Horror Maniacs

Atmospherically lit but studio-bound and talky. Having made several Old Mother Riley films with Arthur Lucan, Tod Slaughter must by comparison have seemed to director Oswald Mitchell like a Method actor; and although he cackles diabolically a couple of times his performance actually seems rather subdued set beside his thirties villains and Robert Newton's Bill Sykes the same year.

Aubrey Woods as poor 'Daft Jamie' came fresh from playing Smike the previous year in Cavalcanti's 'Nicholas Nickleby'; while it would be another twenty years before Eddie Malin became a familiar face on TV as Walter Tattersall in 'Nearest and Dearest'.

Greed of William Hart, The (1948)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

Tod Slaughter, Britain's biggest horror star, makes one of his final appearances in this film also known as Horror Maniacs. The history behind the film is actually a lot more interesting than the film itself. This was originally called The Crimes of Burke and Hare with those two names used in the film. However, the British censors objected and a relative of Hare threatened to sue so they had to dub the names, which cost so much money that the producer's couldn't afford a music score. As for the film, it's a pretty dull take on the Burke and Hare story with Slaughter very dry up until the end when he goes so over the top that you can't help but laugh. Clearly this was meant to challenge The Body Snatcher but doesn't come close.

Under an hour in length, this film about two bodysnatchers named Wally Hart and Mr. Moore(obviously meant to be Burke and Hare)showcases the immense talent of British ham Tod Slaughter, one of the truly forgotten kings of horror. It is weak in plot development, and it has little action, but the film does a good job creating the atmosphere of the poor and wicked in Edinburgh during a time when bodies were needed for medical use. A lot more could have been done with the film, but taken as it is, it is entertaining just as a vehicle in which to see Tod Slaughter cackle and gesture about. It is not Slaughter's best, however, but he does have moments as an amoral ressurectionist who kills for money with no compunction or moral barrier at all. The rest of the cast is average at best, and the film suffers from a very evident low budget. This was one of Slaughter's last "big" films. It is a shame that he was never given a budget for a film that would have made him more popular with audiences today. So few people have seen his films, and this film seems to be somewhat obscure. I recommend the film based on his presence(not performance).

This film is not at all "under one hour of running time", I suspect that some US video collectors saw only a cut version. The original running time - in Great-Britain - was 79 mins (7005 feet). It was released in the USA (as "Horror Maniacs") in the early Fifties, as part of a double-bill with another Tod Slaughter film ("The Curse of the Wraydons", renamed "Strangler's Morgue"), cut to 72 mins. And more recently, an American video company "offered" a totally butchered version, reduced to 53 mins!

Happily enough, the complete 79 mins version is now available from some video companies.

Knowing that this movie is Tod Slaughter's take on the tale of Burke and Hare promises a great deal more than this tawdry, cheap little bore could possibly deliver. It's shot on cramped, ugly sets, the story moves in fits and starts, it's endlessly talky and never gives Slaughter a chance to cut loose in his grand style. The movies he made in the 1930s are all entertaining and, for the tolerant, enjoyable and watchable even today. But if you like those, you can safely skip this one. Slaughter is given few chances to emote in his gloriously florid style; instead, he's handed reams of dull lines to read, as is everyone else. He has a few moments, but not many; more are provided by Aubrey Woods as Jamie with the barrow.