MORD39 RATING: *1/2 out of ****
Even in a magically sentimental series such as the Universal Monsters there is bound to be a clunker now and then. THE MAD GHOUL is one of the least effective entries out of the 1940's for the horror studio.
George Zucco is usually reliable as a ruthless madman, but he doesn't seem sufficiently menacing this time around. He subjects a student of his to a poisonous gas and turns the unsuspecting victim into a zombie-like...well, ghoul. But the events that transpire come off as flat and dull and not as interesting as they should be.
Evelyn Ankers, Universal's Scream Queen of the 1940's, is cast as a singer here. The musical segments with her crooning really begin to grate on the nerves after awhile and add boredom to an already limp movie.
Turhan Bey is wasted as a love interest with nothing to do but look dashing.
There are quite a few enjoyable horrors from 1943 in the Universal stable (FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN and SON OF DRACULA for example) but THE MAD GHOUL is not one of them.