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The Flesh and the Fiends

  • 1960
  • 1h 34m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
2.2K
YOUR RATING
Peter Cushing in The Flesh and the Fiends (1960)
CrimeDramaThriller

In 1828 Scotland, Edinburgh surgeon Dr. Knox does medical research on cadavers he buys from murderers Burke and Hare, without questioning the unethical procurement methods.In 1828 Scotland, Edinburgh surgeon Dr. Knox does medical research on cadavers he buys from murderers Burke and Hare, without questioning the unethical procurement methods.In 1828 Scotland, Edinburgh surgeon Dr. Knox does medical research on cadavers he buys from murderers Burke and Hare, without questioning the unethical procurement methods.

  • Director
    • John Gilling
  • Writers
    • John Gilling
    • Leon Griffiths
  • Stars
    • Peter Cushing
    • June Laverick
    • Donald Pleasence
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.0/10
    2.2K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • John Gilling
    • Writers
      • John Gilling
      • Leon Griffiths
    • Stars
      • Peter Cushing
      • June Laverick
      • Donald Pleasence
    • 48User reviews
    • 28Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos19

    John Cairney and Billie Whitelaw in The Flesh and the Fiends (1960)
    Donald Pleasence, Peter Cushing, John Cairney, and George Rose in The Flesh and the Fiends (1960)
    Donald Pleasence and Billie Whitelaw in The Flesh and the Fiends (1960)
    John Cairney, Peter Stephens, and Billie Whitelaw in The Flesh and the Fiends (1960)
    Donald Pleasence and George Rose in The Flesh and the Fiends (1960)
    Donald Pleasence and Billie Whitelaw in The Flesh and the Fiends (1960)
    Peter Cushing in The Flesh and the Fiends (1960)
    George Rose in The Flesh and the Fiends (1960)
    George Rose in The Flesh and the Fiends (1960)
    The Flesh and the Fiends (1960)
    Donald Pleasence, Peter Cushing, John Gilling, and June Laverick in The Flesh and the Fiends (1960)
    The Flesh and the Fiends (1960)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Peter Cushing
    Peter Cushing
    • Dr. Robert Knox
    June Laverick
    June Laverick
    • Martha Knox
    Donald Pleasence
    Donald Pleasence
    • William Hare
    George Rose
    George Rose
    • William Burke
    Renee Houston
    Renee Houston
    • Helen Burke
    Dermot Walsh
    Dermot Walsh
    • Dr. Geoffrey Mitchell
    Billie Whitelaw
    Billie Whitelaw
    • Mary Patterson
    John Cairney
    John Cairney
    • Chris Jackson
    Melvyn Hayes
    Melvyn Hayes
    • Daft Jamie
    June Powell
    • Maggie O'Hara
    Andrew Faulds
    Andrew Faulds
    • Inspector McCulloch
    Philip Leaver
    Philip Leaver
    • Dr. Elliott
    George Woodbridge
    George Woodbridge
    • Dr. Ferguson
    Garard Green
    • Dr. Andrews
    Esma Cannon
    Esma Cannon
    • Aggie
    Geoffrey Tyrrell
    • Old Davey
    George Bishop
    • Blind Man
    Beckett Bould
    • Old Angus
    • (as Becket Bould)
    • Director
      • John Gilling
    • Writers
      • John Gilling
      • Leon Griffiths
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This film is an adaptation of the story of real-life killers William Burke and William Hare who, around 1827 in Edinburgh, Scotland, did provide more than a dozen "fresh" corpses to the anatomist Dr. Knox.
    • Goofs
      In his opening monologue, Dr. Knox Peter Cushing states the human body has 260 bones. It has 206.
    • Quotes

      Dr. Geoffrey Mitchell: We are students of Hippocrates, but some of us are hypocrites.

    • Crazy credits
      The Dyaliscope logo in the main titles misspells the widescreen process as "Dylascope".
    • Alternate versions
      The "Continental version" of Flesh and the Fiends features "sexy scenes" not in the "UK version." (Both versions are included on Image Entertainment's DVD, along with an alternate title sequence for the alternate title of this film as Mania.)
    • Connections
      Edited from Oliver Twist (1948)

    User reviews48

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    THE FLESH AND THE FIENDS {U.K. and Continental Versions} (John Gilling, 1959) ***
    Solid, well-crafted but rather patchy cinematic treatment of the saga of notorious 19th Century "Resurrectionists" Burke and Hare and their unorthodox employer Dr. Robert Knox; in the vein of Hammer horror (featuring two of their most notable participants in Cushing and Gilling) though the lack of color makes it seem a half-hearted attempt (even if, with an eye on the low-budget, it was probably a conscious choice by the film-makers as the intentions were clearly of a serious undertaking)!

    Anyway, the best thing about the film - apart from the vivid recreation of the era - are the performances of Peter Cushing (as the cold Dr. Knox, not unlike Baron Frankenstein), Donald Pleasance (an impressive early performance as the oily but quick-thinking Hare - his come-uppance is especially eerie) and Billie Whitelaw (as the proverbial "tart with a heart of gold" who ends up as one of the victims); Burke is played as a scurrilous but jovial brute (but who murders with the apparent complicity of his own wife) by character actor George Rose. Dr. Knox's condescending attitude towards his fellow colleagues also provides a number of entertaining confrontation scenes (my favorite line is during their face-off at his house, when he brusquely terminates the discussion by instructing them to "incline their heads slightly to the left...{in order to} observe the door...{and could they} please use it!"); Cushing, of course, is equally commanding while addressing his lectures or when scrutinizing the newest corpse.

    The film makes a fine, though essentially unpleasant, companion piece to the more literate and subtle THE BODY SNATCHER (1945); the theme was again handled (by another horror veteran, Freddie Francis) a quarter of a century later in THE DOCTOR AND THE DEVILS (1985) - while Gilling himself had contributed to the script of an earlier variation, THE GREED OF WILLIAM HART (1948), starring Tod Slaughter! By the way, the producing team of Robert S. Baker and Monty Berman (who doubled as cinematographer) also brought to the screen the nefarious deeds of other historical figures such as JACK THE RIPPER (1959) and THE HELLFIRE CLUB (1961; upcoming on DVD from Dark Sky Films).

    Image's DVD also includes the "Continental Version" which contains about a minute of more explicit violence and nudity (in the many tavern sequences) - though this only helps render it even more unsavory than it already is! The prints are distractingly soft throughout, and the severe widescreen ratio (2.35:1) hampers somewhat the viewer's complete involvement (at least on a normal T.V. screen); the "Continental Version" fares even worse, showing more damage and having rather scratched audio to boot! Unfortunately, the liner notes by Jonathan Sothcott were not available with my copy: it's probable that the disc was initially released as a snapper-case (with the essay on the inner sleeve) but was then dropped when re-issued in the more manageable keep-case!
    helpful•4
    1
    • Bunuel1976
    • Nov 10, 2006

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 4, 1960 (West Germany)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Mania
    • Filming locations
      • Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK(Studio)
    • Production company
      • Triad Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 34 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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