MOVIEmeter
SEE RANK
Up 4 this week

The Body Snatcher (1945)

 -  Horror | Thriller  -  1946 (Turkey)
7.4
Your rating:
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -/10 X  
Ratings: 7.4/10 from 4,307 users  
Reviews: 80 user | 44 critic

A ruthless doctor and his young prize student find themselves continually harassed by their murderous supplier of illegal cadavers.

Director:

Writers:

(short story), (written for the screen by), 1 more credit »
Watch Trailer
0Check in
0Share...

Related News

Remembering Boris Karloff
| Den of Geek
Ranked: Top Ten Scariest Actors
| Cinelinx
Raising Cain: The work of James M. Cain
| SoundOnSight

User Lists

Related lists from IMDb users

a list of 50 titles created 01 Jan 2012
 
a list of 615 titles created 08 Jul 2011
 
a list of 2916 titles created 16 May 2011
 
a list of 64 titles created 30 Apr 2011
 

Connect with IMDb


Share this Rating

Title: The Body Snatcher (1945)

The Body Snatcher (1945) on IMDb 7.4/10

Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.

Take The Quiz!

Test your knowledge of The Body Snatcher.
2 nominations. See more awards »

Videos

Photos

Learn more

People who liked this also liked... 

Comedy | Horror
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

Seeking shelter from a storm, five travelers are in for a bizarre and terrifying night when the stumble upon the Femm family estate.

Director: James Whale
Stars: Boris Karloff, Melvyn Douglas, Charles Laughton
Horror
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7/10 X  

After a long journey, Philip arrives at the Usher mansion seeking his loved one, Madeline. Upon arriving, however, he discovers that Madeline and her brother Roderick Usher have been ... See full summary »

Director: Roger Corman
Stars: Vincent Price, Mark Damon, Myrna Fahey
Drama | Horror | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.5/10 X  

An aging, reclusive southern belle, plagued by a horrifying family secret, descends into madness after the arrival of a lost relative.

Director: Robert Aldrich
Stars: Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Joseph Cotten
Repulsion (1965)
Horror | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.8/10 X  

Left alone when her sister goes on vacation, a young beauty finds herself besieged on all sides by the demons of her past.

Director: Roman Polanski
Stars: Catherine Deneuve, Ian Hendry, John Fraser
Drama | Horror | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.9/10 X  

A woman in search of her missing sister uncovers a Satanic cult in New York's Greenwich Village, and finds that they may have something to do with her sibling's random disappearance.

Director: Mark Robson
Stars: Tom Conway, Jean Brooks, Isabel Jewell
Bedlam (1946)
Drama | Horror | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.8/10 X  

Nell Bowen, the spirited protege of rich Lord Mortimer, becomes interested in the conditions of notorious St. Mary's of Bethlehem Asylum (Bedlam). Encouraged by the Quaker Hannay, she tries... See full summary »

Director: Mark Robson
Stars: Boris Karloff, Anna Lee, Billy House
Drama | Horror | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.5/10 X  

Some years after having buried his beloved wife Ligea, Verden Fell meets and eventually marries the lovely Lady Rowena. Fell is something of a recluse, living in a small part of a now ... See full summary »

Director: Roger Corman
Stars: Vincent Price, Elizabeth Shepherd, John Westbrook
Drama | Horror | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8/10 X  

A former child star torments her crippled sister in a decaying Hollywood mansion.

Director: Robert Aldrich
Stars: Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Victor Buono
The Eye (2002)
Drama | Horror | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

A blind girl gets a cornea transplant so that she would be able to see again. However, she got more than what she bargained for when she realised she could even see ghosts. And some of ... See full summary »

Directors: Oxide Pang Chun, Danny Pang
Stars: Angelica Lee, Lawrence Chou, Jinda Duangtoy
Ghost Story (1981)
Drama | Horror | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6/10 X  

Four successful elderly gentlemen, members of the Chowder Society, share a gruesome, 50-year old secret. When one of Edward Wanderley's twin sons dies in a bizarre accident, the group ... See full summary »

Director: John Irvin
Stars: Fred Astaire, John Houseman, Craig Wasson
High Tension (2003)
Horror | Mystery | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.8/10 X  

Two college friends, Marie and Alexa, encounter loads of trouble (and blood) while on vacation at Alexa's parents' country home when a mysterious killer invades their quiet getaway.

Director: Alexandre Aja
Stars: Cécile De France, Maïwenn, Philippe Nahon
Near Dark (1987)
Drama | Horror | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7/10 X  

A young man reluctantly joins a travelling "family" of evil vampires, when the girl he'd tried to seduce is part of that group.

Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Stars: Adrian Pasdar, Jenny Wright, Lance Henriksen
Edit

Cast

Complete credited cast:
...
...
...
Edith Atwater ...
Meg Cameron
Russell Wade ...
Rita Corday ...
Mrs. Marsh
Sharyn Moffett ...
Georgina Marsh
Donna Lee ...
Street Singer
Edit

Storyline

In Edinburgh in 1831, Dr. Wolfe MacFarlane runs a medical school where Donald Fettes is a student. Fettes is interested in helping a young girl who has lost the use of her legs. He is certain that MacFarlane's surgical skills could be put to great use but he is reluctant to do so. The good Dr. MacFarlane has a secret that soon becomes all too obvious to young Fettes, who has only recently been promoted as his assistant: he has been paying a local cabbie, John Gray, to supply him with dead bodies for anatomical research. Gray constantly harasses MacFarlane and clearly has a hold over him dating to a famous trial many years before where Gray refused to identify the man for whom he was robbing graves. Fettes isn't aware of any of this but soon realizes exactly how Gray obtains the bodies they use in their anatomy classes. Written by garykmcd

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Foul Traffic in Dead Bodies. See more »

Genres:

Horror | Thriller

Certificate:

Approved | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
Edit

Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

1946 (Turkey)  »

Also Known As:

Robert Louis Stevenson's 'The Body Snatcher'  »

Company Credits

Production Co:

 »
Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(RCA Sound System)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although 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. See more »

Goofs

At 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. See more »

Quotes

Mrs. Mary McBride: He'll not leave the grave - not since Wednesday last when we buried the lad.
Donald Fettes: Your son, ma'am? He must have been a fine boy for the wee dog to love him so.
Mrs. Mary McBride: A great kind lad he was - gentle with all things like Robbie. Now I can't get the dog to leave here. Perhaps it is for the best. I've not money enough to afford a grave watcher.
Donald Fettes: Not much danger here, ma'am, I wouldn't think - right here in the heart of Edinburgh.
Mrs. Mary McBride: They're uncommon bold, the grave robbers - and the daft doctors who drive them ...
See more »

Connections

Version of Mystery and Imagination: The Body Snatcher (1966) See more »

Soundtracks

"Huntingtower"
("When Ye Gang Awa, Jamie")
(Traditional Scottish folk song)
sung by Donna Lee
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Reviews

 
Never Get Rid Of Me!
31 October 2001 | by (brighton, ma) – See all my reviews

A later Val Lewton film, from his costume picture period, The Body Snatcher, from a Robert Louis Stevenson story, directed by Robert Wise, is a fine if somewhat moralistic and sentimental horror tale. It lacks the alogical, almost surreal qualities of Lewton's earlier movies, where much is left unexplained, even inexplicable, and a great deal happens off-screen; and even then one can't be sure of what really occurred, as events are often related anecdotally, or merely suggested. In his first few horror exercises Lewton cared as much for gentility as fright, often basing his stories on legends and superstitions, as much of their power came from the vagueness of reality, and the capacity our imaginations have for creating and even shaping our experiences.

By the time The Body Snatcher came around Lewton was moving somewhat closer to mainstream horror. Legends still matter, and the feeling of the dead hand of the past on the present as a Lewton theme is very much alive. In this film it is the notorious case of the grave-robbing Burke and Hare of 19th century Edinburgh, and their effect on a distinguished physician who has continued to do business with one of their former confederates. As the decent-minded but less than morally fastidious doctor, Henry Daniell is outstanding, and surprisingly sympathetic; and he has here perhaps his longest and most sustained role in a movie. He certainly has more screen time than in any other picture I've seen him in. Top-billed Boris Karloff gives Dr. Daniell more than a run for his money as the grave robbing, yet intelligent, observant and not altogether evil cab-man Gray. Karloff's performance is physical as much as anything else, as he uses his body here more eloquently than in any other part outside the Frankenstein series. He knows how and where to stand in relation to others, managing, as always, to look taller than he really is. With his big hat, scarf and long coat, he seems to have walked out of a Dickens novel. Karloff's performance reminds me of how much acting has as much to do with body language as anything else; and that there is a degree of posing,--not fakery--but standing still and letting a character project from the way an actor holds himself as from speech or facial expression.

The movie itself falls just a bit short of being great by it less than brilliant script and the enforced sentimentality of the subplot about a crippled girl. I agree that this was a good idea, and could have made the film all the more powerful, but the scenes around her are stilted, and the actress who plays the girl is none too convincing. It was a good try, though, and almost works, especially in her last scene, but the writing and staging were a little off. I can't help but respect Lewton and Wise's intentions, but they overreached themselves, and I feel bad about it. The climax in the carriage with the corpse, however, and the ghostly repetition of "never get rid of me!" is still impressive, and saves the film in the end.


20 of 24 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Message Boards

Recent Posts
Is this Karloff's best performance? A_Roode
About Gray.. freku
Henry Daniell norm_gillespie
Who Would You Cast in a Remake? tj-94
The Body Snatcher (2009) - Remake? Waz-Q8
A blooper missed purplerustling
Discuss The Body Snatcher (1945) on the IMDb message boards »

Contribute to This Page

Create a character page for:
?