Get the MovieNight app
Add it to your home screen — faster & full screen
Get the MovieNight app
Add it to your home screen — faster & full screen
Paramount Pictures
Not part of a collection.
When the Ghost WALKS... They RUN!
After intrepid working girl Mary Carter becomes the new owner of a reputedly haunted mansion located off the Cuban coast, a stranger phones warning her to stay away from the castle. Undaunted, Mary sets sail for Cuba with a stowaway in her trunk—wise-cracking Larry Lawrence, a radio announcer who helps Mary get to the bottom of the voodoo magic, zombies and ghosts that supposedly curse the spooky estate.
John Chard
Jun 14, 2020 · via TMDB
You still there zomb? The Ghost Breakers is a sort of sequel to Paramount's 1939 hit "The Cat and the Canary", also starring Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard. Directed by George Marshall (who would direct the Dean Martin/Jerry Lewis 1958 remake, "Scared Stiff", as well) it's adapted by Walter DeLeon from the play "The Ghost Breaker" by Paul Dickey and Charles W. Goddard. The premise is simple, after mistakenly thinking he has shot a hoodlum type, Larry Lawrence (Hope) flees into another hotel room, that of Mary Carter (Goddard), who is packing for a trip to Cuba. Befriending her, it's not before long that Larry is on his way to Cuba as well, but Mary is under threat from shifty characters and to make matters worse, their destination castle is rumoured to be haunted and tales of zombies seem to carry some weight. Hope and Goddard really do have a rich chemistry here and the results are excellent to say the least. They would work again for a third time a year later in "Nothing But the Truth". But really it's with the writing that most credit is due here. Hope of course was an excellent deliverer of a line, but first you have to have quality lines to work from, and here with DeLeon's screenplay we get some delightful stuff for Hope to work with. From Basil Rathbone to sly political leg pulling, the gags come quick and fast and compliment the visual fun as Hope, Goddard and Willie Best are all aboard the fun creeper express. Charles Lang is on photography duties and captures the eerie atmosphere of the island perfectly, while a nod of approval should go to Edith Head for her costumes. Ultimately it's fun we want and fun we get, with a cowardly hero and a sexy leggy lady as our protagonists, one can only hope that the zombies don't get in the way too much. As either a stand alone movie or as a double bill with "The Cat And The Canary", "The Ghost Breakers" showcases a fine double act from a fine time in cinema history. Enjoy 7.5/10
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Fandango At Home
FlixFling
FlixFling
Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Fandango At Home
FlixFling
Bob Hope
Larry Lawrence
Paulette Goddard
Mary Carter
Richard Carlson
Geoff Montgomery
Paul Lukas
Parada
Anthony Quinn
Ramon Mederes / Francisco Mederes
Willie Best
Alex
Pedro de Cordoba
Havez (as Pedro De Cordoba)
Virginia Brissac
Mother Zombie
Noble Johnson
The Zombie
Tom Dugan
Raspy Kelly
Paul Fix
Frenchy Duval
Lloyd Corrigan
Martin
James Blaine
Police Sergeant (uncredited)
David Durand
Bellhop (uncredited)
Robert Elliott
Lieutenant Murray (uncredited)
James Flavin
Hotel Porter (uncredited)
Grace Hayle
Screaming Woman (uncredited)
Claire James
Las Palmas Club Patron (uncredited)
Douglas Kennedy
Intern (uncredited)
Dolores Moran
Las Palmas Patron (uncredited)
Paul Newlan
Baggage Handler (uncredited)
Jack Norton
Drunk (uncredited)
Robert Ryan
Intern (uncredited)
Larry Steers
Man in Hotel Hallway (uncredited)
Kay Stewart
Telephone Girl (uncredited)
Blanca Vischer
Dolores - Cuban Girl (uncredited)
Emmett Vogan
Radio Announcer (uncredited)
Max Wagner
Ship Porter (uncredited)
Charles Lang
Director of Photography
Edith Head
Costume Design
George Marshall
Director
Arthur Hornblow Jr.
Producer
Paul Dickey
Theatre Play
Bad to the Jones
Ghosts vs. Aliens 03
Bhargavi Nilayam
Ghost in Me
A Time to Kill
Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum
Detective Conan: One-Eyed Flashback
Horror in Happy Swamp
The Swamp
Hellraiser
Pet Sematary
Out of the Shadows
Slither
Watch Out
Weekend at Bernie's
Casper
Mojin: The Lost Legend
Lady in White
Antarctic Journal
Endless Corridor
A Haunting on Hamilton Street
File 253
The Haunted
Outpost
R.I.P.D.
Girls Will Be Boys
Dark Water
Undead
Shadows of the Dead
Getting Mary Married
Wraith
Large
Flowers
Graves & Bones
Pernicious
Black Demons
Ghosts vs. Aliens
Anna's Eve
THERE'S ONLY ONE
Paranormal Farm
Anger of the Dead
5G Zombies
Los resucitados
The Dead the Damned and the Darkness
Zombie Undead
Livestream
The Zombie Army
Isle of the Snake People
Electric Zombies
Doll of the Dead
Escort
Ghost Song
Love Bite
Solomon's Requiem
Ghosts vs. Aliens 02
Narcisa's Will
Paying Guest
Zombie
Zombigone
Black Zombie
Scooby-Doo! Shaggy's Showdown
Scooby-Doo! and the Curse of the 13th Ghost
Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island
Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo!
Scooby-Doo! Pirates Ahoy!
Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost
LEGO Scooby-Doo! Blowout Beach Bash
The Time of Their Lives
Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!
Frankenweenie
The Cat and the Canary
Hold That Ghost
The 'Burbs
Monster House
Scared Stiff
Extraordinary Tales
The Black Cat
The Honey Pot
Roald Dahl's The Witches
Tower of Terror
Goosebumps
The House with a Clock in Its Walls
Schizopolis
Scooby-Doo
Jun 7, 1940
Detroit, Michigan
Jun 21, 1940
Apr 1, 2003
DVD, Universal Studios
Sep 15, 2020
Blu-ray, Kino Lorber
© 2025-2026 MovieNight. All rights reserved.
Versus
Sign in to play →
The Stranglers - Live '78, SF
1978
Saddle Leather Law
1944
Sign in to vote
Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Halloween
1978 · 13 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
Halloween II
1981 · 11 wins
Trivia
Leaderboard →Playing as a guest — sign in to save your score and rank on the leaderboard.
Movie Trivia
Guess the movie from a clue — tagline, plot, cast and more. Pick from four posters.
What movie experience do you prefer?
What is your favorite movie genre?
Versus
Sign in to play →
The Stranglers - Live '78, SF
1978
Saddle Leather Law
1944
Sign in to vote
Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Halloween
1978 · 13 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
Halloween II
1981 · 11 wins
Trivia
Leaderboard →Playing as a guest — sign in to save your score and rank on the leaderboard.
Movie Trivia
Guess the movie from a clue — tagline, plot, cast and more. Pick from four posters.
What movie experience do you prefer?
What is your favorite movie genre?
We use essential cookies to run MovieNight, plus analytics (Google Analytics) and advertising (Google AdSense) cookies. By continuing to browse, you agree to this — or click No and we won't. See our Terms & Privacy Policy to learn more.