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The Flesh and the Fiends

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6.6/10 • 53

1960-02-021h 34m

Horror

Coffins Looted! Cadavers Dissected!

Edinburgh surgeon Dr. Robert Knox requires cadavers for his research into the functioning of the human body; local ne'er-do-wells Burke and Hare find ways to provide him with fresh specimens...

Directors
John Gilling
Editors
Jack Slade

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Peter Cushing

    Peter Cushing

    Dr. Robert Knox

  2. Donald Pleasence

    Donald Pleasence

    William Hare

  3. George Rose

    George Rose

    William Burke

  4. June Laverick

    June Laverick

    Martha Knox

  5. Renée Houston

    Renée Houston

    Helen Burke

  6. Dermot Walsh

    Dermot Walsh

    Dr. Geoffrey Mitchell

  7. Billie Whitelaw

    Billie Whitelaw

    Mary Patterson

  8. John Cairney

    John Cairney

    Chris Jackson

  9. Melvyn Hayes

    Melvyn Hayes

    Daft Jamie

Reviews1

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Wuchak Avatar

Wuchak

Feb 27, 2025

6/10

Peter Cushing’s missing Frankenstein flick, sort of In 1828 Edinburgh, an ambitious doctor of anatomy (Peter Cushing) needs corpses for his work, which are dubiously supplied by two base men (Donald Pleasence and George Rose). This can’t end well. Shot in B&W (unfortunately), "The Flesh and the Fiends" (1960) is based on the infamous Burke and Hare murders and has been released under various other titles, like “Psycho Killers” and “Mania.” It was the first horror flick to feature Cushing not produced by Hammer Films, but it was shot at one of the studios that Hammer used in the greater London area and involved some of the same talent (at the time or in the near future), such as director John Gilling. So, naturally, it’s similar to a Hammer film. It's most comparable to Cushing’s Frankenstein movies since Dr. Robert Knox comes across as a real-life version of Baron Victor Frankenstein, not to mention the events take place just a decade after the publication of Mary Shelley’s Gothic novel. For those not in the know, Cushing starred as Dr. Frankenstein in six Hammer films between 1957-1974. Being based on a true story, this lacks the sensationalism of Hammer horror; it’s unsurprisingly more dramatic and mundane. Yet I liked how Dr. Knox is fleshed out (similar to Cushing’s Victor Frankenstein), as well as the side story involving one of Knox’s Med students (John Cairney) falling for a wild lower-class lass of the taverns (Billie Whitelaw). There are two versions of the film with the “continental version” featuring nudity that was surprising for a flick shot in 1959, which mostly consists of female top nudity; but there are also a few shots of a couple women totally nude, like one walking around the tavern in the background. Of course, such (tame) nudity was nothing new in cinema if you’ve seen 1934’s “Tarzan and His Mate,” but the Hays Code put the kibosh on it in America until the late 60s and the BBFC did the same in the UK. It runs 1 hour, 35 minutes, and was shot at Shepperton Studios, just southwest of London. (The censored version runs a minute shorter while the version called “The Fiendish Ghouls” cuts out some 23 minutes). GRADE: B-

Media

  • The Flesh and the Fiends poster
  • The Flesh and the Fiends poster
  • The Flesh and the Fiends poster
  • The Flesh and the Fiends poster
  • The Flesh and the Fiends poster
  • The Flesh and the Fiends poster
  • The Flesh and the Fiends poster
  • The Flesh and the Fiends poster
  • The Flesh and the Fiends poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
experimentsurgeonbody snatchers