Sir Joel Cadman, a mad scientist, kidnaps his victims and cuts open their brains in an effort to discover a means to cure his wife's brain tumor.Sir Joel Cadman, a mad scientist, kidnaps his victims and cuts open their brains in an effort to discover a means to cure his wife's brain tumor.Sir Joel Cadman, a mad scientist, kidnaps his victims and cuts open their brains in an effort to discover a means to cure his wife's brain tumor.
Lon Chaney Jr.
- Mungo
- (as Lon Chaney)
Patricia Blair
- Laurie Monroe
- (as Patricia Blake)
Louanna Gardner
- Angelina Cadman
- (uncredited)
Peter Gordon
- Sgt. Steele
- (uncredited)
Clive Morgan
- Roundsman Blevins
- (uncredited)
Aubrey Schenck
- Prison Coroner's Clerk
- (uncredited)
John Sheffield
- Det. Redford
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaShot February 9-23 1956, and the last completed film project of actor Bela Lugosi.
- GoofsWhen the evil doctor's last victim is uncovered, her facial muscles react visibly just before they pronounce her dead.
- Quotes
Sir Joel Cadman: Rome wasn't built in a day, so it must have been built in the night.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Weirdo with Wadman: The Black Sleep (1964)
Featured review
"In the interests of science, Doctor, anything -- ANYTHING -- is justified."
Entertaining mad scientist flick directed by Reginald Le Borg, notable for its cast of horror vets. Basil Rathbone plays the lead character, a surgeon whose beautiful young wife is suffering from a brain tumor. To save her he will need to operate but first he wants to get plenty of practice in on the unsuspecting locals. Rathbone's assistant, played by Herbert Rudley, has some objections. Bela Lugosi (not looking well) plays a mute servant in his last completed film role. A waste of his talents but at least this movie isn't as bad as his Ed Wood dreck. Lon Chaney, Jr. plays a lunatic brute, as he often did late in his career. Just like Bela, he has no lines. Also appearing are John Carradine, Akim Tamiroff, Tor Johnson, and Patricia Blair. No one in this has a good part except for Rathbone and Rudley. Still, it's a good B movie of the kind that was so prominent in the '30s and '40s but had died out by this point. Too bad they couldn't get Boris Karloff, though.
helpful•51
- utgard14
- Jun 23, 2016
- How long is The Black Sleep?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $225,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 22 minutes
- Color
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content