Blu-ray Review: The Body Snatcher (1945)

March 12, 2019

Written by DanXIII

Daniel XIII; the result of an arcane ritual involving a King Diamond album, a box of Count Chocula, and a copy of Swank magazine, is a screenwriter, director, producer, actor, artist, and reviewer of fright flicks…Who hates ya baby?

Mrs. Marsh (Rita Corday) visits the house of smug asshair Dr. Wolfe “Toddy” MacFarlane (Henry Daniell), seeking a cure for her daughter Georgina’s (Sharyn Moffett) paralysis, which ol’ Toddy recommends surgery as the solution, but tells her he can’t perform it…just build ’em up and knock ’em down you learned douche-nozzle.

MacFarlane’s other static comes in the form of his A-No. 1 student Donald Fettes (Russell Wade) who can no longer afford his studies…which Toddy solves by offering Fettes a position assisting in some sort of experiment he is planning…an experiment on cadavers delivered by John Gray (Boris Karloff), a cab driver and graverobber. Speaking of Gray, he has taken a shine to Georgina and blackmails MacFarlane to operate on the girl or else he will reveal the doctor’s “dark secret”.

Soon Fettes is swept up in a wicked whirlwind of botched operations, murder, and (possibly) even the supernatural!

Full of pitch black shadows and gloom, tortured souls, and a pervading sense of doom, The Body Snatcher is another feather in the cap of fright flick producer extraordinaire Val Lewton (Cat People, I Walked with a Zombie, Bedlam…and many more). Full of gorgeous chiaroscuro photography (courtesy of Cinematographer Robert De Grasse), rock solid direction from Robert Wise (The Day the Earth Stood StillThe Haunting, and many more iconic genre films), and one of the finest performances of Karloff’s illustrious career, this film is an absolutely essential watch for any horror hound worth their sinister salt.

Adding to the immense positives this film has to offer are the chance to experience the great fun of seeing Karloff share the screen once more…and for the final time…with his fellow legend Bela Lugosi (who plays Joseph, the hunchbacked servant of Dr. MacFarlane), and the chilling story, courtesy of Philip MacDonald and Lewton (using the pseudonym Carlos Keith) adapting the story by Robert Louis Stevenson (Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) that keeps the tension ever mounting until the preternatural and macabre ending delivers it’s heart stopping final blow!

Along with the fearsome feature, Scream Factory have also included some eerie extras on this Blu-ray release. First up is a lengthy featurette on Lewton, followed by a featurette detailing the film’s production (with a focus on Karloff’s participation) by author Gregory William Mank, and image galleries. Also included is an audio commentary featuring Wise and Film Historian Steve Haberman that covers Wise’s history with Val Lewton and the production of the film, as well as the history of the story upon which the film was based.

Atmospheric, expertly acted and photographed, and full of the arcane and ghastly; The Body Snatcher is one hell of a great time in the ol’ horror biz, and this edition belongs in your creepy collection forthwith!

 

 

 

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