The Black Sleep (1956) User Reviews

The Cast Alone Sells This Film

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 13 October 2011]

Sir Joel Cadman (Basil Rathbone), 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.

Okay, so you have a 1950s mad scientist story about a guy doing experimental brain surgery that results in some serious mistakes. That alone could probably make a pretty decent horror film -- who is opposed to seeing brain dead lobotomy patients lumbering through a dungeon?

But, really, this film could not have failed if it tried. Besides Rathbone, it features Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney and John Carradine. They could have stood around and played hackey sack and I would still watch it.

Paul Corupe makes an interesting observation about this film's role in history. He notes that on the surface, Cadman is your typical 1930s mad scientist, saying things like, "In the interests of science, anything is justified." But underneath that, he is a 1950s scientist, a transitional figure who does experiments not just because he can but because he is trying to save a life -- he is one of the very first mad scientists we can feel sorry for, possibly. The only earlier example Corupe offers is from "The Ape" (1940).

The Black Sleep should be noted as Bela Lugosi's final active role on film

[tavm · 7/10 · 19 October 2009]

While Plan 9 from Outer Space is often considered to be Bela Lugosi's last film, considering that movie consisted of test scenes meant for a different movie, the actual final picture of which Lugosi actively participated in should actually be this one. He plays a mute butler who doesn't really do much but still has somewhat of a presence and is nothing to be ashamed about. He is joined here by fellow horror stalwarts John Carradine (gloriously hammy here), Lon Chaney, Jr., and fellow Ed Wood-directed series castmate Tor Johnson. The star is Basil Rathbone as a mad doctor who performs brain surgeries because of a secret I don't want to reveal here. Herbert Rudley is his reluctant assistant and Patricia Blair (or Blake as she's credited here) is the daughter of Chaney who plays another mute who was once a functioning human being. There's also an amusing performance by Akim Tamiroff as another associate of Rathbone's. Other cast members worth noting: Phyllis Stanley as Rathbone's nurse, Sally Yarnell as another of the underground "patients", Claire Carleton as a "customer" of Tamiroff's, and John Sheffield as a Scotland Yard detective investigating the whole thing. I thought this was a very effective chiller that was underrated considering the cast. So on that note, I'm recommending The Black Sleep.

Good Outweighs The Bad

[drmality-1 · 7/10 · 15 March 2008]

From what I've heard about this one, I expected an Ed Wood style farce. What I got was a surprisingly literate and well-acted classic horror. The flaws are definitely present, but this flick has some genuinely chilling moments and boasts 3 outstanding performances.

Dr. Cadman, the mad scientist behind this whole house of horrors, is superbly played by Basil Rathbone. This was probably the last good horror role Basil had. He portrays Cadman as a supremely self-confident and utterly controlled man who has willingly tossed aside all ethics and morality in pursuit of his goal. Rathbone's command of dialog and smooth diction brings this human monster to life. And yet, in the scenes with his paralyzed wife, we feel some of the love and devotion that underlies his horrific crimes.

Cadman's partner in crime is the sly Udo the Gypsy, wonderfully brought to life by Akim Tamiroff. What a great character actor this guy was! His every facial expression and physical movement conveys what a greasy, unprincipled character Udo is. And yet his quick wit makes him roguish and likable in a way. It would be a mistake to consider Udo just a humorous character,though. The scene where he easily disposes of a prospective subject for Dr. Cadman to save his own hide is chilling. Great bit of character acting from Tamiroff!

The hero of the piece is Dr. Ramsay, whom Cadman has saved from the gallows to aid in his illicit research. Ramsay is played by Herbert Rudley, who I have not seen in any other roles. Rudley fits the part perfectly and more than holds his own in his scenes with Rathbone. I like the way he carefully tries to weigh all sides of the argument against Dr. Cadman before finally takes action against him. Rudley's revulsion against the crimes of Cadman seems heartfelt and authentic.

Those three strong performances anchor the movie, but not all cast members are so fortunate. A sickly looking Bela Lugosi is wasted completely as the mute butler Casimir. This was Bela's last "official" movie role not counting the stock footage that appeared in Ed Wood's "Plan Nine From Outer Space", which is a shame. His acting ability and speaking voice is wasted on a part that could have been done by any bit player. Lon Chaney Jr. comes across somewhat better as the moronic Mongo because of his physical size and truly crazed look, but he still deserved better. Mongo was originally a cultured professor and associate of Dr. Cadman until Cadman botched an operation on him. It might have been better to have Mongo as a "Jekyll-Hyde" character that veered between the man of science and the maniacal killer...more pathos that way and a better test of Chaney's acting.

A couple of scenes here are still capable of making the viewer queasy. The open brain surgery scene on the hapless sailor had to be shocking at the time...complete with fluid leaking from the brain. And the "tour" of Cadman's dungeon is right out of a carnival haunted house. John Carradine is crazed and over the top are the "crusader" Bohemund but he's in good shape compared to his cell-mates: the shrieking, laughing female with tufts of hair sprouting all over her body; the luckless sailor whose face has melted into slag; and hulking Tor Johnson, made blind and voiceless by Cadman's experiments. This is a nutty crew of mutants indeed and when they finally appear, "The Black Sleep" turns from a literate thriller of medical horrors into a sleazy, spook-house romp. "Kill, kill, kill!" yells Carradine crazily, and kill he does, bringing a visceral end to the movie.

If you don't require "Dr. Zhivago" or "Lawrence of Arabia" in every film, "The Black Sleep" should keep you awake for a while!

A "Classic Horror" fan's paradise!

[zerces_1999 · 7 March 2000]

"The Black Sleep" is a glorious, elegant all-star "monster romp" in black and white from Hollywood's "ghoulden era." The film has it all: rich performances (both mimed and spoken), evocative sets, lighting and cinematography, an involving story and detailed script, mad science, swirling mists, dark London streets, gaslight, an old abbey (complete with an oaken door with a medieval viewing-window), rumblings of thunder, burning candles, horse-drawn carriages, elegant costumes and period (1872 England) detail, gigantic fireplaces with sliding panels, shadowy corridors replete with ghostly "knight's armory" lurking in dark corners, sinister music, hidden torchlit chambers, suggestive sound-effects, subtly chilling props and special effects (including clanking chains, coffins, syringes, a musty skull, and a pulsating brain!), a moody matte-painting of a castle atop a hill overlooking a valley of gnarled, wind-blown branches, gruesome monster make-up, and a stunning ensemble cast of mystery and terror specialists that features Basil Rathbone, Akim Tamiroff, Lon Chaney, Jr., John Carradine, Bela Lugosi and Tor Johnson! To promote the film, make-up artist George Bau was commissioned to create life-sized wax replicas of many of the cast members, which were later displayed in New York City to coincide with the picture's June, 1956 release. For good measure, Boris Karloff, who was in town at the time, is said to have posed with these wax sculptures in publicity photos to help give the film an extra push; in the following year, Boris would work with "The Black Sleep"'s director, Reginald LeBorg, its production company, Bel-Air, and many of the same technical crew to make "Voodoo Island," an eerie zombie tale set on a tropical isle. Herbert Rudley (who would later appear in "The Mothers-In-Law" TV series), Patricia Blake (aka Patricia Blair), Phyllis Stanley, Sally Yarnell, George Sawaya, Peter Gordon, Claire Carleton, John Sheffield, Clive Morgan, Louanna Gardner, and the unbilled players (who always add so much to the creating of a world in which a film is set--one of whom is Howard W. Koch, who helped produce the film!) all join together with the aforementioned players in bringing a magical level of conviction to this tale of a scientist and the strange drug he tampers with (which produces a death-like trance to all who come under its influence). Dr. Max Andler is the Beverly Hills neuro surgeon who served as technical advisor during the "brain surgery" sequences. A well-produced tale of terror, directed by Reginald LeBorg (who helmed such other favorite shockers as "The Mummy's Ghost," "Diary of a Madman" and the above-mentioned "Voodoo Island.") Curl up on a rainy night and enjoy "The Black Sleep"!

Not as Bad as Some Would Have You Believe

[beejer · 6/10 · 7 November 2000]

Most ratings of this film give it a one star or bomb rating, however, "The Black Sleep" is not as bad as some would have you believe. Mind you it's not a great film, but in fact is an adequate programmer that compares favorably with any thing turned out by Universal or Monogram in the 40s.

Basically, it's a mad scientist film with Basil Rathbone emoting as usual, in the lead role. But then old Basil was always way over the top. Herbert Rudley is the nominal hero - the good scientist who is rescued from the gallows by Rathbone.

In the supporting cast are many seasoned veterans. Akim Tamiroff is good as the procurer of Rathbone's "subjects". Playing various mutants are Lon Chaney Jr., John Carradine (in yet another over the top performance) and poor old Bela Lugosi.

Lugosi nearing the end of his life looks sick, tired and underweight. Chaney is totally wasted. Had the producers beefed up his part, "The Black Sleep could have been a much better picture. They could have combined his role with that of the Rudley character, for example.

Given all of its limitations, "The Black Sleep" is good way to pass an hour and twenty minutes if you don't expect too much going in.

It gets better towards the end.

[Hey_Sweden · 6/10 · 3 June 2016]

If I went for snark more often in my reviews, I might say that "The Black Sleep" will put *you* into a black sleep. But, in truth, it's not *that* bad. It's just somewhat disappointing, given the gathering of some of the shining lights of the horror genre. This is really more of a period drama (with precious little period recreation - this is mostly shot in interiors) with touches of horror. Its first three quarters are somewhat dull, and talky, and most unfortunate of all, NOT very atmospheric.

The story mostly centers around the activities of a deranged doctor, Sir Joel Cadman (Basil Rathbone) who saves a former student, Gordon Ramsey (!) (Herbert Rudley) from the hangman. This he does with the assistance of a drug, the "Black Sleep" of the title, that can make people appear to be dead. Sir Joel intends to have Ramsey assist him in his radical research into the human brain. Ramsey meets such characters as Daphne (Phyllis Stanley), Sir Joels' loyal nurse, two mutes (Lon Chaney Jr. and Bela Lugosi), and the very fetching young Laurie Monroe (Patricia Blair), while an annoying, talkative gypsy named Odo (Akim Tamiroff) provides Sir Joel with unwilling test subjects.

"The Black Sleep" is saved, to a degree, by its final quarter, which is good fun, as more characters come crawling out of the woodwork. Among them is a hirsute John Carradine. Don't be fooled; despite his prominent billing, his is little more than a cameo role. The same goes for the hulking Swedish wrestler Tor Johnson, who doesn't show up for a long time. The reasonably likable Rudley does a decent job of carrying the story. He's a good man who claims to be innocent of a murder charge, and there's no reason to doubt him. He's also the moral centre, scoffing at the insanity perpetrated by Sir Joel. Mr. Rathbone is marvelous; his performance does ultimately transcend the material. But performers like Carradine, Lugosi, and Chaney end up rather under utilized.

Directed without much style by Reginald Le Borg ("Weird Woman", "Diary of a Madman"), but the score by the talented Les Baxter is definitely worth a listen.

Six out of 10.

Induced Comas

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 13 June 2011]

Oddly enough The Black Sleep was some years ahead of its time medically speaking. The title refers to a drug from India that scientists Basil Rathbone uses to do that. Today it's a technique to enable recovery from certain illnesses or injuries. But being that this is Basil Rathbone mad scientist you know the drug will be used for all kinds of nefarious purposes.

Rathbone gets Dr. Herbert Rudley out of prison to assist him by use of his coma inducing Black Sleep. Rudley is in prison for a murder he didn't commit. When he 'dies' before the death sentence is carried out that's the end of it. But Rathbone has a lot of work for Rudley to do, operations on some willing and not so willing patients. What it's all about you have to see The Black Sleep for.

If you do see it you're in for a treat because with a cast of scene stealing actors such as Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney, Jr., and John Carradine, this is not to be missed. All three of their characters are products of Rathbone's failed experiments. Carradine in particular is joy. He plays a deranged man who thinks he's a Crusader King and he's overacting outrageously and I'm loving every minute of it. Also in the film is Akim Tamiroff as a gypsy grave robber who also aids Rathbone.

All these people have legions of fans still. So if you want to see a film that's a combination of Frankenstein and the Island of Dr. Moreau with a great cast you can't miss with The Black Sleep.

Uneven but quite entertaining.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 7 December 2011]

Beginning is a bit like "The Man They Could Not Hang"--innocent man condemned to death is spared by his doctor friend. It also is a bit like "The Man Who Lived Again"--both are Boris Karloff films from the 1930s. So, if you have a sense of déjà vu, this might be why.

The film stars Basil Rathbone and Herbert Rudley. Rudley has been falsely accused of murder and is about to be executed. His 'friend', Rathbone, gives him a potion to make him appear dead--then instead of burying him, Rathbone will use him as an assistant in his brain research. What Rudley doesn't realize is that this research is being done on live humans--humans that Rathbone renders unconscious with his 'black sleep' formula. Unfortunately, Rathbone's plans for Rudley aren't all that altruistic--tune in and find the evil truth.

This film has lots of appearances very horror notables--though most are not very satisfying, as their roles were very, very small. Along for the ride are Akim Tamiroff in a very creepy role--and the most complex of the guest stars. As for Lon Chaney, Jr. and Bela Lugosi, both have thankless non-speaking roles and are rather wasted. And, out of the blue, John Carradine appears near the end of the film...and then overacts wildly. And, along for the ride with him is Tor Johnson--of Ed Wood fame. I liked seeing all these guys--I just wish the script had given them more to say and do. It's like a great opportunity somewhat squandered.

The film is entertaining--mostly because the plot is quite good and has a few nice twists. Unfortunately, however, there are also some moments with LOTS of cheese--most notably Carradine's bizarre performance. But the good well outweighs the bad and is fun.

Over Talky But With Effective Moments

[Prichards12345 · 5/10 · 29 October 2009]

The Black Sleep on first viewing is something of a disappointment. Inspite of the presence of Basil Rathbone, Lon Chaney Jr., Bela Lugosi, John Carradine, and er, Tor Johnson the film is often flat and uninvolving; minutes of endless talk go by and for a black and white horror the movie is curiously devoid of atmosphere.

Director Reginald LeBorg manages to instill some decent scenes, however, and the shots of the exposed brain are remarkably go-ahead for their time. The Black Sleep appears to have had some influence on Hammer's Curse Of Frankenstein, which re-started the Gothic horror genre, as Rathbone's Dr. Cadman appears a virtual prototype for Peter Cushing's Baron Frankenstein. He gives a good performance, but the film disappoints in the thin and unflattering roles given to Chaney and Lugosi - Lon is a mindless brute and Lugosi is a mute butler with nothing to do but open doors and carry a warming pan! John Carradine drew the short straw as a mad prophet, and appears dangerously late in the film. 3 Actors who gave so much to the horror film are treated abominably. Tor Johnson first appears in a wallet photograph in an hilariously inappropriate wig.

Yet, there are saving graces, notably Akim Tamarov's shady gypsy - he's a delight to watch as he acts as Rathbone's procurer of living specimens, and the film does offer a rousing climax, with Johnson and Chaney squaring off. A film of missed opportunities, then, but an interesting bridge between the old-style horror and the Hammer era to come.

Great fun and not a great film--but what a roll call of horror greats! Lugosi's last real role.

[secondtake · 6/10 · 2 September 2013]

The Black Sleep (1956)

This is one of those campy horror movies, two decades after the great originators, that fans will really love and newbies or outsiders will have trouble getting.

I'm mostly a fan, but even as the titles rolled and I couldn't believe the great cast, I was aware that this was 1956, that Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney Jr. were well past their prime. And the lead, Basil Rathbone, was playing an evil doctor (a shade like Dr. Frankenstein, pushing moral boundaries with his surgery), was more known as Sherlock Holmes. Still, along with John Carradine, what a cast!

And this is really Lugosi's last uncompromised appearance in any movie, even though he plays a mute and we don't get to hear him. ("Plan 9" comes after this, but Lugosi's role there is famously limited.) He's terrific! And Chaney's appearance is also mute, a brief each time, and not such a big deal. (Once there is nice, corny subjective p.o.v. camera as he attacks his prey.)

The plot? The title? Well, it's all a bit obvious what's happening, though the opening twenty minutes is more a straight drama that actually suggests a really good movie is ahead. A man is on death row, and Rathbone visits him and gives him the Black Sleep potion, which puts him into a fake death and he is carted away and revived. That doesn't give too much away. For the rest of the movie the potion is really just used as anesthesia at the crazy doctor's castle and is no big deal.

There is the pretty girl in a coma, a misunderstood nursing assistant who is daughter of the Chaney character, another nurse who is oddly cold and efficient (and not a Nazi--this is all 1872), and then there is the main character, the man from death row, who happens to be a crack surgeon that the evil doctor needs for his research.

For the middle half of the movie you see minor tensions and some brain surgery that is meant to seem cutting edge and unscrupulous. Then, in a huge surprise, almost as if the director woke up, a bunch of old patients appear out of nowhere (maybe they escaped their cells). And it's a bit of absolute mayhem, with Carradine playing an angry Moses type, and it's pretty crazy.

Look, I said too much perhaps but you should know this isn't a great movie. But it's great camp. It's silly, it's filled with icons from the old days, and it's not so badly made at all, edited well and filmed better than you would think for this nadir of Hollywood productions. This is around the time of the new Castle low budget films, and early Corman stuff, but this one is clearly from the old school of 1930s Hollywood. See it on those terms and like it!

"The Black Sleep" is weak, but 'Rathbone' saves the picture...

[mrbill-23 · 5/10 · 14 January 2010]

I taped "The Black Sleep" off cable TV a couple years ago. I have only sat through this film two or three times.. I find it okay at best even with a stellar cast of great horror film figures like Basil Rathbone, Lon Chaney, John Carradine, Bela Lugosi and Tor Johnson in the film... The great Basil Rathbone actually saves this film from utter doom in my view. I say this because the rest of the cast are merely just in it for visual purposes.. Basil Rathbone is the only notable star who has a decent role here... I've seen far worse low-budget horror films in my time, but this here is pretty bad for the sake of stating the obvious... I only keep this film on file because of the very few / rare times that all these great horror film actors actually worked together all at once on the same set... BUT! By 1956, it was more than clear to me that all actors were long in the tooth and past their glory days without a doubt in my mind....

MR.BILL

Terrific Cast of Veteran Horror Actors

[mackeral · 10/10 · 2 June 2004]

I first saw "The Black Sleep" 48 years ago and was most impressed by the overall atmosphere and genuinely creepy nature of many of the scenes.

Upon more recent viewings and further reflection, I must say that this film still fascinates me. I am hard-pressed to recall another Basil Rathbone performance (other than his work as Sherlock Holmes) to equal this one. Sure, he chews the scenery unashamedly, but that is a big part of what makes this movie fun. Add in the first rate supporting cast of Lon Chaney, Jr., Akim Tamiroff, Bela Lugosi, and especially John Carradine and you have a veritable "Who's Who" of horror and film noir icons of the period. One must not forget the contributions of Tor Johnson and the lesser known actors filling out the cast.

The best scare occurs when we first meet Lon Chaney as "Mungo". The imaginative "point-of-view" camera work, focusing on Chaney's hands is very original and creative - especially for a low-budget production such as this one. My favorite scene, though, occurs quite late in the movie when the surgical "recoverees", led by the always riveting (although over-the-top) John Carradine, make their escape.

Sadly Bela Lugosi's character is mute and we are thus deprived of the exquisite pleasure of hearing his unique voice and diction. His character induces sympathy - even pity, rather than horror. In my opinion, this represents his best work from the declining days of his career. I must also single out Akim Tamiroff for the unctuous humor he provides as Rathbone's procurer of surgical subjects.

I give high marks for creative use of obviously cheap sets and evocative camera work. This is a movie which should not be missed by serious fans of films of the 50's. This is an excellent reminder of how they used to make effective horror films without soaking the screen with blood.

10 points out of 10.

Overlooked horror flick.

[michaelRokeefe · 7/10 · 19 February 2011]

Reginald Le Borg directs some notable horror stars in this overlooked Black & White classic. Although some of the star's dialog may be a bit limited, but still you'll recognize these titans of horror. Also known as DOCTOR CADMAN'S SECRET; Basil Rathbone plays Sir Joel Cadman, an ingenious doctor who has created a mystery drug that induces the appearance of death. Cadman uses his drug to study the living brain. Cadman's most promising surgical student, Dr. Gordon Ramsay(Herbert Rudley)is saved from a trip to the hangman by use of Cadman's drug. The price he pays is helping the mad doctor in performing surgeries to map the individual functions of parts of the human brain. Also in the cast: Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr., John Carradine, Tor Johnson along with Akim Tamiroff, Phyllis Stanley and the winsome Patricia Blair. I never heard the sound of thunder any creepier. And the old mansion where most of the action happens is perfect for a scary movie. Some may find THE BLACK SLEEP so bad its good.

What a cast! And yet what a waste!

[Coventry · 5/10 · 4 October 2015]

I often wonder… Instead of receiving a salary, were horror icons paid per word that they said in the old days or something? The amount of old (1930s, '40s and '50s) horror movies in which great actors appear, and even receive top billing, but hardly have any lines or dialogs is enormous. Particularly Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney Jr. were specialists in this, although this probably had something to do with the fact that they were both very unreliable due to their alcoholism/drug addiction issues in the fall of their careers… The very first screen is perhaps the best thing about "The Black Sleep", because that's the opening image that lists the names of Basil Rathbone, Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney and John Carradine underneath each other. What an awesome line-up for a horror movie, you'd think, and we even get a little cherry on top of the cake when also the name of Tor Johnson appears on the second credits' screen! Yes, the line-up is definitely incredible at first sight, but I've rarely witnessed a bigger waste of talents. Basil Rathbone – history's greatest Sherlock Holmes – is the only one with a prominent role, whereas the others merely just serve as set decoration. Lugosi is a mute butler (again…), Chaney Jr is a mad-raving brute (again) and Carradine appears as a kind of wizard but I honestly don't understand who his character was and what his role added to the plot.

Purely talking in terms of plotting "The Black Sleep" does form an interesting footnote in horror movie history, as it somewhat builds a bridge between the old-fashioned mad scientists from the Universal era (Victor Frankenstein and such…) and the more emotionally tormented mad scientists from the 1960s and onwards. The former group contains merely just megalomaniac geniuses, whereas the latter group is driven by severe personal problems, usually to cure their terminally ill wives or to save their daughters that got horribly deformed in accidents. The classic French masterpiece "Les Yeux Sans Visage" (1959) was officially the first and most famous of the 'tormented scientist' flicks, but perhaps "The Black Sleep" was really the first one. Physician Joel Cadman (Rathbone) is looking for a cure for his wife's brain tumor and therefore conducts unorthodox experiments in a remote old castle, primarily experiments that teach him how the human brain is mapped and structured. He uses an oriental drug, nicknamed black sleep, that puts the patient in a death-like coma and subsequently cuts open their skull to explore the brain functions. Unfortunately things usually go awry during this process and therefore the castle is full of failed experimental subjects. "The Black Sleep" benefices from the professional direction by Reginald LeBorg and strong performance of Basil Rathbone, but the screenplay is often boring and there disappointingly aren't any real Grand Guignol highlights. As stated already, the phenomenal cast is underused and it's a bit sad that Lugosi's very last role is such a pitiable one.

Black Indeed

[TonyDood · 10 March 2005]

There is a good deal of talking in this movie, which probably puts a lot of people off. It's also not as cut and dry as most movies, the "bad" guy makes a good case for his experiments, he's just too passionate about them. There's an uneasy sense of dread here; the smell of death sulks in every black and white frame. Some viewers might be bored, confused, disturbed by the morbidity of it all.

But hang on to your straight jacket kids! The climax of this opus is completely deranged! It comes out of nowhere, it's incredibly disturbing and ends all too soon! Loonies! Religious nuts! Mutants! Dungeons! Exposed brain matter! A refreshingly intelligent premise and a nutso finale. My kind of movie.

Good luck finding it though.

"In the interests of science, Doctor, anything -- ANYTHING -- is justified."

[utgard14 · 6/10 · 24 June 2016]

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.

"Up! Up! Kill! Kill !"

[BaronBl00d · 7/10 · 10 October 2010]

Yes, this film does have horror icons Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi, Basil Rathbone, Tor Johnson, and John Carradine...not to mention character actor great Akim Tamiroff all in one film. The cast alone is worth a look at this fairly low budget horror film about a mad doctor(Rathbone) who performs unnecessary brain surgery on people brought to him presumed to be dead but in reality alive having taken "the black sleep" drug that the film's prologue tells us about in order to save his comatose blonde, young wife. Whew! That was a sentence and a half! Rathbone over does it with his hammy yet always fun performance. The male "hero" lead is nicely done by Herbert Rudley. In fact the story and by-play between Rudley and Rathbone gives the film an appearance of some chilling Victorian potboiler until we get to Rathbone's castle and find the servant opening the door - the deaf servant -is none other than a very old(and sickly) looking Bela Lugosi. Lugosi's role is probably his last "real" screen role and he doesn't even get to say a word and has little screen time. Lon Chaney plays Mungo - supposedly once a college professor, but c'mmon...he looks like he just got back from the saloon - acts like it too. Tor Johnson has a very minor role. The best performance for my money is the way over-the-top performance of John Carradine who is barely in the movie's first two-thirds but explodes onto the scene in the third act. He is as thick a slice of ham as you will find spouting dialog about Saracens, etc... and having an old Moses beard. The Black Sleep isn't a great horror film but definitely a fun one. You just cannot go wrong with these actors even in a slightly less-than-stellar vehicle as this. Just watching Rathbone make little witty quips or seeing Carradine yell "Up! Up!...Kill! Kill" to a band of freakish mutant coming through a fireplace is worth seeing it all by itself.

The Black Sleep

[Scarecrow-88 · 6/10 · 16 July 2008]

Rathbone is sociopathic scientist willing to do anything through brain surgery and experimentation to recover his wife, lost to coma, with Rudley framed by him to help discover the answer to that mystery. With Lugosi as a mute servant and Chaney as a mute brute, both victims of Rathbone's experiments.

Classic tale with classic actors

[lastliberal · 6/10 · 14 June 2011]

Basil Rathbone, Bela Lugosi, and Lon Chaney all in the same film. No matter what the films flaws, the presence of these three portends a film that will be worth watching.

Add to that John Carradine (House of the Long Shadows), Tor Johnson (Plan 9 From Outer Space, The Beast of Yucca Flats), and Akim Tamiroff (For Whom the Bell Tolls, The General Died at Dawn). A fine supporting cast of horror characters.

Loonies, religious nuts,mutants, dungeons. and exposed brain matter. A refreshingly intelligent premise and a completely deranged finale that comes out of nowhere.

Well worth watching.

Nostalgia isn't enough

[m2mallory · 3/10 · 13 February 2011]

From the opening shot of the Tower of London labeled "Newgate Prison" to the Scotland Yard inspector who feels obligated to reintroduce himself every time he walks into a scene, it is very hard to watch "The Black Sleep" with a straight face. Its main claims to fame are its large cast of horror veterans--Basil Rathbone, Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr., John Carradine, Tor Johnson, and, some say, Akim Tamiroff (who was really replacing Peter Lorre)--and the fact that this was Lugosi's last real film, shot after his release from self-imposed drug rehab. Lugosi dodders quite a bit, and looks unwell, but he does what he can with his non-role as a mute major-domo. Chaney, meanwhile, reprises his inarticulate, murderous brute routine that he had perfected through such other films as "The Black Castle" and "The Indestructible Man," while Carradine goes completely into the stratosphere as an insane religious fanatic who looks like he just escaped from the Bastille. Johnson is, well, Johnson, complete with the blind contact lenses he later wore in Ed Wood's epics. Rathbone, as the mad doctor who turns humans into monsters for love, is adequate, only really snapping into life in his scenes opposite Tamiroff, but the real lead of the film, in just about every scene, is the miscast Herbert Rudley as Rathbone's assistant, and the film's hero. In addition to being too old for the role of a medical student, Rudley was a very unsubtle actor who telegraphed every thought to the balcony...all right for comedy, but not so good here. He, Rathbone, and Carradine would all fare much better that same year in "The Court Jester." An even bigger villain than Rathbone's character, though, is the script by John C. Higgins, which must have been 300 pages long to include all the talk, talk, talk, talk. Every second on screen is talked-to-death and every plot point over-explained, which serves to make the film seem much longer than it is. Reginald LeBorg's "direction" accomplishes nothing but to record the endless dialogue, though he does manage to get in one trademark dream/montage sequence, reminiscent of some of his 1940s work at Universal. Despite the low budget the castle sets are quite impressive, but all that means is that seeing this cast against those sets makes watching a set of still photos of "The Black Sleep" as satisfying, if not more so, as sitting through the movie.

Who is maiming the great horror stars of Universal?

[AlsExGal · 7/10 · 13 June 2016]

This film has all of the great devices of the horror films of the 30's and 40's and keeps the tension and fright level up in the age of the atomic bomb, partly by being set in the 19th century.

You've got Basil Rathbone as a doctor living in a medieval castle who is willing to do a hundred brain surgeries if necessary to bring his sleeping beauty wife back from a brain tumor induced coma. She really is too young for you Basil! You've got the mute "Mongo" played by Lon Chaney Jr. who had a paralysis cured by Basil's character, Dr. Cadman, but in the process lost his reason. Bela Lugosi is the mute servant Casimir, who really doesn't have too much to do. Then you have Daphne, a willing servant in Cadman's experiments who seems to be a bit in love with the doctor. And finally there is Laurie, Mongo's daughter, who is just assisting in the hope that Cadman will operate on "Mongo" again and restore his reason. He was once a brilliant physician and loving father.

The protagonist, Dr. Ramsay, was sentenced to die for a murder he did not commit, and is rescued by Cadman to help in his operations by faking his natural death. Ramsay agrees to help Cadman not only out of gratitude, but because Cadman is mapping the human brain through a series of operations on cadavers. Or at least that's what he thinks he is doing.

There are secret passage ways, the mysterious "black sleep" that simulates death and will actually cause death if the anecdote is not administered, and finally there is a basement full of maniacs that have an axe to grind with Doctor Cadman if they ever get loose. This one is a great homage to "The Black Cat", "The Raven", "The Old Dark House", and "Bride of Frankenstein" among others, which is strange when you think about it, because these are all Boris Karloff films and he is notably absent from this send up of the old Universal horrors. Very much worth your time and much better than the current rating reflects.

A thirties movie made 20 years too late

[LCShackley · 4/10 · 25 September 2007]

This film has all the ingredients of the classic horror movies of the 1930s; you could say that it is a deliberate attempt to recreate the atmosphere of the classic Karloff/Lugosi films. It's in B/W, there's a scary castle with dungeons and secret passages, a mad scientist with a limping assistant, a tortured hero desperately trying to save a beautiful girl, Scotland Yard police, body snatchers, etc. Unfortunately, it's just not made very well and lacks the punch of the earlier films.

In his final role, Bela Lugosi as a mute turns in a virtual repeat of his character in BODY SNATCHER (1945). In fact, the whole movie is a slightly more gruesome version of that same plot: doctor who thinks he is above the law uses people for experiments because his work is more important than human life.

What makes this movie fun is the parade of great horror stars, including Lugosi, Rathbone, Lon Chaney Jr., and an ACTUAL parade consisting of John Carradine, Tor Johnson, and others. And of course we have a villain named "Mungo" (were you watching this, Mel Brooks?) and a woman suspiciously like Frau Blucher. Les Baxter turns in another decent horror score, replete with bass clarinets, vibraphone, and even a gong for emphasis. I give BLACK SLEEP four stars for lack of cinematic quality, but if you're in a goofy mood you're certain to enjoy it.

PS - Can any Sanskrit scholar verify that the opening title is actually a translation of the words "Black Sleep"?

Great cast of horror vets bring life to a "lost" gem

[dbborroughs · 8/10 · 19 October 2005]

Dr Cadman saves the life of an old student, Ramsay, by giving him a drug nick named the "black sleep" prior to his going to the gallows. The drug simulates death and Ramsay is believed to have died before the hangman could have his way with him. Cadman revives Ramsay and has him help with his operations mapping the centers of the brain. Of course Cadman is mad, his desire to help his wife who is in a coma, has reduced him to using means that are less than savory. Tension mounts as Ramsay's good nature clashes with Cadman and the weird things that are going on in the house.

Somehow this little gem slipped under my radar and it wasn't until recently that I even knew this movie existed. With a cast that would be the delight of any classic horror movie fan (Basil Rathbone, Bela Lugosi,Lon Chaney, John Carradine, Tor Johnson, Akim Tamiroff) this is a one of those movies that they don't make any more. This is an odd mix of what you think of as classic horror and modern graphic visuals with a moody castle passageways and graphic brain operations and disfigured monsters. It walks that fine line of being link between the Universal style horror films of the 30's and 40's and the drive in monster fare of the 50's and 60's (it feels like a black and white version of the Hammer Frankenstein films or something like Blood of the Vampire) . Its a great deal of fun, and more than a tad creepy and tense since you really can't be sure whats going to happen next. In its way its a classic of its kind.

My only real complaint is that the casting of Lugosi, Johnson and Carradine is a bit misleading since Lugosi only has a few scenes as a mute butler, and Carradine and Johnson only show up in the final 15 minutes. They are really no more than cameos and don't deserve the high placement in the credits they receive.

Definitely high on my recommend list to anyone who likes classic style horror. This is a movie to search out and enjoy late on a rainy Saturday night.

"No One Has Ever Worked On An Exposed Brain, To My Knowledge"

[davidcarniglia · 6/10 · 10 October 2020]

Using the exotic drug, the Black Sleep, Sir Joel Cadman (Basil Rathbone) practices brain surgery so that he can cure his wife, Angelina (Luanna Gardner). Cadman, therefore, is a sort of Dr. Frankenstein. He's set himself up as a god, but turns out to be more of a sorcerer. His "subjects" would probably sue for malpractice if such were possible in Victorian England.

Even so, neither Borg, Curry, The Sailor, nor Mungo would be able to do more than make paper chains after Cadman's done with them. Odo is Cadman's supplier, so to speak; he lures down-and-out folks to him, drugs them with the Black Sleep, then delivers the comatose bundles to Cadman.

Anyway, the long denouement takes place when Laurie and Gordon explore the dungeon where the abandoned victims are captive. Borg is a heck of a delusional victim--he thinks he's a Crusader. The Sailor has become horribly disfigured. Curry is spaced out; Nancy (Sally Yarnell) looks diseased.

At this point, we finally see Angelina. She's been in a coma for eight months. Since Odo messed up (killing a would-be subject) Laurie is next in line for surgery. The cops come looking for Odo, but they don't suspect anything. Not long after they leave, the victims somehow escape the dungeon. Setting fire (!) to Daphne, Borg leads Curry and the Sailor on a rampage. Mongo is killed, then the Cadmans are pushed down the dungeon steps to their deaths. The police return, nabbing Odo, Laurie and Gordon escape, and all's well. The end.

This has a wild ending tacked onto a pseudo-scientific and rather wooden talk-fest. The rebellion itself is redemptive, but why should Angelina die? She, along with all of the interesting characters, are off-screen far too much.

The premise doesn't really deliver its full potential. The Black Sleep itself really only functions as a anesthetic; the meat of the plot concerns the diabolical surgeries, not how the victims were captured.

This has some great scenes, but gets a bit lost between sci-fi and horror; worth watching for Carradine's performance alone.

House of Crazies

[Flixer1957 · 5/10 · 23 August 2002]

**Possible Spoilers Ahead**

Herbert Rudley's character is framed for murder, then saved from execution by mad doctor Basil Rathbone who recruits him to assist with radical brain experiments. The hero understandably gets a little nervous when he sees the psycho scientist's living failures. There's a looney shanghaied sailor with a half-disintegrated face. A female throwaway has a luxurious mane on one side of her head–and ugly clumps of black hair on the rest of her body. Bela Lugosi is the butler; this character is mute which, at this stage of Lugosi's career, was probably just as well. Lon Chaney Jr. is Mongo–once a brilliant professor, now a murderous retardate. Tor Johnson plays–what else?–a 400-pound, muscle-bound, bald-headed lunatic. The stand-out is John Carradine; he thinks he's a Biblical prophet who's fighting a holy war against the Saracens, and he dresses and acts accordingly. Unctuous villain Akim Tamiroff gleefully delivers new specimens to the deranged doctor. If you can't guess the ending, it's because you haven't seen enough of these archaic "house of crazies" pictures. Despite some slow spots THE BLACK SLEEP is a real hoot, especially if you watch it with one or more other schlock-hounds. Rathbone alone makes it worth a few screenings.