Directed by Magnus Lyche, Ghoul tells the story of a story. Specifically, a story conjured by a mother trapped in an impossible situation. When faced with something that appears insurmountable, we might turn to fantasy in order to dream ourselves out of the situation. This is what Louie’s mother is doing. While her tale of the evil ghoul gives Louie some essence of context for the situation they’re in, it also perhaps provides a shred of respite for her too. A vocalisation of her struggle and desire to be saved.
The film begins with Louie’s mother telling him a story about a king who turned into a monster; a ghoul. Finding it a little scary for a bedtime tale, Louie and his stuffed rabbit, Duncan, want a different story.
The parallels between the king-tuned-ghoul and the situation Louie and mother are in unfold from the young boy’s perspective. Named in the credits as “The Man”, the relationship of the male figure is amorphous. He seems like a partner to Louie’s mother, but he doesn’t appear comfortable in the role of father.
The relationship between Louie and The Man emerges as one categorised by fear as Louie often hears his raised voice. The figure of The Man becomes analogous with that of the ghoul. A terrifying, monstrous shadow that haunts the home: a space that is supposed to be safe. Framing the narrative from Louie’s perspective really captures the effect an unstable and unpredictable home life can have on a child. Director Magnus Lyche manages to capture the way a child’s mind overlays myth and fiction over reality without trivialising Louie’s experience. But in this family home, the monster is not a ghoul, but a very real threat.
Louie’s mother manages to divulge some more details of the situation she and her son are in through another bedtime story. It seems there is an element of financial abuse as well as the verbal abuse Louie hears downstairs every day. The ghoul has control of the woman’s gold and that is why they cannot leave the castle. The same applies to Louie and his mother. In an effort to turn the tone round, his mother adds a rousing element to the story. The brave knight takes a sword and slays the ghoul by piercing him through the heart. But as the stories aren’t just stories for his mother, they also aren’t just stories for Louie either. He knows the ghoul is living in the house with them. And Louie knows that danger lurks wherever he is.
As the story takes a violent turn, Louie tries to become the knight his mother had wished for. But what will be the effect of such a huge responsibility falling on such little shoulders?
Anna Wilson-Jones as Louie’s mum is wonderfully tender. She captures this essence especially well during the scene where she cooks with Louie. She has the stoicism of a mother trying to protect her son from a difficult situation, but also the fragility of a person who is suffering abuse. Philip Bulcock as “The Man” is suitably unsettling, finding the perfect balance within the character by not overplaying the overt evil characteristics but leaning into the undercurrent of narcissism that clearly fuels his violence. Bulcock manages to make giving his Louie a toy and his mother flowers an estranged act that feels exceptionally hollow, reflecting the inner workings of a ghoul. Ewan McLatchie as Louie carries the film, engaging audiences on an emotional level as we partake in the story with him, hoping that someone will write both him and his mother a better ending than the ghoul can provide.