THE GHOUL

In 1920s England, a party of friends challenge each other to an automobile race to Land's End. One couple, Daphne Wells Hunter and Billy, run out of petrol, so Billy goes to look for a garage, but takes so long that Daphne goes to search for him. Billy is unable to find a garage and returns to the car to find Daphne gone. Meanwhile, Daphne locates a mansion, but the caretaker, Tom Rawlings, warns her not to go in, fearing that she may never come out alive, but she ignores him. The owner, Mr. Lawrence, a former clergyman, invites her inside to rest and sends Tom to find Billy. Tom finds Billy in the car, and murders him by pushing the vehicle off a cliff.

Meanwhile, Lawrence tells Daphne about his missionary work in India, where an Aghori converted his wife and son him to their faith; the former ended up taking her own life in a fit of remorse, and as a result, Lawrence renounced his faith. Lawrence allows Daphne to stay in the guest room for the night. Seeing this, Lawrence's Indian servant, Ayah, lets out a grotesque man from the attic, who goes into Daphne's room and murders her with a katar. Afterwards, Ayah slices up Daphne's flesh and feeds it to the ghoul.

Angela and Geoffrey, the other couple in the race, are called in by the local police to identify Billy's body. They report Daphne's disappearance. The police refuse to search for her as they are afraid of the marshlands. A policeman takes them to the wreck, then leaves, and Geoffrey goes out to search the marsh. Angela tries to drive off but nearly runs over Tom before crashing. Angela wakes up in Tom's cabin. Geoffrey returns to where he left the car and finds the wreck, but not Angela. He finds the house and enters. Lawrence and Ayah demand to know why he is inside the house. Lawrence lies that Daphne had been there just a few hours before but has gone to town by bus. Lawrence says he suspects that Angela took the bus as well. Geoffrey leaves, unsatisfied.

Tom tells Lawrence that Angela knows too much, and takes her to the house. Geoffrey's car is stuck, and he asks Tom for assistance. He is suspicious of Tom, and chases him through the swamp. Tom is stuck in quicksand, and Geoffrey interrogates him before he sinks. Tom reveals that there is something in the house that eats human flesh.

Geoffrey confronts Dr. Lawrence about the lies he has been told. Lawrence catches Ayah doing some kind of “evil rite” and stops her. Geoffrey runs upstairs, despite Lawrence's objections. Geoffrey is stabbed in the head by the ghoul, who is revealed to be Lawrence's cannibal son.

The ghoul escapes from the attic. Tom sneaks into the guest room and attacks Angela, but the ghoul enters and kills him. The ghoul attempts to kill Angela too, but Lawrence reluctantly shoots his son dead. Heartbroken by what he has done, Lawrence commits suicide by shooting himself as Angela escapes.

The ghoul is killed by Dr. Lawrence as Angela escapes, and Lawrence, overcome by grief, takes his own life.

The film concludes with the unraveling of Dr. Lawrence’s attempts to contain the monstrous legacy of his family. By killing his son and then himself, Lawrence ends the cycle of horror rooted in trauma and misguided loyalty, leaving their estate—and Angela—forever marked by the events. This finale underscores the tragic consequences of secrets left to fester.