The Films of Boris Karloff at RKO Pictures: A Retrospective
It's hard to overstate the impact that legendary actor Boris Karloff had on the horror genre. With his hauntingly grim features and eerie, resonant voice, Karloff brought a sense of otherworldly terror to the screen that has rarely been equaled. And during his time at RKO Pictures, Karloff cemented his place as one of the all-time greats of horror cinema.
All of these films were produced by Val Lewton, who ended up being a very close friend of Karloff. Karloff wanted to work with Lewton because he was done with Universal Pictures’ monster movies. He wanted a new challenge, horror films that were smart, and unique, and Lewton was developing those films.
No one really ever talks about these movies that Karloff made! Most people only know Karloff from his Universal Monster films, but he did some of his best work at RKO Studios.
The Body Snatcher
The first movie that Karloff was cast in at RKO was the 1945 film The Body Snatcher, directed by Robert Wise, and loosely based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel of the same. In this macabre tale, Karloff takes on the role of John Gray, a grave robber who supplies Dr. Toddy MacFarlane with the dead bodies that he digs up for his medical experiments. He’s known as a “Resurrection Man.”
While it’s believed Gray and his assistant, Joseph (Bela Lugosi), unearth the bodies from the cemetery. Donald, Dr. MacFarlane's assistant, ends up recognizing one of the corpses Gray delivers, and the true source of the bodies is called into question.
The Body Snatcher is quite a haunting and gothic film and I love the visuals of the film that are set in the night. There are also some fantastic moments between horror movie legends, Karloff and Lugosi.
Karloff's portrayal of Gray is nothing short of sinister, as he oozes a sense of cold-blooded calculation that is truly chilling. The film also allowed him to rebrand himself as a new kind of villain, a new kind of monster, but without his face being hidden behind makeup. The ending of this film is horrifying and one of my favorite endings of a movie because of how nightmarishly wild it is!
Isle of the Dead
Karloff’s second film at RKO was Isle of the Dead, directed by Mark Robson. This film was inspired by a painting hanging in Lewton’s office. Karloff plays General Nikolas Pherides in the story who takes leave from the 1912 Balkan War to visit a small island in Greece, where his wife is buried.
While he’s there a plague breaks out and he is quarantined on the island with an American reporter and several other travelers. As time goes on and madness sets in, they start to believe that a nurse is a Vrykolaka, which is an undead, vampire-like creature that haunts the living, and that she is the true cause of the recent deaths. I love the mythology that this movie plays with!
Karloff is at the top of his game in Isle of the Dead, turning in a performance that is both commanding and deeply unsettling. The film's eerie atmosphere and shadowy setting only serve to enhance Karloff's already formidable presence, and because of that the film has become a fan favorite among horror aficionados.
Bedlam
The third and final film that Karloff starred in in 1945 at RKO was Bedlam, directed by Mark Robson. In this chilling tale, Karloff plays the head of an insane asylum called St. Mary's of Bethlehem Asylum, which is also known as Bedlam.
After getting a glimpse of the conditions at the St. Mary's, a woman named Nell Bowen pities the inmates, and is concerned that the patients are being mistreated. All the “loonies” are kept in their cages in the asylum and are shown off like sideshow attractions for the public to gawk at for a fee. When she attempts to try and better the situation, Sims uses his political savvy to have Nell committed. But, while locked away in the asylum, Nell starts to turn the patients against Sims in a bid to violently remove him from power.
Karloff's performance in Bedlam is nothing short of masterful, as he manages to be so diabolically sinister. He’s the type of character masterfully stirs pots to get what he wants, while pushing back against those who wrong him. He’s such a maniacal character and is a perfect villain. This movie left quite the impression on me, especially the ending, which I couldn’t get out of my head for a few days.
The films of Boris Karloff at RKO Pictures represent some of the finest examples of the horror genre. Whether he's playing a grave robber in The Body Snatcher, a Greek general in Isle of the Dead, or a sinister villain in Bedlam, Karloff brings a level of authenticity and fear to his roles that is truly unparalleled.