The Ghost Breakers (1940)

"Pardon me, am I protruding?", 22 November 2005

Bob Hope is Larry Lawrence, a radio personality who thinks he has committed murder. He meets Mary Carter (Paulette Goddard) and she unknowingly helps him out of his jam. Mary is on her way to Cuba to visit the supposed haunted mansion she has inherited. But Mary has more problems than a few ghosts. It seems that someone is willing to commit murder to keep her from taking possession of her inheritance. Larry agrees that one good turn deserves another and decides to go to Cuba to help Mary.

The Ghost Breakers is a very entertaining mix of comedy and horror. Unlike a lot of movies of this type, much of the comedy is actually quite funny and some of the horror is actually quite chilling. While much of the best comedic material is delivered by Larry's servant, Willie Best, Larry has one of the best lines I've heard recently. When told that "A zombie has no will of his own. You see them sometimes walking around blindly with dead eyes, following orders, not knowing what they do, not caring", Larry's response "You mean like Democrats" had me laughing out loud.
As for the horror, the haunted house set is one of the better examples I've seen in this kind of movie. It's the stuff of nightmares with its creepy corridors, secret passages, and ghostly activity. Add to that the "zombie" couple who guard the island and you've got some fairly effective horror elements.

Hope and Goddard make a great team. They work together effortlessly and make a very natural, believable pair. Best does his "best" to rise above the standard 1940s servant role and shines in many scenes. The rest of the cast is more than adequate.

Overall, The Ghost Breakers is one of the movies I've wanted to see for a long while and I'm glad I finally got the chance. My only complaint and the thing that keeps me from rating the movie any higher is that it's far too easy to spot the bad guys. Still, I had a lot of fun with this one.

8/10