The Ghost (1963) starring Barbara Steele, Peter Baldwin
In short, the Italian horror movie The Ghost plays like a mediocre episode of The Twilight Zone. It deals with a dying doctor, who’s a helpless cripple. He’s undergoing an experimental treatment — injections of poison, followed by the antidote. This is in hopes of curing him of his paralysis. At the beginning of the movie, he’s so despondent that he nearly blows his brains out with his good arm. But, his beautiful young wife (Baraba Steele) prevents it.
Despite that, she’s plotting with the young doctor (Peter Baldwin) treating her husband. To kill her older, paralyzed husband, and live off his wealth. Why did she prevent him from killing himself? Good question that has no answer.
Soon enough, the husband is poisoned, and killed. The widow has her lover and joint murderer move into their castle home. This is over the protests of the housekeeper (Harriet Medin), who’s loyal to the dead man.
But … is the husband dead? Is his vengeful ghost trying to drive the murderers insane?
The concept’s not bad, but the film is slow. And, there’s a twist ending. With another twist! And by the time of the third twist, I simply lost interest.
Editorial review of The Ghost courtesy of Amazon.com
A woman and her lover murder her husband, a doctor. Soon, however, strange things start happening, and they wonder if they really killed him, or if he is coming back from the dead to haunt them.
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