L'impasse aux Violences

THE FLESH AND THE FIENDS followed in the wake of the success of Hammer Films' early successes. Although not actually a Hammer Film Production, it shares many stylistic points with Hammer. However, the script is a largely accurate version of the history of the body snatchers, Burke and Hare, and their main customer, Dr. Robert Knox.

Although there are memorable performances in this film, it is Peter Cushing's work as Dr. Knox that ultimately stands out. During the 1820's in Edinburgh, Scotland, Dr. Knox illegally bought cadavers from Burke and Hare. In spite of every reason to be suspicious of Burke and Hare, Dr. Know persisted in obtaining cadavers from them for medical lectures. To Dr. Knox, the training of competent doctors took precedent over ethical considerations.

In a remarkable scene in the denouement, a little girl in the street begs alms from Dr. Knox. Cushing tells her that he doesn't have any money with him, but if she will step over to his house he will give her some. The little girl politely declines the offer, saying, "Oh, no, you might be Dr. Knox." Cushing's unspoken response is truly unforgettable. It makes you realize that Peter Cushing was really a fine actor. What a pity his talent was too often wasted in pictures that were beneath him.

I'll leave it up to others to debate whether 'Mania' (a.k.a. 'The Flesh and the Fiends') is technically a horror movie. While dealing with horrific events, and told in a fashion with plenty of creepy moments, I would still say it isn't horror myself. Whatever you classify it as it is a seriously underrated thriller with strong performances from an above average cast. Director John Gilling went on to make the Hammer classic 'The Plague Of Zombies' later in the 1960s, and stars Peter Cushing ('Twins Of Evil') and Donald Pleasence ('Halloween') both made a strong impact on the horror genre, so fans will be interested to see this for those reasons alone. Cushing is excellent as the stubborn and driven Dr. Knox who needs a steady supply of corpses to dissect, and Pleasence plays the slimy William Hare, who along with his equally creepy colleague William Burke (George Rose), gleefully fills that need. The only problem is that Burke and Hare have no qualms about where the corpses come from, or whether they need a little "help" along the way. Burke and Hare were real body snatchers, but I have no idea just how historically accurate the events depicted in this movie are. But it certainly is entertaining and worth watching for the terrific performances by Cushing, Pleasence and Rose, and also for Billie Whitelaw ('The Omen') who has a small but important supporting role as the love interest for one of Dr. Knox's medical students (John Cairney - 'Jason And The Argonauts').

Now that this film has been restored for DVD by Image Entertainment, it is a joy to watch -- nice but not flashy photography and directing, and masterful but not overbearing acting make this a good find. But it's not quite as satisfying as "The Body Snatcher" on the same Burke/Hare theme because it doesn't engage the dark undertones of the human psyche through its sadistic "graverobbers" as much as the Karloff film, but instead dwells more on the scientific ethics issues. Still, some sick, slightly scary scenes with Pleasence. Cushing is excellent as always. If you saw this on video or TV, you might want to give it a second look (like I did) on DVD because it looks a whole lot better.

Peter Cushing plays the doctor who needs bodies in this fine adaptation of the Burke and Hare grave robbing case.Donald Pleasance and George Rose are both excellent as the infamous grave robbers.The film is truly atmospheric-full of packed bars,foggy streets and deep shadows-and the performance by Peter Cushing is simply amazing-Cushing is probably one of the most recognizable faces in the horror genre.The film has an eerie cinematic style reminiscent more of films from the 1940's than 1959.The first half of Gilling's story moves extremely slow,but the second half has some gruesome murder scenes.A must-see for fans of British horror!

Nice film boasts a main and support cast are frankly magnificent , here standing out the starring trio : Peter Cushing and Donald Pleasence, George Rose , doing equally compelling turns . A suspenseful and interesting terror romp about two men go into business supplying Edinburgh medical college with cadavers by robbing graves . Good Horror flick with with excellent dark and light atmosphere creating an eerie and ghastly scenario . It is set in 1828, Edinburgh , Scotland, murderers William Hare (Donald Pleasence) and William Burke (George Rose) provide corpses to surgeon Dr. Knox (Peter Cushing) who does medical research on cadavers he buys them , without questioning the unethical procurement methods .Meanwhile , an obstinate officer begins to suspect the origin of the numerous corpses Hare and Burke deliver . The peculiar couple of no-count grave robbers and murderers who are supplying fresh anatomical specimens to esteemed professor Dr. Knox of the Edinburgh Medical College in 19th century Scotland by embarking on a lucrative killing spree . Along the way, one of Knox's students, Chris Jackson (John Cairney) , meets barmaid Mary Patterson (Billie Whitelaw) when he goes to the tavern to pay off the grave robbers and become involved with her . As Burke and Hare decide to embrace and continue a proactive approach and embark on a grisly slaughter more and more horrible . Then Dr. Geoffrey Mitchell (Dermot Walsh) starts suspecting the weird origin of the several bodies from Hare and Burke . Murder was their business!.Coffins Looted! Cadavers Dissected! No Job Too Small. No Body Too Big. No Questions Asked. They're making a killing. True love costs an arm and a leg. The pimps and the prostitutes and the body-snatchers. The brothels and dens of iniquity.

A scary and violent yarn about two heinous grave-robbers providing dead bodies for illegal medical research in charge of Dr. Knox , including terrific acting from Donald Pleasence and George Rose as sinister gravediggers , they create authentic macabre set pieces as well as displaying frightening and panic. This true story has been adapted a number of times , in fact this engaging tale was adapted by prestigious writer Robert Louis Stevenson himself in the novel The Body Snatcher . In Burke and Hare (2010) medical experimets meet terror movie with extreme violence and nudism at the time. Tension , horror, thriller , and eerie scenes appear lurking , menacing in graveyard , dark slums , home stairs , rooms and cementery . All characters in the story are present and partially correct , with Donald Pleasence and George Rose actually doing very well as the eponymous and disturbing duo and both of whom share compellingly the astonishingly creepy as well as sadistic scenes together . And Peter Cushing is on hand to ham it as the stubborn scientist Dr Knox. This pair really convey the whole sleaziness/perversity of the subject, and do so in a fun way , too ; it's a good double-act . As Donald Pleasence and George Rose give deliciously hammy portrayals , displaying a lively and engaging chemistry as our titular gruesome twosome, while Peter Cushing is perfect , as always as Dr. Robert Knox . And enjoyable secondary cast contributing likable turns , such as : Billie Whitelaw lending appropriate support as the shrewish Mary Patterson , June Laverick as Martha Knox , Renee Houston as Helen Burke , Dermot Walsh as Dr. Geoffrey Mitchell , John Cairney as student Chris Jackson , Melvyn Hayes, among others . The film gets the adequate and evocative atmosphere in luxurious black and white , thanks to cameraman Monty Berman. Being well produced by Robert S. Baker and Monty Berman who financed a lot of terror movies with their company : Triad Productions . The motion picture was competently directed by John Gilling . He was a good craftsman , a notorious writer/producer/director with a long career who made movies of all kinds of genres such as : The Gilded Cage, The Guilty Person, The Embezzler, Double Exposure, Escape by Night, Recoil , Deadly Nightshade , The Voice of Merrill, The Frightened Man , The Quiet Woman ; but he standed out in Horror genre , such as : The Plague of the Zombies, Panic , The Mummy's Shroud , The Gamma People, Mother Riley Meets the Vampire , Devil's Cross, The Reptil and The Flesh and the Fiends.

This Buke and Hare story has been also rendered in the following films : ¨The Body Snatcher¨ (1945) by Robert Wise with Boris Karloff , Bela Lugosi, Henry Daniell ; ¨The Flesh and the Fiends¨ (1960) by John Gilling with Peter Cushing, June Laverick , Donald Pleasence , George Rose ; ¨Burke & Hare¨ (1972) by Vernon Sewell with Darren Nesbitt , Harry Andrews , James Hayter , Yutte Stensgaard . And Burke & Hare (2010) by John Landis with Simon Pegg , Andy Serkis , Tom Wilkinson , Michael Smiley, Tim Curry , Bill Bailey , among others.