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Saturday, January 4, 2014

THE BLACK SLEEP 1956 (MGM)

Over looked horror thriller.

This little horror thriller always seems to be overlooked and under appreciated. Basil Rathbone is Sir Joel Cadman, a scientist who will stop at nothing to cure his wife's brain tumor.

He kidnaps victims and experiments on their brains and soon he has a basement full of freaks and misfits. A young doctor he saved from the gallows, with the help of a new drug called the "Black Sleep", unwittingly helps the good doctor at first, but soon comes to learn Cadman is insane.

Akim Tamiroff is Odo, a man who helps Cadman gets his victims. He handles the role very well. The cast is a who's who in the horror film business...Tor Johnson, John Carradine, Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney, Jr, Sally Yarnall and George Sawaya. Herbert Rudley is the young doctor Cadman has helping him for a while and lovely Patricia Blair is his love interest.

There are some great images in this film including cerebral fluid leaking out of a brain, Lon Chaney going crazy every few minutes and a woman set on fire. MGM had turned this out on their MOD Limited Collection series and the picture and sound are very good. Highly Recommended for those looking for a different kind of 50's horror.

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