The Ghoul

In 1920s England, a group of friends challenge each other to an automobile race to Land's End. Daphne and Billy's car runs out of petrol, and Billy sets off to find a garage, while Daphne volunteers to search for him. The detour sets up the suspense that follows as the race continues without them.

Billy searches for a nearby garage but his efforts take longer than expected. Daphne decides to search for him herself after he leaves, and she vanishes. The disappearance triggers concern among the remaining friends and begins the mystery.

Daphne locates a mansion and is warned by the caretaker, Tom Rawlings, that entering could be deadly. She ignores the warning and moves inside, drawn by the mansion's eerie atmosphere. The owner, Mr. Lawrence, offers her rest for the night.

Mr. Lawrence, a former clergyman and the mansion's owner, invites Daphne inside to rest for the night and asks Tom to locate Billy. Daphne accepts the hospitality, while Tom remains uneasy about what is to come. The uneasy dynamic hints at hidden dangers within the house.

In a flashback, Lawrence recounts his missionary work in India, where a satanic cult kidnapped his son Simon and corrupted him. His faith is shattered as a result, and he renounces his religious beliefs. The recollection foreshadows the mansion's dark past.

Ayah, Lawrence's Indian servant, releases a deformed man from the attic. The man climbs into Daphne's room and stabs her to death. This brutal act marks a turning point and plunges the house into horror.

Ayah cooks Daphne's flesh and feeds it to the cannibal. The gruesome act completes the mansion's transformation into a place of ritual horror and marks the depth of the cult's influence. Lawrence's complicity becomes clearer as the night progresses.

Billy, Angela, and Geoffrey report Daphne's disappearance to the local police, but officers refuse to mount a search due to the marshlands. Frustrated, the trio resolves to comb the area themselves for any sign of her. The lack of official help deepens the sense of isolation.

Angela locates Lawrence's mansion and is warned by Tom not to enter. She ignores the warning and proceeds, driven by determination to find Daphne. The tension between trust and danger escalates as the mansion looms closer.

Tom eventually reveals to Billy and Geoffrey that Daphne was fed to a cannibal in the attic. They are skeptical, but Tom stubbornly leads them to the mansion to confront the truth. The group prepares for a confrontation with the house's dark forces.

Geoffrey goes into the attic and is killed by the cannibal. The terror becomes personal for the remaining two and the danger closes in. The attic scene confirms that the threat is real and near.

Lawrence confronts Billy and Angela and reveals that the cannibal is his son Simon, who has remained in a cannibalistic state since his conversion. He explains Ayah is a cult member hired from India to prepare Simon's meals. The revelation ties the murders to the mansion's dark past.

Simon escapes from the attic and pursues Billy and Angela; Tom sneaks into the guest room, attacks them, but Simon intervenes and kills Tom. The survivors realize they are almost out of options and the danger remains imminent.

Lawrence arrives and reluctantly shoots Simon dead, saving Billy and Angela from further harm. The act is a grim mercy that leaves him heartbroken and torn between duty and despair. The survivors' fragile safety hangs on Lawrence's decision.

Bereft and exhausted, Lawrence shoots himself, ending the nightmare he could not escape. Ayah allows Billy and Angela to escape as morning rises, providing a glimmer of relief for the survivors. The mansion's horrors fade as the two flee toward dawn.