THE FLESH AND THE FIENDS (1959) (aka MANIA, THE FIENDISH GHOULS)
Director: John Gilling
Image Entertainment

During the late 50s and early 60s, the British film industry was unleashing some of the finest horror and science fiction films of the period. But it wasn't just the renowned Hammer Films that were responsible, as other worthy players got into the act. A fine example of this is the producing team of Robert S. Baker and Monty Berman who gave us efforts like BLOOD OF THE VAMPIRE, THE CRAWLING EYE, JACK THE RIPPER and others. With THE FLESH AND THE FIENDS, Baker and Berman employed Hammer superstar Peter Cushing as Dr. Knox, furnishing one of the best performances of his career that highlights a superb and vastly underrated horror film.

The film itself is a meatier remake of THE GREED OF WILLIAM HEART (1948) with Tod Slaughter and a screenplay by John Gilling, this time in the director's shoes. The story focuses on Dr. Knox's relationship with infamous graverobbers Burke (George Rose) and Hare (Donald Pleasence) who reside in poverty-stricken 19th Century Edinburgh. A prominent surgeon expertised in advanced anatomy, Knox hires Burke and Hare to bring him cadavers to dissect while giving his lectures at the university.

As dead bodies are becoming more and more scarce, Burke and Hare suffocate, stab and slash poor souls at the drop of the hat, making their deliveries very fresh. Dr. Knox doesn't question the history surrounding the bodies, and is only too happy to except them. In the meantime, there's a doomed romance between one of Knox's troubled but benevolent students (Chris Jackson) and a streetwise tavern whore (Billie Whitelaw--who later played a similar role opposite Jack Palance's Jekyll/Hyde). But as the townspeople and the law catch wind of what Burke and Hare are up to, the worst is yet to come, and Dr. Knox's status in the medical profession and reputation with the public is in serious jeopardy.

Cushing's Dr. Knox is not unlike his Baron Frankenstein in that the character is obsessed with his work and willing to disregard murder for the sake of it. Cushing plays him as a snobbish and cold upper cruster, clutching a handkerchief to his nostrils as the stiffs are carted in, and gathering his peers at a gala for the sole purpose of mocking them and flaunting his superior knowledge. The one-eyed Dr. Knox actually has heart and is at times kind, but again, his obsession obstructs all else.

As for Burke and Hare, you couldn't ask for better casting than George Rose and Donald Pleasence. They are two of the nastiest, slimiest villains ever, killing with absolutely no remorse whatsoever. Rose's Burke is a homely simpleton who goes along for the ride, while Pleasence's Hare always has a trick up his sleeve and the actor's intense eyes continually express this. As a team, their unflinching approach to murder for profit is truly horrific, and a scene where Burke waves a dead rat in front of Hare (frightened and showing a rare gleam of weakness) is a gem. Pleasance of course went on to become one of the best character actors of all time, while Rose had a much lower profile career (he also appeared in Baker and Berman's JACK THE RIPPER).

With its impressive sets and abundant amount of extras, THE FLESH AND THE FIENDS looks like it could've been made at a studio like MGM. The black & white film has a lavish look and it later prompted Hammer to hire Gilling to work for them (THE REPTILE, PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES, etc.). Shot in the extremely wide "Dyaliscope," the film has suffered the fate of a severely edited version that showed up on American drive-in screens as a co-feature with HORRORS OF SPIDER ISLAND. Several video labels released "pan & scan" presentations of the film, usually with extremely inadequate quality.

Now once in for all, Image has restored the film to its full running time, offering two versions on one disc: The British theatrical version, and the slightly longer "continental" version. The continental version actually contains several alternate scenes of bare-breasted tavern girls, scenes that we've only read about in the past. Both versions are for the first time presented in their anamorphic widescreen glory, and they look equally sharp and pristine with only minor wear. Dialog on the continental version is low at times and hard to make out, so the theatrical version gets the edge in terms of audio.

Extras on the disc include an exploitive U.S. trailer under the title "The Fiendish Ghouls," an alternate opening credit sequence under the title "Mania," a still and poster art gallery, filmographies (on Cushing, Pleasence and Gilling), and informative liner notes by British writer Jonathan Sothcott. An essential part of any horror buff's collection, Image's definitive presentation of this masterpiece is highly recommended to anyone who overlooked the film in the past but has a taste for delicious cinema. (George R. Reis)

 

BACK TO REVIEWS

HOME