The Headless Ghost (1959)

Director:

Peter Graham Scott

Writers:

Herman Cohen (writer)
Aben Kandel

Genre:

Comedy | Horror

Tagline:

HEAD-HUNTING TEENAGERS LOST IN THE HAUNTED CASTLE!

Plot:

Three teenagers encounter a ghost who is in limbo until he retrieves his lost head. They do their bit to help him find it.

Plot Keywords:

Ghost | Castle | Portrait | Rat | Day Trip

Cast

Richard Lyon	...	Bill
Liliane Sottane	...	Ingrid Joervets
David Rose	...	Ronnie
Jack Allen	...	The Live Earl of Ambrose
Clive Revill	...	The Ghost of the Fourth Earl of Ambrose
Alexander Archdale	...	The Ghost of Sir Randolph
John Stacy	...	Parker
Carl Bernard	...	Sgt. Grayson
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mary Barclay	...	Lady Ambrose
Trevor Barnett	...	Strongman
Donald Bisset	...	Guide
Josephine Blake	...	Kooch Dancer Ghost
Patrick Connor	...	Constable
Norah Hammond

Directed by
Peter Graham Scott

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Herman Cohen		writer
Aben Kandel		(as Kenneth Langtry)

Produced by
Herman Cohen	....	producer

Original Music by
Gerard Schurmann

Cinematography by
John Wiles

Film Editing by
Bernard Gribble

Production Design by
C. Wilfred Arnold

Makeup Department
Gordon Bond	....	hair stylist
Jack Craig	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Bill Shore	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Ronald Abbott	....	sound
Derek Holding	....	sound effects editor
Sidney Rider	....	sound

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Maude Churchill	....	wardrobe supervisor

Music Department
Muir Mathieson	....	musical director

Production Companies

• Merton Park Studios

Distributors

• Anglo-Amalgamated Film Distributors (1959) (UK) (theatrical)
• American International Pictures (AIP) (1959) (USA) (theatrical)
• VCI Home Video (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (USA) (DVD)
• VCI Entertainment (2010) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

USA:62 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Merton Park Studios

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Goosebumps: The Headless Ghost (#2.5)" (1996)

Mildly amusing.

"The Headless Ghost" is a harmless, very minor but fairly likable little comedy filmed on the cheap in Britian. Three foreign exchange students - Americans Bill (Richard Lyon) and Ronnie (David Rose) and Danish gal Ingrid (Liliane Sottane) - take in the locations of the Ambrose Estate. Ronnie wants to investigate the stories of the place being haunted for his college newspaper and the three certainly do find plenty to write about. The ghosts are real, starting with amiable, helpful Fourth Earl of Ambrose (the great character actor Clive Revill, in his first credited screen role). One of the ghosts, Malcolm, needs his body and his severed head to be reunited so he can properly rest in peace. Bill, Ingrid, and Ronnie are reluctant at first but are eventually persuaded to see this "mission" through to its end. As written by Aben Kandel and producer Herman Cohen, and directed by Peter Graham Scott, there are no real comedy fireworks here. At best, the movie does elicit some modest chuckles, but at least it's all easy enough to take. The trio of protagonists have the potential to annoy some viewers, especially Bill, but the enthusiasm of the actors' performances is effective, and that accent of Sottanes' is hard to resist. Revill scores as the easygoing ghost, and Alexander Archdale is a hoot as the fun loving spirit of Sir Randolph. One debit is that even at a mere one hour and three minutes, this definitely feels padded: better pacing and this could have run even shorter. Still, one can't completely dislike the padding, as it features some incredible dance moves by a sexy performer named Josephine Blake. The special effects aren't bad, the music by Gerard Schurmann is good, and the movie isn't totally without decent black & white atmosphere. Originally released as the second movie in a double feature with Roger Cormans' "A Bucket of Blood", this is indeed lightweight stuff, and pretty damn silly, but it's also impossible to hate. After all, it's not as if we don't know what we're in for judging by the opening credits. Six out of 10.