THE BODY SNATCHER

Every now and then, honour of reviewing DVD’s for SGM truly turns into an exercise in edutainment! The movie we are about to look at exemplifies this concept with aplomb. THE BODY SNATCHER was an intriguing enough prospect considering it features Horror legends Karloff AND Lugosi (albeit with Bela being relegated to the supporting cast while Karloff is given top billing). But when I learned that the Val Lewton production’s inspiration came courtesy of a short story by Robert Louis Stevenson, which itself was based on the true case of serial killing duo Burke and Hare in Edinburgh, Scotland in the early 1800’s it truly whet the appetite for a classic slice of morbidly vintage Horror. I wasn’t to be disappointed...

The story’s backdrop stays loyal to its sinister real life origins given the fact the tale is set in Edinburgh in 1831, 3 years after Burke and Hare were caught for their murderous crimes in the area. Donald Fettes (Russell Wade), a budding medical student, consoles a bereaving mother and heartbroken pet dog, Robbie, at the freshly prepared grave of her recently deceased son. Through her tears she explains she can’t afford a grave watcher to mind her son’s place of rest – but accepts she needs one due to the unscrupulous robberies which have occurred at the cemetery lately. The thefts are allegedly fuelled by ‘mad doctors’ for their experiments

The narrative swiftly introduces Cabman Gray (Karloff) and wastes no time in revealing he is indeed one of these cadaver thieves. The brutal dispatching of Robbie via his spade, gives a hint to heinous lengths he will go to attain a fresh corpse. Of course, once the body has been snatched it needs to be sold – and one such purchaser is Dr Wolfe ‘Toddy’ MacFarlane (Henry Daniell). The films subplot explains why the doc is willing to pay such a handsome sum for the stiff: An unfortunate young girl, Georgina needs an operation to cure her paralysis which was sustained when she was involved in an accident of an overturning carriage that also killed her father.

It just so happens that Fettes is MacFarlanes assistant, and his naivety turns to horror when he is told that the official line of ‘obtaining bodies from the Municipal Coroner’ can be manipulated – all in the best interests of medical evolution of course. Once obtained, the corpse is the perfect model to dissect before studying the intricate workings of the human body. The classic ‘progress versus principles’ concept begins to accentuate the good doc / bad doc characters along with MacFarlane’s military style barking at the young girl against Fettes’s softer style of negotiation with the infant.

But a naive student is the last of Dr MacFarlane’s worries. It appears he shares a very dark past with Cabman Gray. So dark in fact it would seem the Gray positively has an apparent noose around the neck of the Dr and is indeed capable of having complete power over his ostensibly superior associate. When the doc’s assistant, Joe (Lugosi) senses the opportunity to blackmail the ominous Cabman, he foolishly goes for it. It proves to be a fatal mistake, but it does instigate a harrowing conclusion to the festering history between Gray and MacFarlane as this delightfully macabre tale reaches its climax.

There is much to be enjoyed in director Robert Wise’s THE BODY SNATCHER. From an aesthetic point of view it’s decidedly creepy. From Karloff’s menacing shadow in the grave yard to the way the murders are portrayed. The film is not gory but pretty violent. Robbie’s mournful yelps along with the street singer’s high pitched croons, both get abruptly silenced off camera. The sudden hush after the unseen strike is a cunningly used and leaves the viewer in no doubt as to what has occurred.

Such an atmospheric movie begs for a quality print to bring it to life and I am pleased to say I found the DVD to containing a nice crisp print. Even Georgina’s sorrowful tears can be seen to glisten which gives some indication to its quality!

Karloff gives yet another mesmeric performance as the menacing Cabman Gray. His dulcet delivery of dialogue through his sinisterly self-assured smile serves to crank the tension up as serving to exert his power over his enemy Dr "Toddy" MacFarlane... there is a subtle of Scots twang in his accent is thankfully not overplayed. The odd "Aye Laddie" and peppering of Scottish folk songs remind us where we are without camping up the highlands angle. And don’t worry, Lugosi doesn’t attempt to be Scottish!!! ("I am from Lisbon" he boldly declares just to clarify his confused accent!)

All in all, a great old horror picture, whose final scene with Karloff in the climatic twist is as hideous as it is memorable!

Karloff fans in the UK are beginning to owe those good folk at Odeon Entertainment a huge debt with their distribution of these old classics in their so called ‘Hollywood Studio Collection’. It is a shame that the original poster art does not adorn the covers as it is that their releases contain no extras. But as this disc exemplifies, the picture and sound quality of the actual movies themselves are top notch. With an R.R.P of under a tenner (you will find it cheaper if you shop about online) The Body Snatcher is another welcome release from Odeon Entertainment.

Review by Marc Lissenburg