In 1951, Val Lewton had just started to hit his stride as a producer. He had produced 11 films at RKO in addition to three independent films. He had a successful producing filmography that contained classic films such as “Cat People”, “The Ghost Ship”, and “Bedlam”. He had just come off the western “Apache Drums” when he was signed as a producer with Columbia Studios. Then suddenly, a pair of heart attacks ended his life and career far too early at the age of 46. He is now remembered fondly as a champion of the Horror genre - and one of the greatest of his Horror films was the 1945 Boris Karloff vehicle; THE BODY SNATCHER.
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Probably the most underrated of the films produced by Val Lewton in the 1940s, THE BODY SNATCHER is based on the story of the same name by Robert Lewis Stevenson. It begins with a young medical student named Donald Fettes (Russell Wade) who joins the medical practice of a respected doctor named Wolfe MacFarlane (Henry Daniel) as a lab assistant. One night, he answers a pounding at the door, and finds John Gray (Boris Karloff), a local cab driver, on the threshold. Fettes is shocked to find out that by night, Gray is a grave robber who makes regular deliveries of fresh cadavers to MacFarlane. After a while, Fettes begins to suspect that Gray might be gaining some of his cadavers through murder, and that there seems to be more to the association between Gray and MacFarlane than illicit business. Something dark that MacFarlane dare not allow to come to the light.
Val Lewton assembled a team that created one of the creepiest and most haunting of the black-and-white Horror films. For the director, Lewton hired a young man named Robert Wise - who would later go on to receive three Oscar nominations and two wins, along with directing numerous film classics. Although THE BODY SNATCHER, set in Victorian London, is stately in temperament and pacing, there is such a palpable sense of menace that it seems as if the sewers of London themselves are seeping into the borders of the screen. Though much of this is due to the masterful direction of Wise and the flawless art direction of Albert D’Agostino and Walter Keller, the main responsibility for the success of this film rests squarely on the shoulders of the great Boris Karloff.
That Boris Karloff was never nominated for any major award in his long, brilliant career is bad enough. Once one sees his work in THE BODY SNATCHER, that fact seems criminal. THE BODY SNATCHER showcases the amazing acting chops Karloff possessed. As John Gray, the titular grave robber, Karloff turns in a truly towering performance - completely dwarfing everyone else on the screen, and that includes a terrific supporting role by Bela Lugosi, who shares the screen with Karloff in their last appearance in film together. Lewton, Wise, and Karloff ended up creating a film that lingers in your mind far more thoroughly than most films of that era. Especially the insane, disturbing ending that is shocking in its intensity.
Val Lewton is rightly remembered and admired by contemporary Horror fans as an important voice in the genre. Many of Val Lewton’s movies are woefully underseen by contemporary and general film fans. It is a pity, but it can be remedied. His films were ahead of their time, they were expertly made, and they were really scary. There was no better proof of this truth than THE BODY SNATCHER.
Parental Guide: Not gory or terrifying, but disturbing and very creepy. 13+
THE BODY SNATCHER fun facts -
The outdoor scenes were filmed on the sets constructed for the silent-film classic “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”.
The story is partly based on the exploits of infamous grave robber Burke and Hare.
The filming of “Isle of the Dead” was delayed so Boris Karloff could finish this film.
The stock footage at the beginning of the film is actually of California - not Scotland.
Meg Camden - “You may deny him, Toddy, but you'll not rid yourself of him by saying the devil's dead.”
John Gray - “Well, I've no wish for a rope cravat. I’ve never liked the smell of hemp. So I'll bid you good night, Dr McFarlane.”
John Gray - “You've no need to be anxious, Meg. MacFarlane has been drunk and away before. He'll be beck in good time. Meanwhile, you have me to keep you company...”