. (45 min).

• Harriet Medin and Tim Lucas - in 1986, Tim Lucas interviewed American actress Harriet Medin about her work with Mario Bava for his book Mario Bava: All the Colors of the Dark. During the two interviews, they also discussed her work with Riccardo Freda on The Horrible Dr. Hichcock and The Ghost. Content from these interviews is presented here. In English, not subtitled. (11 min).

• Barbara Steele Presents the 4K Restoration - presented here is footage from the Venice Film Festival and L'etrange Festival in Paris, where Barbara Steele presented the new 4K restoration of The Ghost and answered various questions about her contribution to it. David Gregory from Severin Films is present as well. In Italian, French, and English, with English subtitles where necessary. (17 min).

• Till Death Returns - in this recent program, film historian Roberto Curti discusses the conception and production of The Ghost, as well as some of its unique qualities. In Italian, with English subtitles. (23 min).

• Wounds of Deceit - this new video essay on Barbara Steele was created by critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas. In English, not subtitled. (12 min).

• Give Up the Ghost - this new video essay on The Ghost was created by critic Tim Lucas. In English, not subtitled. (29 min).

• Trailer One - presented here is an Italian trailer for the new 4K restoration of The Ghost. In Italian, with English subtitles. (4 min).

• Trailer Two - presented here is a vintage, quite rough American trailer for The Ghost. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

The Ghost Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In America, Severin Films has been the biggest champion of Italian genre cinema. It makes perfect sense that the gorgeous 4K restoration of Riccardo Freda's The Ghost, considered by many a 'lost film', featured on this Blu-ray release had to be produced by Severin Films. If you choose to acquire The Ghost for your collection, bundle it with Freda's The Horrible Dr. Hichcock, also with Barbara Steele. which is a far more effective Italian Gothic horror film. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.