The Black Sleep (1956) – Review

The horror genre is rife with mad scientists – it’s the most popular occupation to hold in this genre – and today we will be looking at another macabre gem from the golden age of horror cinema. But what is surprising about this entry is that with a cast that includes Basil Rathbone, Bela Lugosi, John Carradine, Tor Johnson and Lon Chaney Jr. The Black Sleep is a mostly forgotten entry in the genre.

The story centres around Sir Joel Cadman (Basil Rathbone), a brilliant but morally ambiguous surgeon who uses a mysterious drug called to induce a death-like state in his patients. The film opens with the execution of Dr. Gordon Ramsay (Herbert Rudley), who was wrongfully convicted of murdering local moneylender Mr. Curry (Tor Johnson). As he awaits his fate in a grim Victorian prison, Sir Joel Cadman visits him and offers him a chance at life, presenting Ramsay with a potion that he calls “The Black Sleep,” which will only induces a death-like coma and not death itself. With no other options, Ramsay agrees, and after consuming the potion he appears to die and escapes the hangman’s noose.

“Would you like to have your Death Certificate framed?”

Aided by Cadman’s assistant Odo (Akim Tamiroff), an odious body snatcher, Ramsay is clandestinely taken from the prison and whisked off to Cadman’s hidden laboratory located in a spook old abbey. Grateful but perplexed, Ramsay soon discovers the true nature of Cadman’s work. Cadman has been using “The Black Sleep” to conduct experimental brain surgeries on unwilling subjects, aiming to perfect his techniques and cure his comatose wife, Angelina (Louanna Gardner), who suffers from a brain tumour. Encounters with the creepy mute butler Casimir (Bela Lugosi) and a rampaging man called Mungo (Lon Chaney Jr.)  – who turns out to once have been a former teacher of Ramsay named Doctor Monroe – but he has since become a mindless brute due to Cadman’s experimentation.

“Mungo only pawn in game of life.”

Ramsay grapples with a moral dilemma: whether to assist Cadman in his gruesome work or find a way to stop him, while also keeping his neck out of the hangman’s noose. Not an easy decision but his resolve is truly tested when he meets Laurie (Patricia Blair), a nurse who has been coerced into aiding Cadman and who is also the daughter of Mungo/Doctor Monroe. As Ramsay delves deeper into Cadman’s world, he and Laurie discover a labyrinthine basement filled with the doctor’s failed experiments. Among these atrocities are the presumed murdered Mr. Curry and a bearded madman (John Carradine) who spouts religious dogma and damnation. Needless to say, things do not bode well for our hero and heroine.

This is why working with a mad scientist is problematic at best.

Stray Observations:

• This film marked Bela Lugosi’s last completed role before his death in August 1956, although some scenes featuring Lugosi shot later were included in Ed Wood’s Plan 9 from Outer Space.
• United Artists released this film as part of a double feature with 1955’s The Quatermass Xperiment which I’ll admit is a fun double-bill.
• Cadman is against the Death Penalty, stating “I don’t believe that any government has the right to take a human life” but because he is a mad scientist, he has the addendum “Only should life be taken when unavoidable necessary. For example, in the furtherance of medical science.” Yeah, that’s not suspicious at all.
• A nine-year-old boy died of a ruptured artery in the cinema lobby at one screening of The Black Sleep which put the film in the Guinness Book of Records as the only known case of someone literally dying of fright at a horror movie.
• Cadman’s laboratory is accessed through a secret panel hidden within a large fireplace, a piece of architecture that should have tipped off Ramsay that he was working with a mad scientist.
• The abominations of Cadman’s experiments turn on their “Master” and break free to unleash their revenge. Cadman really should have seen this coming.

I guess Cadman never read The Island of Doctor Moreau.

While not groundbreaking for its time, The Black Sleep is an excellent example of Gothic mad science, with director Reginald Le Borg effectively utilizing the claustrophobic atmosphere, shadowy corridors and dimly lit laboratories to create an atmosphere of unending dread. This is all aided by the wonderful black-and-white cinematography by Gordon Avil, who enhances the film’s Gothic feel, casting long, ominous shadows that amplify the tension. The set design, particularly the eerie abbey where much of the story unfolds, contributes significantly to the film’s unsettling mood. But aside from its classic horror look, the film does a surprisingly good job of delving into themes of medical ethics, the limits of scientific exploration and the consequences of tampering with life and death. While the narrative occasionally veers into melodrama, it maintains a consistent air of suspense and horror. That said, I had to laugh at the moralistic exchange between Ramsay and Cadman.

Ramsay: “You’re a madman with an obsession.”
Cadman: “Nothing will stand in the way of my work.”
Ramsay: “I will. Now I must ask you to allow me to leave.”

I’d like to know how he expect this exchange to end?

Of course, what makes this film worth checking out is its top-notch cast and at the top is Basil Rathbone delivering a compelling performance as a man willing to do anything for love, exuding both charisma and menace at every turn. When he lays out his justifications for his actions you know just how far around the corner this man has gone. “I would put my knife into the brains of a hundred men, a thousand, and destroy them all if I could restore her to me for only one day.” His portrayal of a man driven to madness by love and obsession is both chilling and captivating, but he’s not alone, his supporting cast mates of horror icons elevates this entry for fans of classic horror, and while Bela Lugosi his limited screen time his presence adds a touch of eerie gravitas to the film. Even if many of these horror icons were stuck with mute performances it’s great to see them all together.

A very messed up family.

In conclusion, The Black Sleep is a captivating slice of 1950s horror, offering a blend of science fiction and Gothic elements that will appeal to fans of classic horror cinema. While it may not reach the heights of genre masterpieces, it remains a noteworthy entry, particularly for its stellar cast and the eerie ambience it creates. For those seeking a journey into the dark corners of vintage horror, this entry provides a chilling and memorable experience.