The Black Sleep

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Last night I was in the mood for an old-time horror movie. But what to watch? How about one starring Basil [Sherlock Holmes] Rathbone [as the mad scientist], Lon [The Wolfman] Chaney, Jr. [as one of the monsters], Bela [Dracula] Lugosi [as Rathbone’s assistant], John [Dracula] Carradine [as a madman] and Tor [“Plan 9 from Outer Space] Johnson [as another monster]? Yep, “The Black Sleep” fit the bill perfectly!

 

What, you’ve never heard of “The Black Sleep”? I wouldn’t be surprised. Unless you’re a real aficionado of the horror genre, you probably haven’t. I guess that’s what makes it a cult film. The sad thing is, “The Black Sleep” is one of the better low-budget 50’s horror films. So let’s take a look at it…

The Pitch: “Frankenstein” meets “The Island of Doctor Moreau.” A mad scientist [Rathbone] frames a former student [Herbert Rudley] for murder and then helps him escape the gallows. In return Rudley must help Rathbone with his evil experiments which turn his subjects into monsters.

The Good: The movie is introduced by Lon Madnight! Having Lugosi [in his final role] along with Chaney, Carradine, Johnson and Rathbone sharing screen-time is a hoot for any horror fan. Akim Tamiroff as Odo the Gypsy steals every scene he’s in. The screenplay is more complex than most of the genre — we have the mad scientist performing evil experiments, but he does so in hopes of learning a way to save his dying wife — we have a framed hero who must solve a murder mystery in order to clear his name — we have monsters chained in hidden cells below the castle, but they are victims of Rathbone’s experiments — at the same time the police are following leads leading to… a great climax with the monsters breaking free just as… ah, but that would be giving it away! [Be sure to keep watching after “The End” credit appears — there’s an added bonus!]

The Bad: What the experiments do to the subjects! Poor Bela is regulated to the role of a mute assistant — he was in terrible health in his final days. The hero’s name is Gordon Ramsay.  (Yep, reminded me of the Hell’s Kitchen guy.)

The Ugly: Tor Johnson, Lon Chaney and the rest of the monsters! Also there’s a great scare with a beautiful girl who’s suddenly revealed to be one of the monsters!

In Summary: “The Black Sleep” is a welcome addition to any horror fan’s library. The transfer is crisp and clean with excellent sound. The disc also includes trailers for other films in the AC DVD library as well as the first chapter of a Blackhawk cliffhanger serial. “The Black Sleep” is another winner from Bill Black.