Behold a Phoenix

One of my favorite movies when I was younger was The Ghost Breakers starring Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard. Released in 1940, The Ghost Breakers perfectly blends comedy and fright with some gothic elements on the side.

Mary Carter (Paulette Goddard) is about to travel to Cuba because she inherited her great-great grandfather’s castle (appropriately named Castillo Maldito, located on Black Island) that is said to be haunted. She is already receiving offers from unnamed others to buy the castle from her. Carter crosses paths with Larry Lawrence (Bob Hope), a radio personality who thinks he accidently killed a man in the hotel corridor, and Lawrence’s valet Alex (Willie Best). They travel with Carter to Cuba after finding out that she might be in danger because of a note (“Death Awaits You on Black Island”) and a death ou-anga, an voodoo amulet of death, posted to the door of her room in the ship. The trio along with Carter’s old friend Geoff Montgomery (Richard Carlson), Cuban Advisor Parada (Paul Lukas), and mysterious Francisco Mederes (Anthony Quinn) meet up at Black Island where they encounter a ghost, a zombie, and a dangerous murderer within their own ranks. [click to continue…]

{ 7 comments }