The Body Snatcher (1945)
Distributor: Odeon Entertainment
DVD Release Date (UK): 11th July 2011
Directed by: Robert Wise
Starring: Boris Karloff, Henry Daniell, Russell Wade, Bela Lugosi
Review by: Ben Bussey
Here at Brutal As Hell, we do tend to focus largely on post-1970s horror. Indeed, I’d argue that contemporary horror fandom in general is most interested in that late 20th century era. Fair enough, as it’s the era that many of us were born into, and it’s also the era that saw the radical redefinition not only of our beloved genre but of filmmaking in general, where considerably less constraints apply. But as we need to remind ourselves from time to time, horror movies did exist before Romero and co, and a great many tremendous filmmakers worked within the confines of that more restrictive earlier period; and to an extent, those restrictions were made a virtue rather than an obstacle. And if we’re talking classic horror of the black and white era, few things sound more like a winning combination than producer Val Lewton, director Robert Wise, and stars Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. The Body Snatcher is by no means the best film that any of these men ever made, but even so it’s a very well crafted, gripping and atmospheric potboiler in its own right.
Adapted from a Robert Louis Stevenson short story, the action takes place in Edinburgh in the 1800s. The Burke and Hare murders are still fresh in the memory and cast a shadow over life in the city, particularly for the staff and students of the medical school. An ambitious but perhaps somewhat naive student named Donald Fettes (Russell Wade) finds himself awarded the accolade of serving as personal assistant to the renowned Dr MacFarlane (Henry Daniell). This position soon forces Fettes to confront an ugly truth about his chosen field; that while Burke and Hare may be dead and buried, their profession most definitely is not. Which brings us to the Body Snatcher of the title, a cabman named Gray (Karloff, naturally), who keeps MacFarlane in fresh corpses. Fettes can just about live with it when he thinks they’ve only been stolen from graves; but naturally that isn’t always the case. But as a complex power struggle plays out between the respectable physician and the lowly commoner, it’s not always clear who has the upper hand. After all, Gray knows where all the bodies are buried, both figuratively and literally.
It’s not the most unique or gripping plot, nor is the film stylistically anything too special. As a period piece, it doesn’t feel all that different from the old Universal classics, as opposed to the more distinct contemporary setting of Lewton’s more celebrated productions Cat People and I Walked With A Zombie. For director Robert Wise, it was only his fourth sitting in the big chair, and as such lacks the flair and confidence of his later work. But the key thing this film has that a lot of 21st century horror (particularly studio output) does not have is an emphasis on character, and great parts for great actors. Henry Daniell does brilliant work as the outwardly emotionless but inwardly tormented Dr MacFarlane, but unsurprisingly he is left totally in the shadow of Karloff. While his vague hint of a working class accent may seem a bit corny by modern standards, Karloff here is every inch the icon of understated menace that we know and love. Nor does it ever feel like he’s going by the numbers; this is one of the more mannered, sadistic performances I’ve seen from him, his grubby face consistently wreathed with a sinister leer, loaded with the promise of the horrible things he’s done, and the horrible things he may yet do.
One thing The Body Snatcher clearly isn’t, however, is another great Karloff/Lugosi collaboration. Ever since Ed Wood, it’s been hard to look at any of their collaborations without hearing Martin Landau roar, “Karloff does not deserve to smell my shit! That limey cocksucker can rot in hell!” On this evidence, it’s not hard to see why Lugosi might have wound up feeling that way. Karloff is in most scenes and has all the best lines, whilst Lugosi is lumbered with an utterly thankless role as MacFarlane’s handyman, popping up only a few times with very little of consequence to say or do (don’t believe the trailer below, which suggests Lugosi has a major role). That this wound up being their last collaboration makes it all the more bittersweet. Given that today we tend to hold both men on an equal pedestal, it’s pretty sad to see that Hollywood at the time did not treat them with equivilant respect. Even if Karloff was clearly the better actor; sorry Lugosi fans, it’s true. And Christopher Lee was a better Dracula, but that’s for another time.
This edition from Odeon Entertainment is a totally bare bones DVD: it’s Play Movie or Scene Access, and that’s all. But hey, for a film this old we shouldn’t anticipate all new director’s commentaries and cast and crew interviews. The key players are already dead, after all. No, The Body Snatcher is not on a par with Karloff’s Frankenstein, Lewton’s Cat People or Wise’s The Haunting, but even when they weren’t at the top of their game these guys were still far better than most. As such, this is well worth a look.