"The Ghoul" is not exactly what I'd call an overlooked classic, but it's fun if you like horror films of this vintage and your expectations aren't too high. Obviously the final product isn't very far removed from the stage play on which it was based: there's a lot of inane chatter and forced comic relief, but it should be remembered that, in the early 1930s, even movies about the resurrected dead were aimed at a general viewership. There was not yet a horror audience as such. But look at the cast! Boris Karloff as a terminally ill Egyptologist determined to win immortality via a rare jewel sacred to the worshippers of Anubis; Ernest Thesiger as his eccentric, clubfooted manservant; Cedric Hardwicke as Karloff's solicitor, who is unable to wipe the expression of craven villainy from his face; and Ralph Richardson as a young parson who seems to try his best to be helpful. These performers make the film worth watching despite its limitations.
Karloff had found fame in a nonspeaking role, and "The Ghoul"--like "The Old Dark House" and "Bride of Frankenstein"--doesn't give him much in the way of dialogue. The movie's main strength lies in the scenes of Karloff shambling around (in excellent monster makeup by Heinrich Heitfeld), wreaking havoc. It wasn't until later that filmmakers understood the advantage of giving him substantial speaking parts.
Karloff had found fame in a nonspeaking role, and "The Ghoul"--like "The Old Dark House" and "Bride of Frankenstein"--doesn't give him much in the way of dialogue. The movie's main strength lies in the scenes of Karloff shambling around (in excellent monster makeup by Heinrich Heitfeld), wreaking havoc. It wasn't until later that filmmakers understood the advantage of giving him substantial speaking parts.