morrison-dylan-fan
Coming down with a nasty cold,I started looking round for an easy- going film to view.With having originally watched the movie for IMDbs Classic Film boards beast of 1959 poll,I decide that it was the perfect time to go ahead and meet the headless ghost again.The plot:Planning to write a paper based on a haunted castle,Ronnie and his friends Ingrid and Bill decide to take a tour of the castle.Reaching the end of the tour,the trio are told that the ghosts come out at night.Hiding in the castle until all the tourists have gone,Bill,Roonie and Ingrid soon uncover a curse that has been touring the castle for centuries. View on the film:Before getting to the movie,I have to mention that Network have given the title an excellent transfer,with the soundtrack allowing the viewer to hear every ghostly scream,and the clear picture allowing the viewer to see a headless ghost dart across the screen.Running at a trim 60 minutes,the screenplay by Herman Cohen & Aben Kandel offers a delightful mix of light comedy and horror,as the ghostly events of the castle are joined by the "Aww shucks" of the trio.Locking the ghosts in the castle,the writers give each of them unique,funny features which go from the unlucky 4th Earl to the playful Sir Randolph.Uncovering the secrets hidden in director Peter Graham Scott's shadow-filled castle,the alluring Liliane Sottane gives a terrific performance as Ingrid,with Sottane giving Ingrid a real sense of excitement over solving the curse,the gang start to get a head of the headless ghost.
Woodyanders
Three foreign exchange students -- excitable Americans Bill (likable Richard Lymon) and Ronnie (the equally engaging David Rose) and smart Danish gal Ingrid (a charming performance by lovely buxom blonde Liliane Sottane) -- go on a day trip to the allegedly haunted Ambrose Castle in England. They spend the night and discover that the place is haunted for real by various ghosts that include one particular hapless headless fellow who the trio have to help regain his severed noggin. Director Peter Graham Scott, working from a lightweight script by Herman Cohen and Aben Kandel, relates the frothy story at a steady pace and maintains a perfectly amiable tongue-in-cheek tone throughout. The silly and inoffensive humor doesn't get many big laughs, but it does provide a sizable number of smiles. The ghosts are a colorful and entertaining bunch, with stand-out work by Clive Revill as the friendly, helpful Fourth Earl of Ambrose and Alexander Archdale as the jolly, mischievous Sir Randolph. Josephine Blake has a memorably sexy bit as a gorgeous slave girl who performs a sultry dance. John Wiles' crisp black and white cinematography boasts plenty of nifty fades and dissolves. Gerard Schurmann's dynamic score does the trick. A pleasant 62 minute diversion.
malcolm-webb
When " The Headless Ghost " was originally released in the United Kingdom it played the lower half of a double feature programme. The main feature was Roger Corman's " A Bucket of Blood ". I saw these two at the Biograph Cinema on Wilton Road, Victoria,in west London, at that time ( 1960 ), the oldest cinema in the capital. Although " The Headless Ghost " was rather tedious fare, it had an innocent charm, and I do recall the odd chuckle. The British Board of Film Censors passed the film for exhibition with a " U " certificate ( for viewing by all ages ). " A Bucket of Blood " was passed with an " X " certificate, for viewing only by those over 16 years of age. As a consequence, no young children were able to enjoy the ghostly delights in this particular double-bill, which, at a little over two hours, must rank as one of the shortest programmes ever. Give " The Headless Ghost " a chance. Play it with the Corman film and try to imagine what it must have been like sitting in a smelly flea-pit, located in a run down part of London, way back half a century ago.
bensonmum2
I suppose that The Headless Ghost is harmless enough, but honestly, movies don't get much more bland than this. It's a bit like eating a mayonnaise sandwich on white bread - not very exciting with nothing to look forward to. The plot is laid out in the first 10 minutes and everything that follows fits nicely in place with nary a surprise in sight. While touring a supposed haunted castle, three college students hide out so they can spend the night and write about their experiences. They soon meet a whole gang of ghosts - one of which is missing his head. To get out of the castle, the intrepid trio will have to help the ghost find his head. Unfortunately, that's about all there is to it. What a big bland way to spend an hour or so of your life! The college students are as dull as dishwater, their comedy bits are too lame to be funny, there's not a thrill or fright to be had, and the dialogue is stilted and uninteresting. In fact there's really not an exciting moment to be had in all of The Headless Ghost. A 3/10 from me.
AD
