Coming on the heels of the previous year's The Horrible Dr. Hichcock, The Ghost reunites director Riccardo Freda and star Barbara Steele (as well as the character name "Hichcock") in another sex and death-fill story, albeit to much better effect.

While the previous effort was visually unimpressive and, despite a properly sordid story, narratively uninspired, The Ghost offers up a heaping serving of very gratifying gothic horror, complete with cheating wives, premeditated murder, and raging rapaciousness on the part of virtually everyone in sight.

Though the story does take a while to get going, things kick into gear when Steele's Margaret manipulates Charles, her simp of a lover (who also happens to be her wheelchair-bound husband's doctor), into poisoning her husband, so they can be together once and for all. After he's dead, though, Margaret is suddenly a little standoffish (shocker!) and, once the duo finds out that Margaret not only has to split her inheritance with a Christian charity, but also that the goods are missing, Barbara becomes determined to find the missing bonds and jewels, no matter the cost.

While all of this is roiling under the surface, and between opening graves and seeing and hearing the ghost of her husband everywhere, Margaret also has doubts sown in her about Charles' honesty and commitment by her husband's loyal housekeeper, Catherine (Harriet Medin). Needless to say, this doesn't end will for anyone, least of all Charles who, at best, is playing one-dimensional chess. Assuming he can figure out the rules.

While the plot is fairly formulaic, the story is engaging, including not only compelling visuals and audio (Murder victim POV! Blood, running down the lens! The score, keeping time with the dripping of blood!), but also surprising explosions of a violence and a whole lot of very satisfying crashing down to earth for arrogant morals who dare to fly too high.

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