Poster for The Body Snatcher

The Body Snatcher

1945, Horror, 1h 19m

21 Reviews 2,500+ Ratings

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The Body Snatcher Photos

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Movie Info

Dr. Toddy MacFarlane (Henry Daniell) needs cadavers for his medical experiments, ultimately intended to treat a young disabled girl. However, they are not easy to come by, so he enlists the help of taxi driver John Gray (Boris Karloff) and his assistant, Joseph (Bela Lugosi), to unearth bodies from the cemetery. When Donald (Russell Wade), Dr. MacFarlane's assistant, recognizes one of the corpses Gray delivers, the true source of the bodies is called into question.
  • Genre:
    Horror
  • Original Language:
    English
  • Director:
    Robert Wise
  • Producer:
    Val Lewton
  • Writer:
    Philip MacDonald, Val Lewton
  • Release Date (Theaters):
     wide
  • Release Date (Streaming):
  • Runtime:
  • Distributor:
    Nostalgia Merchant, RKO Home Video, RKO Radio Pictures, Image Entertainment Inc.

Cast & Crew

Boris Karloff
Boris Karloff
Cabman John Gray
Bela Lugosi
Bela Lugosi
Joseph
Henry Daniell
Henry Daniell
Dr. Wolfe `'Toddy'` MacFarlane
Edith Atwater
Edith Atwater
Meg Cameron
Russell Wade
Russell Wade
Donald Fettes
Rita Corday
Rita Corday
Mrs. Marsh
Sharyn Moffett
Sharyn Moffett
Georgina Marsh
Donna Lee
Donna Lee
Street Singer
Robert Wise
Robert Wise
Director
Val Lewton
Val Lewton
Producer
Philip MacDonald
Philip MacDonald
Screenwriter
Val Lewton
Val Lewton
Screenwriter
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Critic Reviews for The Body Snatcher

All Critics (21) | Top Critics (5) | Fresh (18) | Rotten (3)
Full Review… Wolcott Gibbs New Yorker Full Review… Variety Staff Variety Full Review… Bosley Crowther New York Times Full Review… Dave Kehr Chicago Reader Full Review… Eddie Harrison film-authority.com Full Review… Mike Massie Gone With The Twins Full Review… David Bax Battleship Pretension Full Review… Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Full Review… Tim Brayton Antagony & Ecstasy Full Review… Fernando F. Croce CinePassion Full Review… Walter Chaw Film Freak Central Full Review… Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews
View All Critic Reviews (21)

Audience Reviews for The Body Snatcher

  • Apr 13, 2011
    A pretty interesting little flick that ends extremely well. Odd seeing Bela Lugosi in such a tiny role, but also it's nice to see Boris Karloff being so evil and relishing it.
    Tim S Super Reviewer
  • Oct 17, 2010
    I didn't not like it, but I probably wouldn't watch it again.
    Sarah P Super Reviewer
  • Sep 05, 2010
    My favourite corpse snatching movie, it stars both Karloff and Lugosi, how could you not like it? It's exciting and creepy.
    Aj V Super Reviewer
  • Nov 01, 2009
    Sinister goings on in 19th century Edinburrow as a young medical student, presumably on exchange from America, is initiated into the art of grave robbing. Based on a short story by Robert Louis Stevenson and directed by Robert Wise, <i>The Body Snatcher</i> is not actually one of the better Val Lewton horror movies. The atmosphere is potent enough but the story doesn't really catch fire until the very end and, for such a short film, it tends to drag. Henry Daniell and Boris Karloff, as an anatomist and his resurrectionist respectively, are terrific; Bela Lugosi, on the other hand, is such a waste of space I'd forgotten he was even in the picture.
    Stephen M Super Reviewer
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