The Horrors of Burke and Hare (1971)

Synopsis of The Horrors of Burke and Hare

Roger Corman's New World Pictures took a stab at the tale of the nefarious real-life graverobbers -- and filled it with the studio's usual quota of nudity, softcore sex and tacky humor. The result is pretty much as one would expect -- nothing to rival the excellent Flesh and the Fiends, or even Tod Slaughter's campy The Greed of William Hart. Harry Andrews plays the unscrupulous Dr. Knox, who enlists the aid of grave-plundering dirtbags Derren Nesbitt and Glynn Edwards in obtaining fresh cadavers for the medical academy. When the demand increases and local cemeteries begin to run dry, the industrious pair turn to the living to keep the doctor supplied. This time out, Burke and Hare are particularly randy fellows, who spend more time carousing in Edinburgh whorehouses than stalking their prey. Despite the macabre subject matter, the producers opted for sexploitation over gruesome horror, but the end result is decidedly dull. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

Theatrical Feature Running Time:

91 mins

Director(s):

Vernon Campbell Sewell

Writer(s):

Ernie Bradford

Producer(s):

Guido Coen

Categories:

Horror, Foreign

Looking for special editions of The Horrors of Burke and Hare?

See All Versions

Subtitles:

Check All Versions

Closed Captioning:

Check All Versions