The Body Snatcher (1945)

The Body Snatcher
Directed by Robert Wise
Written by Philip MacDonald and “Carlos Keith” (Val Lewton) from a short story by Robert Louis Stevenson
1945/USA
RKO Radio Pictures
First viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Cabman John Gray: I am a small man, a humble man. Being poor I have had to do much that I did not want to do. But so long as the great Dr McFarlane comes to my whistle, that long am I a man. If I have not that then I have nothing. Then I am only a cabman and a grave robber. You’ll never get rid of me, Toddy.[/box]

A Val Lewton production lives up to its title! Also contains one of Boris Karloff’s greatest performances and his last outing with Bela Lugosi.

Respected Ediinburgh medical professor Dr. “Toddy” McFarlane (Henry Daniell) has a guilty secret and cabman John Gray (Karloff) knows it.  Seems the good doctor was an accomplice in the infamous murder spree in which Burke and Hare killed to obtain cadavers to sell to a certain Dr. Knox.  McFarlane is up against the same pressures as Knox was.  The law just does not permit the use of human bodies for education purposes and medicine has progressed to the point where training is impossible without them.  So McFarlane is dependent on Gray’s skills as a grave robber.

McFarlane takes Dr. Fettes as his assistant.  The young man is an idealist but recognizes the need for the cadavers so turns a blind eye to the grave robberies.  But that source is drying up as the community starts employing night guards at its cemeteries.  Fettes takes a medical interest on a little girl who is paralyzed and a more personal interest in her mother.  They beg McFarlane to operate on her.  McFarlane is completely unwilling but some “persuasion” from Gray works wonders.  He does, however, need a cadaver to practice on.

Gray is quick to supply one.  The game has escalated to murder once again.  Now Gray has additional ammunition against the ever more hostile McFarlane.  Either one or the other must prevail.  Or is that really possible?  With Lugosi in a small role as McFarlane’s servant who attempts to blackmail Gray.

At this point, RKO had acquired a new executive producer, Jack J. Gross, who started to take a more hands on approach to Lewton’s work.  He wanted the horror films to be more overt and insisted that Lewton employ Karloff and Lugosi to enhance their appeal. Although Lewton balked, he ended up warming completely to Karloff and creating a part for Lugosi.  The interference from Gross did not prevent him from making a very solid film with the assistance of fledgling director Robert Wise.

Both Daniell and Karloff are at the very peak of their games here.  Was there ever an actor with a chill like that of Daniel?  Karloff is full of menace while retaining a basic humanity. Lugosi was in great pain from stomach ulcers and had just commenced his descent into morphine addiction but is effective in the main scene he has.  This low-budget “B” picture looks like a million dollars thanks to the beautiful cinematography by Robert De Grasse and Lewton’s genius at borrowing scenery and costumes from the studio’s previous big-budget productions.

Most of my information comes from the DVD commentary by Robert Wise with film historian Steve Haberman.

Trailer