The Body Snatcher (1945)

Set in 1831 Edinburgh, Scotland. A doctor (Henry Daniell) concentrates more on teaching rather than dealing with patients. However, in order to teach his students, he needs bodies for his students to dissect. To this end, a cabbie (Boris Karloff) digs up graves to provide the doctor with the bodies he needs. But when digging graves proves too treacherous, the cabbie solves the problem by killing people and selling their bodies to the doctor. Based on the short story by Robert Louis Stevenson and directed by Robert Wise (THE SOUND OF MUSIC). This being a Val Lewton production, the film is steep in a ghoulish atmosphere thanks to the rich B&W cinematography of Robert De Grasse (KITTY FOYLE). In one of his very best performances, Karloff makes your skin crawl as the unctuous cold hearted body snatcher of the title. The film got very good notices and turned a profit for RKO. Still a very unsettling film. With Bela Lugosi, Edith Atwater, Rita Corday, Russell Wade, Robert Clarke, Bill Williams and Mary Gordon.