HAVING A GREAT TIME over at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE! right now! Where many of our #FRIENDS and #PCASUK #FOLLOWERS are seeing this Peter Cushing classic movie, for the first time! Prepare
to be wrapped in the haunting fog of the moor, a house with terrible
secret and a film with its foundations, strongly planted in another
time. When producer Kevin Francis made this film, he wanted the script
and the language on the screen to be of a past cinematic era. He
succeeded... have fun with this one and feel free to leave your comments on this film in the thread! Take care and Stay Safe! - Marcus
ABOVE: A RE-RELEASE of the UNCENSORED 'TASTE of FEAR' VHS version of 'THE GHOUL'
TYBURN FILMS THE GHOUL (1975) was originally certified by the UK BBFC at a duration of 93 minutes following cuts
to (a) remove the third close-up of the knife embedded in Geoffrey's
face (b) remove a knee to the groin delivered by Veronica Carlson to
John Hurt. However, the subsequent theatrical version was only 87 minutes long
following some last minute snipping by the distributors. The full 93 minutes
version, with BBFC cuts restored, was subsequently released on UK video
on the 'Taste of Fear' label. The differences are as follows:
THE OPENING party sequence is extended by about 2 minutes 30 seconds via several
additional dialogue extensions that largely serve to explain Carlson's
character. In particular the conversation between her and Ian McCulloch
when she is sitting in the car is nearly a minute longer and the
subsequent three way conversation by another car involving Stewart Bevan
is extended by about 40 seconds.
ABOUT 35 MINUTES into the film, directly after Peter Cushing asks Carlson
whether there is anything she would like before dinner, the extended
version has a new sequence lasting about 2 minutes and 30 seconds in which Carlson is
escorted upstairs to her bedroom and takes a bath, in this sequence Carlson's left breast is briefly visible. This sequence is
missing entirely from the theatrical print and believed removed by the distributor at the time, through requests by BBFC.
AFTER THE BACH TOCATTA AND FUGUE strikes up on the soundtrack the extended
version has an extra 1 minute showing Carlson emerge from the bedroom,
clothed again, and go down the stairs where she then peeks in on Cushing
in his chapel. In the theatrical version, it's a bit odd that Cushing is
surprised by her given that in the previous scene they'd been together
in his drawing room.
MATTHEW CONIAM'S FASCINATING dig, to FIND THE GHOUL. A past PCASUK feature, with a great gallery and some updates! FIND IT : HERE!
