The Worst Film Ever

Really Surprised!

Absolutely the worst movie.

There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

"I wouldn't do it Toddy, I wouldn't be heavy-handed... it might become known that when the great Dr. McFarlane finds his anatomy school without subjects, he provides them himself, from the midst of his own household."The Body Snatcher is without doubt my favorite of the Val Lewton horror films of the 40's, a first-rate reworking based upon the well known case of Burke and Hare. With GREAT casting (Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, and Henry Daniell) and terrific looking sets, that make for a faultlessly convincing grim and moody 19th century Edinburg. The Body Snatcher is a true pleasure to watch again and again and has what is easily one Karloff's best performances (some say it IS his best) and is among the very best of vintage black and white horror films. Strong proof that Universal wasn't the only studio that could put together a good horror flick back then.With his cane and crooked smile and crowned with a top-hat, Karloff certainly cultivated a great "look" for his character and proves to be a scene-stealer in virtually every scene he's in; a potent malignantly evil presence in the film who's always plotting, scheming and blackmailing usually at the expense of Henry Daniell who, quite marvelously, plays the role of the depressed and overwrought Dr. McFarlane. These two are sparring with each other throughout the movie. I just don't know, but whatever the reason, perhaps he's empowered by that top-hat of his, in any case Karloff's dialogue and delivery comes off note-perfect in every scene.A word on the visuals, aside from the aforementioned sets, The Body Snatcher is suitably grim and murky with its gas-lit streets, night mists, thunderstorms and howling wind; there are several terrifically atmospheric night scenes, always involving some ill-deed of a kind - often in cemeteries. A British reviewer would probably make the quip "those bloody ghouls". Great shadow play, especially in those midnight cemetery visits.Once it's all said and done, one gets the sense that, if they did this good on a small budget, just think how amazing the movie may have been with a more lavish budget. A few good action sequences, in grim Gothic locales, probably would've notched this feature into 4 star territory, that and if Lugosi had more of a role, he's a decidedly secondary character in this one. That poor, poor Bela.....and he still had yet to endure the infamously terrible movies he would make with Ed Wood in the 50's.Summing things up, The Body Snatcher is a brilliantly made low-budget black and white, Gothic horror film released in 1945, loosely based upon the infamous duo of Burke and Hare. Great casting, great acting, great script, great sets, great photography, great everything. What I'm saying is this movie, The Body Snatcher, is well, great!Note: Pay close attention to what Karloff's doing in this movie, that shouldn't be too difficult, as he's very hard to miss. A brilliant film and one of only a few truly great horror films of the 40's. The 30's were much better for this kind of film.

Producer Val Newton's output while working in the horror unit of RKO studios produced some of the finest American B-movies made between 1942 and 1946, delivering creepy tales that not only had the ability to frighten, but also explored the darkest regions of the human psyche, backed by Gothic sets and brooding cinematography. Newton's work with Jacques Tourneur undoubtedly produced the studios best work, but even slighter films such as The Body Snatcher yearned to break out from its low-budget trappings. Reuniting horror icons Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi for the final time, The Body Snatcher is a work of surprising complexity and sly wit.Edinburgh, 1831, and surgeon Dr. MacFarlane (Henry Daniell) finds his work hampered by a lack of cadavers to experiment on and to use to teach his students. He is visited by Mrs. Marsh (Rita Corday), who hopes that MacFarlane's skills can help cure her paraplegic daughter and allow her to walk again. He refuses, citing the surgery as too dangerous. His young student Donald Fettes (Russell Wade) urges him to do it, but learns that the bodies required for experimentation are in short supply and the fresh cadavers brought into the school do not always come from the morgue, but instead are bought for a small price from the shady John Gray (Karloff).With the disturbing story of Burke and Hare lurking very much in the characters minds, The Body Snatcher focuses less on the grisly work of grave-robbing and murder, and more on the destructive relationship between MacFarlane and Gray, two old acquaintances who loathe each other but have become co-dependent. MacFarlane longs to be rid of the old brute, but Gray's sadistic hold over his respected colleague means that he won't give up that easily, and soon Gray's midnight antics digging up the dead turns to murder as the city catches wind of his heinous deeds. This may be Karloff's finest performance, adding a smirk and a wicked sense of humour to his evildoer, with Daniell more than holding his own as the conflicted doctor.Directed by Robert Wise, whose career covered almost everything from low-budget horror (The Curse of the Cat People (1944)), to hugely successful musicals (West Side Story (1961) and The Sound of Music (1965)), to sci-fi of varying quality (The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) and Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)), he employs RKO's terrific sets to their maximum potential, bringing 19th century Scotland to life in all its murky glory. Lugosi always appears as one of MacFarlane's assistants, but his billing on the poster is slightly misleading given his slender screen-time. Karloff states that Newton helped resurrect his career and move him away from Universal type-casting, and, although it is still within the same genre, The Body Snatcher allows him to shake off the make-up and allow his natural screen presence to shine through.

If you are looking for an eerie Gothic horror film with a brilliant story and excellent casting then I would highly recommend you to watch "The Body Snatcher (1945)".Karloff is Cabman John Gray - the body snatcher. He is a fearsome man who holds a powerful sway over Dr. Wolfe 'Toddy' MacFarlane (Henry Daniell), a man who's intentions are teach others his medical skills but has secrets he is hiding. Lugosi plays Joseph, a small but semi-important role.If you enjoyed Karloff and Lugosi together in films like "The Black Cat" or "The Raven" then you are sure to enjoy "The Body Snatcher" even though Lugosi's role small in this one.9.5/10

In 1831, in Edinburgh, the prominent doctor and professor Dr. Wolfe 'Toddy' MacFarlane (Henry Daniell) buys corpses for his studies and classes of anatomy from the notorious cabman John Gray (Boris Karloff), who is also a body snatcher. When his talented student Donald Fettes (Russell Wade) tells that he will quit medical school since his family cannot afford to support him, MacFarlane hires him as his assistant to permit Fettes to proceed his studies. Fettes meets a little girl that cannot walk anymore due to a coach accident, and he tries to convince Dr. MacFarlane to operate her but the doctor is reluctant. Soon Fettes discovers that Dr. MacFarlane has a secret from his past and Gray blackmails him. When Fettes learns how Gray obtains the corpses for Dr. MacFarlane, he has an inner conflict and does not want to continue as Dr. MacFarlane's protégée. But isn't it too late?"The Body Snatcher" is a dark and gloomy horror tale with a creepy story about ethic in medicine, or how far a doctor should go in his researches. Boris Karloff has a magnificent performance, maybe the best I have ever seen of this actor. The direction of Robert Wise is sharp and the cinematography in black and white is impressive. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "O Túmulo Vazio" ("The Empty Grave")