Horrorfest 2017: The Flesh and the Fiends

Horrorfest has had at least one movie before inspired by the villainous team of graverobbers Burke and Hare, THE BODY SNATCHER. This time we have a movie actually featuring Burke and Hare as characters, THE FLESH AND THE FIENDS, a 1960 flick from the UK, and a favorite of Joe Dante's.

You know you're in for a classic Horrorfest experience when the movie stars Peter Cushing. This time, Cushing is a doctor in 1800s Scotland who lectures to students on anatomy and is in endless need of cadavers. At first he tasks his assistant and a student with coming up with fresh bodies, but it isn't long before opportunistic con men-cum-murderers, Burke (George Rose) and Hare (Donald Pleasance!) miraculously start turning up with the freshest bodies of all.

Aside from the great premise and wonderful performances from Cushing and Pleasance, THE FLESH AND THE FIENDS benefits from its setting – there's a contrast between the stately Edinburgh home and school of Cushing and the bawdy streets, pubs and brothels Pleasance and his accomplice call home. This contrast in settings also highlights the contrasts between our characters – who is more evil, the cold and detached doctor who allows men to murder for him, while maintain plausible deniability, or the street level bums who are willing to carry out the murders?

The final scene of the film has society's chilling answer to this, as Burke and Hare suffer at the hands of the law and a vengeful mob while the doctor is applauded by his students.