The Body Snatcher is the seventh of producer Val Lewton's influential psychological horror films made at RKO in the 1940s. It's based upon the short story by Robert Louis Stevenson, itself based upon the Burke & Hare murders of 1828. The plot of the film is that Dr. Wolfe McFarlane (Henry Daniell) and his assistant Donald Fettes (Russell Wade) need fresh cadavers to dissect and study. So they rely on the ghoulish cabman John Gray (Boris Karloff) to obtain the corpses for them. Fettes doesn't like this unsavory side of medical study but McFarlane convinces him it is necessary in the name of science. Soon, though, McFarlane begins to regret his dealings with the sinister Gray, who has begun to murder people in order to get the bodies needed.
This is a creepy and intense period thriller. The acting is excellent. Daniell and Wade are both quite good but it's Karloff who steals the show. This is generally regarded as one of Boris' finest performances and I have to agree with that. This is also the final film teaming of Karloff and Bela Lugosi. Their last scene together is powerful. The film makes great use of the Lewtonian trademarks of suggestion and shadow. Robert Wise's direction is excellent, as is the script by Lewton and Philip MacDonald. There's a great atmosphere that hangs over the film, as is the case with all of the Lewton horror films. A must-see for fans of Lewton and Karloff.
This is a creepy and intense period thriller. The acting is excellent. Daniell and Wade are both quite good but it's Karloff who steals the show. This is generally regarded as one of Boris' finest performances and I have to agree with that. This is also the final film teaming of Karloff and Bela Lugosi. Their last scene together is powerful. The film makes great use of the Lewtonian trademarks of suggestion and shadow. Robert Wise's direction is excellent, as is the script by Lewton and Philip MacDonald. There's a great atmosphere that hangs over the film, as is the case with all of the Lewton horror films. A must-see for fans of Lewton and Karloff.