Burke & Hare

Like so many early 1970s British horror movies, I first saw BURKE & HARE at a drive-in as part of a double bill. I don't remember what else was showing that night but this was the movie that I came to see and it wasn't the first feature. I knew director Vernon Sewell from two earlier films, THE CRIMSON CULT and THE BLOOD BEAST TERROR and from being mentioned in David Pirie's landmark study of British horror cinema, A HERITAGE OF HORROR. Neither of those two movies were particularly good but they were entertaining, well made and boasted powerhouse horror casts (Peter Cushing, Robert Flemyng, Christopher Lee, Barbara Steele, Michael Gough, and Boris Karloff). This one didn't have the cast but it was about Burke & Hare.

I am fascinated by the Burke & Hare saga. Though he was hanged in 1829, Burke's skeleton is still on display in Edinburgh. I am also a huge admirer of John Gilling's 1959 version of the story THE FLESH & THE FIENDS. I have seen all 5 of the major cinematic versions of the story and this one is the weakest of the set which is too bad because there was real potential here. The problem is that the producers wanted to have their cake and eat it too.

They combined a horror movie with a period sex romp in the vein of FANNY HILL. The bordello scenes look like a completely different movie. The lighting is different, the music is cheerful, and the editing between the two storylines is haphazard. This is a shame because the B & H scenes are well staged and well acted by Derren Nesbit & Glynn Edwards. Yootha Joyce and Dee Shenderey are also very good as the women behind the men. Harry Andrews looks the part of Dr. Knox but lacks the depth of Peter Cushing's characterization'

I read that director Sewell envisioned a different film altogether as this lacks the tight editing of his other movies. What he thought of BURKE & HARE is probably best summarized by the fact that he quit the business after this one. Producer Kenneth Shipman, taking advantage of the new relaxed standards, made sure that there was plenty of female flesh on display (which Sewell had originally cut down quite a bit). Throw in some kinky behavior witnessed through peepholes and you have what looks like a spread for PLAYBOY magazine (or maybe it's PENTHOUSE since they're British).

While I can't really recommend the film it's not without its good points. This Redemption DVD looks absolutely gorgeous and is the uncut version. There's even a Blu-Ray edition with bonus features. Director John Landis obviously borrowed the film's overall comic tone for his 2010 BURKE & HARE with Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis which is very similar...For more reviews visit The Capsule Critic.

I wanted to see this having viewed and really enjoyed the Simon Pegg version.

No contest, the Simon Pegg version is far more entertaining than this one which just doesn't do it for me. Can't really explain why either, but nothing really seems to gel.

Disappointing horror/comedy account of Irish body snatchers who were operating in Edinburgh in the 1820's. More comic than horrific, much of the focus is on sexual comedy with a lot of the film taking place in a brothel. Plenty of nudity, very popular in the early 1970's, horror specialists Hammer themselves were doing this. Pity Hammer didn't do a straight horror version of this, likewise the Carry On team could have undoubtably made a much funnier movie. Lucky Derren Nesbitt as Burke shares a topless threesome romp with beauties Francoise Pascal and Yutte Strensgaard, and at least his accent sounds Irish. Glynn Edwards was great as Cockney barman Dave in ITV's "Minder" but is sadly quite poor as Hare, he is among several characters who have very unconvincing accents. It has a few good moments but overall I found this movie rather dull, the 2010 version is far better.

Vernon Sewell's only recently resurrected, morbidly marvellous, luridly lewd 'Burke & Hare' (1972) is further distinguished by the singularly sleazy turns from stalwart character actors Derren Nesbitt and Harry Andrews making the experience saucier than a cider-ripened pair of poorly pickled plums! A fleshly fiendish trawl through the iniquitous back alleys of 19th century Edinburgh, wherein the morbidly fascinating tale of these infamous body snatchers is garishly presented for our grisly edification, sparing no gloriously gory detail over how these maniacal miscreants invidiously plied their blasphemous trade, vividly exposing their grievous impropriety that led this diabolical duo of fiendishly feral flesh merchants to their inexorable, darkly-storied doom!!! Their vile transport from oafish zeros to the icy gallows is boldly told, and maintains a gruesomely tight grip like a hangman's noose! And it was utterly delightful to see exquisite scream dreams Yutte Stensgaard and Françoise Pascal...and, er, there's so much of 'em to see!!!!!!! This recklessly ribald, corpse-bartering shocker retains its delightfully seamy veneer, being a frequently bawdy, blood-thirsty bacchanal of gross impropriety, despicable immorality, boozy licentiousness and sordid, cold blooded murder, and is all the better for it, mayte! 'Hare today...gone tomorrow!' After watching the altogether nefarious nocturnal depredations of these asinine anti-heroes you might need a 'stiff' drink to revivify your fear-frozen marrow!!!!!!

Briefly, this is not a patch on the Boris Karloff version.

The introductory 70s music/soundtrack is pathetic and cheesy.

Some elements are macabre (no surprise there), but, gratingly, these are mixed with some feeble quasi-comic elements and some cheap 'Confessions of a Window Cleaner' style sex scenes with prostitutes.

This could have been 6.5 for a decent remake. Harry Andrews plays Dr. Knox and rises above the material and script. Derren Nesbitt Gestapo Officer in Where Eagles Dare) and Glynn Edwards (Dave from Minder) are also above average.

Overall disappointing. Feel free to watch it as a curio, but make sure you have something else to do at the same time such as ironing, mending something or reading a newspaper.