The Body Snatcher (1945)

Directed by

Robert Wise

Genre

fantasy film, horror film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 17m

Rated

NR

Rating

7.0 of 10 from 202 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

In 19th century Edinburgh, a cab driver secretly digs up fresh bodies to sell to a respected doctor for anatomy lessons. When the supply of corpses runs low, the driver starts to murder people to keep the doctor supplied, putting both men in moral danger.

gothiccreepyslow-burnatmosphericmoodydarktensebrooding

What happens

The Body Snatcher is a 1945 American horror film directed by Robert Wise, based on the 1884 short story of the same name by Robert Louis Stevenson. Philip MacDonald adapted the story for the screen, and producer Val Lewton, credited as "Carlos Keith", modified MacDonald's screenplay. The film stars Boris Karloff as John Gray, a cab driver who moonlights as a grave robber, and later murderer, to illegally supply Dr. MacFarlane (played by Henry Daniell) with cadavers for his classes, and makes mention of Burke, Hare, and Dr. Knox, in reference to the West Port murders of 1828. Alongside Karloff and Daniell, the film's cast includes Russell Wade, Edith Atwater, and Bela Lugosi. It was the last film in which both Karloff and Lugosi appeared together. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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