The Body Snatcher

The laws of nature dictate that a film featuring both Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi must be a horror film, but what if it meets all the criteria for noir too? Consider it a cross-over, but The Body Snatcher‘s focus on criminal — rather than supernatural — shenanigans combined with gorgeous B&W expressionism makes it an extremely satisfying film for the most discerning noir fans. Doctor MacFarlane (Henry Daniell) requires a steady flow of cadavers for his medical school and relies on local grave-robber John Gray (Karloff) to supply them, but it soon becomes clear that Gray is taking his job a little too far. Contrasting these morally compromised characters are a trio of kindly souls intended to earn our sympathy: MacFarlane’s prized pupil Donald Fettes (Russell Wade), who helps the desperate Mrs. Marsh (Rita Corday) in her efforts to entreat MacFarlane to operate on her paraplegic daughter Georgina (Sharyn Moffett). Using as his literary source an 1884 short story by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson which had been inspired by a shady, real-life surgeon, Robert Wise masterfully incorporates Gothic production design with meticulous attention to sound (nocturnal footfall of horses, folk singing of the locals) to create a sensual, 19th century feast that ends on a bittersweet note.