It is 1831 in Edinburgh and Dr Wolfe MacFarlane takes on his best student to assist him in his research research he carries out on dead subjects. However, to get these cadavers he has to deal with the supplier of these illegally robbed bodies Cabman John Gray; a man who MacFarlane hates despite his intimate involvement with him. But when young Fettes starts to suspect Gray of even darker crimes than grave robbing, the whole setup is threatened.
Having seen one or two Lewton films I have yet to find a reason for not seeing more and so I came to this typically short and atmospheric film. The story is simple and is driven by the characters rather than any more typical horror that the title might suggest and it is the better for it. MacFarlane and Gray are the core of the tale and their relationship kept me engaging as it appeared to be full of gloating, hate and self-loathing while also being quite symbiotic in nature. The best scenes seem them together and feature some great dialogue that sticks in the mind. The side issues within the film are needed to fill out the tale but they are nowhere near as effective as this core and sadly have the effect of slowing the film while the audience waits for the main thrust to return.
Karloff is excellent in the title role and he brings enough meaning to proceedings to avoid falling into slight ham. He work well with Daniell, who is just as good with a fascinating character. Lugosi is a well known face without doing a great deal but I must admit that I found Wade to be a bit wet and both he, Atwater and Corday stood in the shadows the of the lead pair.
Overall a very enjoyable film that builds atmosphere while working well with the central relationship. Yet another reason why the words "A Val Lewton Production" mean that it is always worth a try in this case it was a leap of faith that was rewarded yet again for me.
Having seen one or two Lewton films I have yet to find a reason for not seeing more and so I came to this typically short and atmospheric film. The story is simple and is driven by the characters rather than any more typical horror that the title might suggest and it is the better for it. MacFarlane and Gray are the core of the tale and their relationship kept me engaging as it appeared to be full of gloating, hate and self-loathing while also being quite symbiotic in nature. The best scenes seem them together and feature some great dialogue that sticks in the mind. The side issues within the film are needed to fill out the tale but they are nowhere near as effective as this core and sadly have the effect of slowing the film while the audience waits for the main thrust to return.
Karloff is excellent in the title role and he brings enough meaning to proceedings to avoid falling into slight ham. He work well with Daniell, who is just as good with a fascinating character. Lugosi is a well known face without doing a great deal but I must admit that I found Wade to be a bit wet and both he, Atwater and Corday stood in the shadows the of the lead pair.
Overall a very enjoyable film that builds atmosphere while working well with the central relationship. Yet another reason why the words "A Val Lewton Production" mean that it is always worth a try in this case it was a leap of faith that was rewarded yet again for me.