6.4 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
A homicide detective goes undercover as a patient to investigate a psychotherapist he believes is linked to a strange double murder. As his therapy sessions continue the line between fantasy and reality begins to blur.
Starring: Tom Meeten, Alice Lowe (III), Rufus Jones, Niamh Cusack, Geoffrey McGivernPsychological thriller | 100% |
Drama | 79% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.34:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Note: The Ghoul is one of those films that resists being talked about or described without giving away plot points that could
easily be considered spoilers. I've tried my best to dance around outright revelations in this review, but I heartily encourage anyone wanting to be
surprised by this film to skip the main part of the review or at least try not to read between any veritable lines.
The “west side” of the United States, namely California and Hollywood, became the locus of the American film industry, and in a way at least
somewhat similarly, a western region of London, Ealing, gave its name to one of the best remembered studios in British film history, a company
responsible for all sorts of memorable properties such as Dead of Night,
Whisky Galore!, Kind Hearts and Coronets, The Lavender Hill
Mob, The Man in the White Suit, Passport to Pimlico and The Titfield Thunderbolt. There may be a new appreciation for the venerable Ealing name, albeit with regard to
the borough rather than the studio, as a number of young talents have been emerging in the revitalized independent British cinema world who
have a connection to it. Among those talents are several people associated with The Ghoul, including writer-director Gareth Tunley, as
well as stars Tom Meeten and Alice Lowe. As is documented in the appealing set of interviews included on this Blu-ray as a supplement, rather
unexpectedly several of these new “Ealing crew” members got their starts in stand up comedy or sketch groups, two elements which most
definitely do not show up in The Ghoul, a film which, despite its title, is not a monster movie (at least not in the traditional sense), but is
very much in the David Lynch or Christopher Nolan mode of mind bending thriller territory (both of these directors are in fact cited on the back
cover of the Blu-ray).
The Ghoul is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.34:1. Arrow's insert booklet only has a brief and pretty generic statement about the transfer, stating that the HD master was provided to them by the filmmakers. The commentary talks about the cheaper than cheap digital shoot, which, as stated above in the main body of the review, is intentionally dreamlike, with lots of dissolves, superimposed imagery, shaky cam, deliberate focus inadequacies and surreal imagery. As such, and coupled with the fact that several key sequences (including visits to the murder site) take place in virtual darkness, mean that detail levels as well as general sharpness are pretty widely variable. When the camera is more or less stationary in reasonably lit environments, detail and fine detail are quite excellent, especially in close-ups. Even some dimly lit material features above average fine detail (see screenshot 1). The palette is rather cool a lot of the time, although some bright outdoor moments pop in a more naturalistic and richly suffused way.
The Ghoul features an effective DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix that find some of its most evocative surround activity courtesy of Waen Shepherd's unusual and interesting score. The dreamlike atmosphere allows the sound design to offer effects which aren't necessarily linked to imagery, and there are certain times when there's a disconnect between the audio information and what's being displayed on screen. Long shots of driving around London provide occasional panning effects and good placement of ambient environmental effects. Dialogue is always rendered cleanly and clearly on this problem free track.
The Ghoul is one of those films that virtually demands (at least) a second viewing, and so its Blu-ray debut should be welcomed by those who enjoy sorting out the little clues Tunley drops along the way (for example, I am wondering if the felicitous appearance of a black cat walking in front of a character at one brief moment, something I didn't notice the first time I watched, was intentional). The film is obviously pretty "trippy" and may not appeal to those who like their thrillers straightforward and easy to grasp, and I admittedly am still not sure all the pieces of this puzzle hang together when analyzed fully. That said, the story is intriguing and the performances are uniformly excellent, and Tunley offers a really hallucinatory view of London, which becomes almost a carnival like city of horrors. Technical merits are strong, and The Ghoul comes Recommended.
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