CommentsXp Best movie ever!

Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Scarlet The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

ShannonPayne While many would argue that Frankenstein or The Mummy are far superior, I find The Body Snatcher to be Karloff's magnum opus. He pulls you into every scene he's in and leaves you wanting more. Perhaps it is the wit of dialogue behind the eerie smile of his cabman, the way he lumbers to and fro with a body bag slung over his shoulder, or his stealth-like omnipresence prowling in the guise of some twisted grim reaper lurking in the shadows. Robert Wise directed this tale beautifully. Bela Lugosi and Henry Daniell were both excellent, as was Edith Atwater. However, the only complaint I had with this Stevenson masterpiece was Russell Wade's performance, who finished scenes extremely weak or over dramatic. Overall, this film is a must see for any lover of classic horror, Hitchcockian noir, or just your basic black and white feel of old timey.

fotoflood-30458 lots of carnage in the camera and on docs floor. sad about Bela. carnage pure carnage these guys sure are picky about their reviews so i would take all of this with a grain of salt. its pure pornography given that it is val lewton. send your kids to school and teach your parents well.

Leofwine_draca Regarded by many as being the best of the Val Lewton classics, this top-notch tale not only has the producer's renowned atmospherics, but also features a winning performance from Boris Karloff in one of his very best roles as the graverobber, Gray. Everything is spot on in this classic, from the pacing to the setting, which really evokes the feeling of a nineteenth century Edinburgh. A good cast help considerably to raise the level of authenticity, leaving us with solid characters whom we care about.The classic images of Karloff digging up corpses are hard to omit from the mind after watching this film - they're that memorable. However his performance is so good because he makes Gray not a cold-hearted beast, but rather a friendly, likable sort, a personality totally at odds with his chosen profession. Indeed the first time we see Karloff he is gently helping a young child stroke a horse. Karloff is always full of jokes, and seems genuinely hurt when people are angered by him. Yet minutes later he quite happily suffocates a helpless victim with the flat of his hand without any feeling of remorse.The banter between enemies MacFarlane and Gray is priceless. Another excellent moment comes when Karloff and Lugosi finally meet up again in a film together, Lugosi sadly looking drawn and old here. Although the addicted actor was nearly seventy when this film was made, he still manages to deliver a good performance (despite the odds) as a dim-witted servant who mistakenly believes he can blackmail Karloff. Of course, Karloff seemingly agrees, and politely plies him with drinks. The dialogue in this scene is a work of sheer brilliance and had me reaching for the rewind button. Another great moment comes at the film's climax, which I won't spoil. I can't emphasise how spooky and memorable these scenes are without you watching the film yourself.The only odd note comes with a rather sickly tale of a girl who can't walk due to a tumour on her spine - this leads to a terribly sugary feel-good ending which thankfully doesn't mar what has come before. Karloff ruthlessly bashing a dog to death with a shovel, dark deeds in the graveyard, and a wonderful script make this one of the all-time best.

oscar-35 *Spoiler/plot- The Body Snatcher, 1945. In 19th century Edinburgh Scotland, a reputable medical doctor and his prize pupil need cadavers for their student's medical studies and a local poor horse-drawn cab driver is willing to provide all of them for money by murder. The cab driver plagues them in their illegal scheme.*Special Stars- Boris Karloff, Henry Daniel, Russell Wade, Edith Atwater, Bela Lugosi. Dir- Robert Wise.*Theme- Guilty conscious can have a huge affect on the guilty.*Trivia/location/goofs- American, RKO studios. The 'exterior' scenes were filmed on sets constructed for RKO's The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939) in their 'ranch' (Now subdivided into homes) near the Sepulveda Recreation Basin Park. Although based on a fictional short story by Robert Louis Stevenson, the author came up with the idea from actual events occurring in 19th century England and Scotland, particularly those of grave robbers Burke and Hare. This film featured the 8th and last on-screen teaming of Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. Filming took place October 25-November 17 1944, delaying the completion of Karloff's Isle of the Dead (1945). The film incorporates the story of Greyfriars Bobby (called Robby in the movie) but makes a muddle of the facts. In reality, Bobby was a Skye terrier that refused to leave the graveside of his master, an elderly, indigent shepherd, in the graveyard at Greyfriars Church in Edinburgh. Bobby stayed faithfully at his post for years and became a tremendous sentimental favorite of the city folk, before dying of old age. Today a statue near the church commemorates this dog's memory. A year after the events in the movie, the Anatomy Act of 1832 made it legal for the bodies of those dying friendless in poorhouses and hospitals to be given to local medical facilities for study and dissection. Goofs-At the very beginning, they show a castle during the credits, then "In Edinburgh In 1831-" then show a closer up of the same castle and a horse and carriage, and you can clearly see two or three automobiles parked next to the castle. *Emotion- An extremely well cast, performed and rich film production with a moral theme. Karloff really eats up the scenery in many scenes with Daniel and Lugosi. The fear driven plot has many colorful characters and fun dialog. The film's good ending is something to see with the imagined switch of the corpses being carried in the doctor's coach.*Based On- Robert Louis Stevenson short story.