The Body Snatcher (1945) d. Robert Wise (USA) (78 min)
Arguably Boris Karloff’s finest onscreen performance, this is another great-looking piece of atmospheric horror from producer Val Lewton. Karloff’s Cabman Gray, oozing ill-intentions and menace while remaining innately likeable, emerges as one of the most intriguing characters in film, regardless of genre. Gray has been employed as a grave robber to provide cadavers for Dr. Wolfe “Toddy” MacFarlane (Henry Daniell) to use at his medical institute. When there are too few corpses to satisfy demands, Gray goes about supplying them through “other means.”
