Rose Hobart, born Rose Kefer, was an American actress whose career spanned over two decades, beginning with her Broadway debut in 1923. In The Mad Ghoul (1943), she plays a pivotal role that highlights her ability to navigate the eerie tones of horror cinema. Hobart's extensive background in theater, including performances with Noël Coward, enriched her film portrayals, allowing her to bring depth to characters in cult classics. Her transition from stage to screen exemplifies the era's blending of theatricality and early horror film aesthetics.
The Mad Ghoul
Dr. Alfred Morris, a university chemistry professor, rediscovers an ancient Mayan formula for a gas which turns men into pliant, obedient, zombie-like ghouls. After medical student Ted Allison becomes a guinea pig for Morris, the professor imagines that Allison's fiancée, a beautiful concert singer Isabel Lewis, wants to break off the engagement because she prefers the professor as a more "mature" lover but in reality loves Eric, her accompanist. In order to bring Ted back from his trance-like states, Morris commands him to perform a cardiectomy on recently deceased or living bodies in order to use serum from their hearts as a temporary antidote. When the serial murders seem to coincide with Isabel's touring schedule, ace reporter "Scoop" McClure gets on the mad scientist's trail.
