A ghoul is a monster from ancient Arabian folklore that dwells in graveyards and other uninhabited places. The English word comes from the Arabic name for the creature: الغول ghūl, which literally means "demon". The ghul is a devilish type of jinn believed to be sired by Iblis.
Ghoul is also the name for a desert-dwelling, shapeshifting demon that can assume the guise of an animal, especially a hyena. It lures unwary travellers into the desert wastes to slay and devour them. The creature also preys on young children, robs graves, and eats the dead. Because of the latter habit, the word ghoul is sometimes used to refer to an ordinary human such as a grave robber, or to anyone who delights in the macabre. The term has also been used to describe cannibals such as Jeffrey Dahmer.
The star Algol takes its name from this creature.
Ghouls in fiction
In modern fiction, ghouls are often confused with other types of undead, usually the mindless varieties of vampires and zombies. Although modern fiction (post-1954), particularly 1954's I Am Legend, suggests that the latter beings share cannibalistic habits with ghouls, it is nonetheless generally believed that vampires and zombies prefer live prey.
Literature
Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula features a ghoulish character named Renfield. Under the vampire's influence, Renfield becomes his willing slave and develops a craving to eat living creatures in the hope of obtaining their life-force for himself. After being confined to an asylum, he considers eating a human hospital orderly, but finds he can only capture and consume flies, spiders, and the occasional bird.
In the fiction of H. P. Lovecraft, a ghoul is a member of a nocturnal, subterranean race. Some ghouls were once human, but a diet of human corpses, and perhaps the tutelage of proper ghouls, mutated them into horrific, bestial humanoids. In the short story "Pickman's Model" (1927), the first of Lovecraft's ghoul stories, they are unutterably terrible monsters; however, in his earlier novella The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath (1926), the ghouls are somewhat less disturbing, even comical at times, and both helpful and loyal to the protagonist. Richard Upton Pickman, a noteworthy Boston painter who disappeared mysteriously in "Pickman's Model", appears as a ghoul himself in Dream-Quest. Similar themes appear in "The Lurking Fear" (1922) and "The Rats in the Walls" (1924), both of which posit the existence of subterranean clans of degenerate, retrogressive cannibals or carrion-eating humans.
In 1987, Brian McNaughton wrote a series of dark fantasy short stories in which these Lovecraftian ghouls are the protagonists. The stories, collectively published as Throne of Bones, were a critical success and the book went on to receive a World Fantasy Award for Best Collection.
In Larry Niven's Ringworld series, the ghouls are a race that eats the dead of the other races that live on the ringworld. They have a fairly sophisticated (for a post-apocalyptic people) culture, and are the only race with a communication system that traverses the entire ringworld: heliographs.
In J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, ghouls are harmless creatures that live in the homes of wizards, making loud noises and occasionally groaning.
In The Chronicles of Narnia, ghouls are creatures that serve the White Witch. They resemble corroded, old humans. In the 2005 movie and videogame, they resemble pale orcs carrying spears.
In Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series, graveyards became infested with ghouls when the blessing of the graveyard was used up; this was usually caused when too many zombies were raised or voodoo rituals of evil nature were performed in the graveyard. Though they were once human, they are like pack animals, and they aren't very smart. They will only attack if a person is vulnerable. A ghoul will run from a healthy, strong human being.
In Max Brooks' "The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Undead" , zombies are frequently referred to as ghouls.
In Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files, ghouls are much like they are in the classic mythologies. They are humanoid monsters that feed on human flesh, and seem to be able to disguise themselves as ordinary humans. These ghouls are intelligent, as opposed to being mindless and feral monsters.
Movies and television
Although many screenplays have featured ghouls, the first major motion picture of this theme was the 1933 British film entitled The Ghoul. Boris Karloff plays a dying Egyptologist who possesses an occult gem, known as The Eternal Light, which he believes will grant immortality if he is buried with it, and thereby able to present it to Anubis in the afterlife. Of course, his bickering, covetous heirs and associates would rather keep the jewel for themselves. Karloff vows to rise from his grave and avenge himself against anyone who meddles with his plan, and he keeps this promise when one of his colleagues steals The Eternal Light after his death.
In 1968, George A. Romero's groundbreaking film Night of the Living Dead combined reanimated corpses (zombies) with cannabalistic monsters (ghouls), creating new film monsters more terrifying than either of their predecessors.
In the anime and manga series Hellsing, ghouls are zombie-like creatures that are created when a "chipped" (technological) vampire drains a victim to death, or, in the Manga, where a vampire drains the blood of someone who is not a virgin. If fatally wounded, they instantly crumble to dust.
"The Ghoul" is the stage name of Detroit-area horror television host Ron Sweed.
In the horror/comedy cartoon sires The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, a sailor boy turned to chocolate claimed that chocolate loving ghouls ate his arm.
Ghouls in gaming
Many games use the term "ghoul" to describe undead beings or other kinds of cannibalistic and degenerate humanoids. Some notable examples follow.
Shadowrun
In the role-playing game Shadowrun, ghouls are a mutation caused by a virus known as HMHVV, specifically the Krieger strain. While they are not undead, they do exhibit the same vampiric behavior. Ghouls must consume about one percent of their body weight in raw human flesh each week. They also have a mild allergy to sunlight that inhibits them slightly but does not harm them. Though they are physically blind, they are endowed with an enhanced sense of smell and hearing, and have an astral and physical dual-nature that allows them to perceive the astral plane. Ghouls are especially sensitive to the presence of foreign substances within their bodies, which makes it difficult to use cybernetic implants on them. Their strength and body are greater than that of a normal human, but their intelligence and charisma scores suffer greatly. Finally, they are also completely immune to the VITAS plague.
Some ghouls regress to a feral state after the change, while others retain their sanity. Those who remain sane often undergo extreme plastic surgery to pass for human and usually replace their blind eyes with cybernetic implants to allow them to see.
Vampire: The Masquerade
In the role-playing game Vampire: The Masquerade, a ghoul is a human that drinks the blood of a vampire and consequently gains an extended lifespan and supernatural powers as a result. Vampires often take ghouls as servants, since humans quickly become addicted to vampiric blood. Additionally, a ghoul loses its mental resistance against the donater's commands, creating a bond of loyalty and affection towards its new master.
Other games
In the computer role-playing game series Fallout, a ghoul is a human mutated by exposure to massive amounts of radiation and the fictive FEV virus. In the real-time strategy game Warcraft III,, Ghouls are standard footsoldiers and lumber gatherers for the Undead armies.In Diablo II as a stronger zombie. In the tabletop wargame Warhammer, Ghouls serve as skirmishers in the armies of the Vampire Counts. In the hybrid role playing/adventure computer game Quest for Glory II: Trial by Fire, ghouls are presented as supernatural creatures of the undead which only come out at night and prey upon the living. The touch of a ghoul's claws has a chilling effect upon the victim similar to frostbite. If the ghoul is successfully defeated, its claws can be removed and sold to the local apothecary for use in the making of a poison cure pill.King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow has ghouls on the Realm of the Dead surface, who were the result of having their trauma unhealed for a long time (not being avenged, loved ones not cared for, etc.), and over time became what they became. Brushing up against them is instant death--their touch eats at Alexander (the playable character) like acid.