Nonureva Really Surprised!

GazerRise Fantastic!

SanEat A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Prichards12345 This was Karloff's second film for Director Robert Day in 1958, the other being Grip Of The Strangler. That movie ain't bad but this is certainly the better offering of the two.Boris Karloff is excellent as Dr. Thomas Bolton, operating with great speed to minimise pain for those under the surgeon's knife in the London of 1840. Convinced that chemical inhalation can separate agony from the knife, dedicated Boris uses himself as a test subject - and whoops, is that tincture of opium being added to the mixture? It isn't long before Bolton becomes addicted to the gas, falling under the control of inn-keep Black Ben (an agreeably seedy Francis De Wolff). With Christopher Lee in tow as his side kick Resurrection Joe, they fancy they have a nice littler earner by getting Bolton to forge death certificates, and providing the corpus delicti to the local hospital for a nice fat fee.This is a film with more than a hint of Oliver Twist, and a touch of Karloff's own earlier triumph The Body Snatcher. Yet it works extremely well, capturing the atmosphere of 1840s London effortlessly. Karloff is well aided by his supporting cast, including a quietly creepy Lee, Francis Matthews as Bolton's son and Adrienne Corri. M.G.M. apparently had a change of management after the film was delivered and buried the movie for four years before giving it a limited release. Shame, as this is a very good drama with some stand-out horror moments. Well worth seeing.

bob the moo Dr Thomas Bolton is determined in his quest to find a way to relieve the suffering of patients by somehow disconnecting the brain from the process and thus removing the experience of pain. His experiments have so far been failures and he has become somewhat of a joke between his peers. Self-experimenting with an opium-derived anaesthetic, Bolton gradually succumbs to addiction that only further feeds his drive for success in his studies. This addiction and destructive ambition leads him to the shadows of the criminal world and into the clutches of a den of those that would exploit him for all they can get.I recently watched a later film that featured Karloff and Lee (Curse of the Crimson Alter) and I assume that BBC2 must have been doing something of a mini season of such films because the following week they showed this film in the same slot. Corridors of Blood is a much better film than Crimson Alter due to much stronger material. The horror here is based on the descent of the main character into addiction and the world of Black Ben; a world of murder for small financial gains and a world that Bolton finds he needs for an increasing number of reasons. The addiction is the only "monster" of the film and to my pleasant surprise it is very well delivered by Karloff. I expected ham and what I got was actually quite restrained and engaging – his fall is built on good intentions and it is human and believable. The men he falls in with are also a convincing blend of man and monster as they murder and exploit for small rewards, they are sinister characters and they add another layer of darkness to Bolton's fall.De Wolff is good as the bear-sized boss of the group but of course most memorable is Christopher Lee, who is a gaunt figure all in black but gets most impact from the look of sheer dark menace that he manages not only to put on his face but also deep in his eyes. Day directs well and with his crew manages to build a good atmosphere while telling this human story. I'm not suggesting that it is a perfect film or incredibly insightful but it does well for what it is, providing an engaging character at the heart of the story. Well worth seeing for Karloff fans.

Scarecrow-88 A surgeon, working on the very first anesthetic despite groanings from his medical colleagues and peers that the experiments would lead to certain failure, falls into drug addiction when he becomes drawn to the opium used as an ingredient within the formula. Under a drug-induced state, Dr. Bolton(Boris Karloff) is coerced into writing false death certificates signifying the loss of life from natural causes by Black Ben(Francis De Wolff) and his despicable female companion Rachel(Adrienne Corri) who thrive in the underbelly of London centered in a ugly little spot called Seven Dials..he does so, although Ben has his henchman Joe(Christoper Lee)suffocate paupers so that they can take the fresh bodies to anatomy doctors for wages. It's Burke and Haire repeated by this group all over again. When Bolton's first demonstration failed due to a patient rising from his seat and attacking the on-lookers watching the operation, due to not enough anesthesia being applied for complete unconsciousness, his medical faculty wish for his experiments to cease. Bolton's seduction with inhaling too much of the experimental anesthetic causes his surgery work to suffer, not to mention he loses sleep and scurries to the Seven Dials believing it's all an evil dream. Such as when his pocket-book, containing all his experimental notes, is lifted in Ben's grungy pub and the only way he can retrieve it is to sign a false death certificate, or when he goes to Ben in need of narcotics when the medical institution cuts him off..Bolton believes these unfortunate events are nasty members of a nightmare. The film shows Bolton's very life and career in turmoil as he makes a deal with the devil, so to speak, leading to a murder and theft as Ben & Joe plan to do away with the addicted doctor. What Ben and his cronies do not know is that Inspector Donovan(Nigel Green)is preparing to infiltrate his devious operation..but can the Inspector rescue Bolton from certain peril?Maybe the film is a bit dated in how drug addiction is portrayed(certainly one can see that in a more modern based picture, the ante would be raised and we'd see a much uglier side of addiction and grotesque behavior than presented in this film), but I thought Karloff does a fine job of showing a man with conviction, sorrowful and riddled with anguish at the sight of his patients suffering from such agony and pain through the horrors of surgery and amputation. Although his ideals and notions for creating a painless surgical method are challenged as fleeting and unrealistic, Karloff shows the dogged determination. Yet, Karloff also shows the downward spiral of a man swindled by those willing to take advantage of his addiction and one who can not acknowledge the very fact he is an addict. Good support from Betta St. John as Bolton's dedicated servant/friend Susan and Francis Matthews as his son Jonathan(the film has a budding romantic sub-plot between Susan and Jonathan). Christopher Lee, not surprisingly, is a revelation as the creepy, intense murderer Joe and De Wolff as the slimy Seven Dials boss always carrying a devilish grin, is also quite memorable. Pretty good little film, I must say. It seems the filmmakers put a lot of heart and thought into this..although, it doesn't hurt when you have Karloff anchoring your film and Lee stealing every scene he's in with that commanding presence.

Oslo Jargo (Bartok Kinski) ANYONE who goes to see "Werewolf in a Girls Dormitory" deserves exactly what he gets. To give you an idea, this gory mess of pottage from Britain has a jumping rock 'n' roll theme song titled "The Ghoul in School." Oxford, watch out! Rather surprisingly, the first quarter of the second item on this "horror" DVD bill, is pretty good. The title of this one is "Corridors of Blood." For a while it suggests those gaslit melodramas of Old London in the early nineteen-forties, starring Boris Karloff, as happens here. Horror they had, also a serious, underlying purposefulness."Corridors" starts with Mr. Karloff, as an altruistic surgeon determined to prove, through experiments, the existence of anesthesia.Opposing him are some selfish, bigoted colleagues. Some dregs of Old London are also blackmailing the poor guy, whose only aim is to benefit mankind. This portion is forthright, picaresque and carries ugly conviction, and Mr. Karloff is a persuasive, if lamblike, protagonist.Then the film turns into a plodding, shuddersome exercise in blood and pain. It's the old one-two, strictly for the sake of shock. That's the bargain in store for any customer lured by the pair of titles.