The Body Snatcher
| release date | November 30 1944 |
| studio | RKO Radio Pictures |
| director | Robert Wise |
| writer | Robert Louis Stevenson, Philip MacDonald |
| starring | Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Henry Daniell, Edith Atwater |
| tagline | INVADED!...the sanctuary of the Dead!...by the Hero of Horror!...and the Master of Menace! |
| trailer 1 | Trailer #1 |
3 Comments
Simply, a great movie. This is probably my favorite role of Karloff’s. He’s a right bastard, but there’s a catharsis in his madness, and the character of Grey is so inherently charismatic that putting Karloff in the role just doubles this. The other actors in the film do a great job, too. Henry Daniell, who plays Macfarlane, plays a character who is arguably even more of a rueful asshole than Karloff’s who you want to see destroyed even more because of his pompousness and privilege. Not to mention Lugosi, whose role, albeit small, is very interesting and greatly acted, even though his presence is miniscule compared to Karloff’s.
This may not be the scariest movie ever, but it has some great action and an exciting plot. And the atmosphere reflects the dark, brooding atmosphere of Edinburgh in this period. Great movie. See it.
Karloff and Lugosi are great. The plot unfolds and escalates at a perfect pace. Very disturbing.