The Haunted of Strangler was a hit so the same team got together for another exercise in polite British period horror: Boris Karloff, producer Robert Gordon, director Robert Day, a historical background. In this case its the invention of anaesthetic, done by Doctor Boris Karloff. Like many a good mad scientist he starts off idealistic but it's not too long before he's sucking down the ether and hiring body snatchers.
Yes that's right - British horror movies in the 19th century either had to reference Jack the Ripper or Burke and Hare; here it's the latter with Christopher Lee and Francis de Wolff stepping into that role. The two story strands (ether creation and body snatching) don't always merge seemlessly, but it's a handsome movie, with enjoyable production design, stylish photography and confident handling from Day.
In addition to Christopher Lee, who is good value in his villainous role (even getting splashed with acid by Karloff), Hammer fans will enjoy seeing Francis Matthews (once again helping a mad scientist, as he did in The Revenge of Frankenstein) and Adrienne Corri; there's also Finlay Currie and Nigel Green. But the real star is Karloff, turning in a top effort as the tormented scientist, not really evil, getting hooked on drugs. Betta St John plays Karloff's niece who has an affair with Karloff's son (played by Matthews)... which is a bit yuck.
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