The Ghoul (2016 film)


The Ghoul is a 2016 British 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.

Plot

A detective decides to go undercover to investigate a psychotherapist who, he thinks, is responsible for a murder.

Cast

Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, The Ghoul has an approval rating of 77% based on 22 reviews. 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." 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." 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."

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. The film was also nominated for a "Discovery Award" at the 2016 British Independent Film Awards, but lost to The Greasy Strangler.