The Body Snatcher

This is unlike some of the other Val Lewton mystery/horror films from the 1940s in that it is a classic Gothic horror tale with a classic Gothic horror topic - 19th century grave robbing for the purpose of medical research. There's no wartime engineer married to a mysterious and troubled woman who is afraid she'll turn into a leopard if sexually aroused in THIS Lewton film! But I digress.

Dr. MacFarlane (Henry Daniells) is a famous surgeon and medical school professor in Edinburgh. He gives a job to medical school student Donald Fettes because, otherwise, Fettes will have to leave school because he can't afford tuition and his living expenses, and MacFarlane thinks Fettes has the makings of a fine doctor. But, among other things, the job involves the intake of cadavers for dissection. And those bodies are the product of graverobbing by cabman John Gray (Boris Karloff). Of course the graverobbing is bad enough, but it soon escalates to murder on the part of Gray. And MacFarlane really can't do much about Gray who turns up at his home and lab unwanted and at all hours just to torment him. That's because of a secret of MacFarlane's that Gray has been keeping all of these years since MacFarlane was in medical school. Complications ensue.

Very atmospheric, this is the e creepiest I've ever seen Karloff. Such a versatile actor he was. Hard to believe he also portrayed the amiable Mr. Wong. Henry Daniell actually played a sympathetic character here with Karloff so effectively menacing him. With a terrifying final scene that some say was censored in England, I'd highly recommend this one.

This interesting story is adapted from a novel by Robert Louis Stevenson . It concerns John Gray (Boris Karloff) , he's a cabman who provides dead bodies for illegal medical research in charge of Dr. MacFarland (Henry Daniell) . Then Gray is blackmailed by MacFarland's servant (Bela Lugosi) . Meanwhile , his doctor assistant Donald (Russell Wade) tries to help a mother and her paralytic daughter , and for experiments , he asks for help John Gray in order to get corpses.

This is a fine , suspenseful and intriguing terror movie based on the actual characters of the nasty gravediggers Burke and Hare that have been adapted a number of times . Tension , horror, thriller appear lurking , menacing in graveyard , dark slums , home stairs , rooms and cementery . The film gets the expressionist German atmosphere , thanks to cameraman Robert De Grasse . He along with photographers Nicholas Musuruka and John Alton are the main artificers of noir cinema atmosphere . Casting is frankly outstanding . Terrific Boris Karloff as a sinister graverobber , he creates authentic frightening and panic , impressive Bela Lugosi , both of whom share the last creepy scenes together and Henry Daniell does an equally compelling turn . Usual musician RKO , Roy Webb , composes an adequate musical score with habitual musical director Bakaleinikoff . Exciting screenplay by Philip McDonald and Val Lewton -under pseudonym Carlos Keith- . The motion picture was well directed by Robert Wise and magnificently produced by Val Lewton . RKO's Lewton is a great producer of horror classics , such as : ¨Cat people¨, ¨Leopard man¨, ¨I walked with a Zombi¨,¨Ghost ship¨, among others . Rating : Better than average , well worth checking out. The tale will appeal to Boris Karloff fans and cinema classics buffs.

I first saw this film on a late-night horror program in my pre-teens. Back then it scared the living daylights out of me and started a life-long love of the work of Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. I'm pleased to say so many years on, it still has the power to grab me.

Admittedly, its dated in some ways. The obviously American actors trying to get their tongues around the Scottish-style dialogue is pretty laughable at times but the gothic atmosphere of RL Stevenson's book is captured admirably. The love-interest between Donald Fettes (Russell Wade) & Mrs Marsh (Rita Corday) seems like something that should've been developed properly or cut - it goes nowhere. The character of Meg Camden (Edith Atwater) is beautiful played but never given a chance to really fly. Likewise with Bela Lugosi's Joseph, but his big scene with Karloff is just great.

In this low-budget film, Val Lewton & Robert Wise still manage to pull out all the stops, using superb lighting (esp of Karloff's cadaverous face), echoing sound (Cabman Grey's horse "clip-clopping" on the cobblestones) and the wonderful scene where the cat sitting on the mantlepiece witnesses "Toddy" MacFarlane (the wonderfully imperious Henry Daniell) grappling with Karloff's Cabman Grey. All we see are macarbe shadows dancing on the wall. As with many great movies of the period & genre, its the implication of violence that makes us sit up and take notice. (For the last word in this technique, check out the shower scene from Hitchcock's Psycho).

Tame compared to contemporary horror but the final scene especially is still chilling after all these years.

In 1831, in Edinburgh, the prominent doctor and professor Dr. Wolfe 'Toddy' MacFarlane (Henry Daniell) buys corpses for his studies and classes of anatomy from the notorious cabman John Gray (Boris Karloff), who is also a body snatcher. When his talented student Donald Fettes (Russell Wade) tells that he will quit medical school since his family cannot afford to support him, MacFarlane hires him as his assistant to permit Fettes to proceed his studies. Fettes meets a little girl that cannot walk anymore due to a coach accident, and he tries to convince Dr. MacFarlane to operate her but the doctor is reluctant. Soon Fettes discovers that Dr. MacFarlane has a secret from his past and Gray blackmails him. When Fettes learns how Gray obtains the corpses for Dr. MacFarlane, he has an inner conflict and does not want to continue as Dr. MacFarlane's protégée. But isn't it too late?

"The Body Snatcher" is a dark and gloomy horror tale with a creepy story about ethic in medicine, or how far a doctor should go in his researches. Boris Karloff has a magnificent performance, maybe the best I have ever seen of this actor. The direction of Robert Wise is sharp and the cinematography in black and white is impressive. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Túmulo Vazio" ("The Empty Grave")

What can you say about Boris Karloff? He attacks this role with evil zest. I have not seen a lot of his work, but I was extremely impressed with his portrayal of Cabman Gray, the medical school's grave robber. (among other things) The modern horror genre simply focuses on gore, and doesn't allow characters like Gray, or actors like Karloff flourish, and that's too bad.