The Ghost of St. Michael's

Will Hay is back as a hapless teacher, this time he is William Lamb, who is hired to teach on the remote Scottish Isle of Skye. Whilst there, Lamb is informed that the school is haunted by a legendary ghost and that with each sighting, and the sound of the eerie bagpipes, comes death to a member of staff.

This was Will Hay's second film for Ealing Studios and the significant leap in production quality from his Gainsborough Pictures works is very noticeable. Once again Marcel Varnel gives his tight and steady directing to a Hay picture, but the once golden team of Hay, Moffatt and Marriott had become no more. Feeling that as a trio they had gone as far as they could, Hay split the scene, leaving Moffatt and Marriott working at Gainsborough with the likes of Arthur Askey.

So in this first comedy for Ealing, Hay was effectively breaking in new comedy sidekick in the form of Claude Hulbert {Hulbert would make one other film with Hay, the darkly humorous My Learned Friend}, while Charles Hawtrey was making his third appearance of the four films he made with the erstwhile Hay. Tho the absence of Marriott and Moffatt is sorely felt, The Ghost Of St. Michael's stands up on its own two feet as a comedy of note. The writing from John Dighton and Angus MacPhail is lean and resplendent with comedic moments, whilst Ealing have really managed to capture that creepy comedy setting with John Croydon's production team on tip top form. Full of secret rooms and mysterious goings on, and even offering up a nice who done it finale, it's a film for all the family to enjoy. 8/10