A ruthless doctor and his young prize student find themselves continually harassed by their murderous supplier of illegal cadavers.A ruthless doctor and his young prize student find themselves continually harassed by their murderous supplier of illegal cadavers.A ruthless doctor and his young prize student find themselves continually harassed by their murderous supplier of illegal cadavers.
- Awards
- 3 nominations
Paula Corday
- Mrs. Marsh
- (as Rita Corday)
Ted Billings
- Townsman
- (uncredited)
Bobby Burns
- Mourner
- (uncredited)
Robert Clarke
- Richardson - Medical Student
- (uncredited)
Aina Constant
- Maidservant
- (uncredited)
Mary Gordon
- Mrs. Mary McBride
- (uncredited)
Carl Kent
- Gilchrist - Medical Student
- (uncredited)
Milton Kibbee
- Dan
- (uncredited)
Ethan Laidlaw
- Pub Patron
- (uncredited)
Jim Moran
- Angus - Horse Trader
- (uncredited)
Jack Welch
- Boy
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAlthough 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.
The original story and this film were inspired by the exploits of Burke and Hare, but they were not grave robbers, they were murderers.
- GoofsAt 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.
- Quotes
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.
- Crazy creditsOpening credits prologue: In Edinburgh, in 1831-
- Alternate versionsFive cuts were made by the British censors on its initial release, mainly references to Burke and Hare, the original bodysnatchers. This cut print has been the only one available in the UK until 1998, when a complete version appeared on the budget video label 4-Front.
- ConnectionsEdited into Mondo Lugosi - A Vampire's Scrapbook (1987)
- SoundtracksHuntingtower
(uncredited)
("When Ye Gang Awa, Jamie")
(Traditional Scottish folk song)
sung by Donna Lee
Featured review
Dark and Gloomy
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")
"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")
helpful•180
- claudio_carvalho
- Sep 27, 2014
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Robert Louis Stevenson's The Body Snatcher
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $125,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 18 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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