The Ghoul (2016 film)
The Ghoul is a 2016 British psychological crime thriller film written, directed and co-produced by Gareth Tunley and starring Tom Meeten. The film was released on 14 October 2016 at the London Film Festival and received good reviews from critics.
The Ghoul | |
---|---|
Directed by | Gareth Tunley |
Written by | Gareth Tunley |
Produced by | Jack Healy Guttmann Tom Meeten Gareth Tunley |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Benjamin Pritchard |
Edited by | Robin Hill |
Music by | Waen Shepherd |
Production company | Ghoul Film |
Distributed by | Arrow Films Cartilage Films |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 85 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Box office | $18,460 |
Plot
A detective decides to go undercover to investigate a psychotherapist who, he thinks, is responsible for a murder.
Cast
- Tom Meeten as Chris
- Alice Lowe as Kathleen
- Rufus Jones as Coulson
- Niamh Cusack as Fisher
- Geoffrey McGivern as Morland
Reception
Critical response
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, The Ghoul has an approval rating of 77% based on 22 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10.[1] Stephen Dalton from The Hollywood Reporter gave it a good review, writing: "A British micro-budget nerve-jangler that keeps viewers guessing to the final frame, The Ghoul is a noir-flavored mood piece with grand ambitions beyond its minimal means".[2] Peter Bradshaw writing for The Guardian gave the film 2 out of 5 stars, stating: "Initially interesting but heartsinkingly pointless, this brooding Brit indie takes us on a journey to nowhere".[3] Catherine Bray from the Variety liked the film and said: "The Ghoul isn't the midnight horror romp its title may suggest and as such might disappoint a crowd with an appetite for shock and gore — it needs to be positioned subtly by distributors and festival programmers who may wish to lean more heavily on the apt Lynch comparisons from early reactions. Its twisty-turny psychological gymnastics should satisfy fans of oblique, Lost Highway-style material more than full-on horror-heads".[4]
Accolades
The Ghoul was nominated for the 71st British Academy Film Awards in the category of Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer. However, it lost to I Am Not a Witch.[5] The film was also nominated for a "Discovery Award" at the 2016 British Independent Film Awards, but lost to The Greasy Strangler.[6]
References
- "The Ghoul". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- Dalton, Stephen (10 August 2017). "'The Ghoul': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
- Bradshaw, Peter (3 August 2017). "The Ghoul review – brooding Brit indie withholds too much information". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
- Bray, Catherine. "Film Review: 'The Ghoul'". Variety.
- "Bafta Film Awards 2018: The winners in full". BBC News. 18 February 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
- Evans, Alan (1 November 2016). "This article is more than 3 years old I, Daniel Blake leads British independent film award nominations". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 August 2021.