The Black Sleep on first viewing is something of a disappointment. Inspite of the presence of Basil Rathbone, Lon Chaney Jr., Bela Lugosi, John Carradine, and er, Tor Johnson the film is often flat and uninvolving; minutes of endless talk go by and for a black and white horror the movie is curiously devoid of atmosphere.
Director Reginald LeBorg manages to instill some decent scenes, however, and the shots of the exposed brain are remarkably go-ahead for their time. The Black Sleep appears to have had some influence on Hammer's Curse Of Frankenstein, which re-started the Gothic horror genre, as Rathbone's Dr. Cadman appears a virtual prototype for Peter Cushing's Baron Frankenstein. He gives a good performance, but the film disappoints in the thin and unflattering roles given to Chaney and Lugosi - Lon is a mindless brute and Lugosi is a mute butler with nothing to do but open doors and carry a warming pan! John Carradine drew the short straw as a mad prophet, and appears dangerously late in the film. 3 Actors who gave so much to the horror film are treated abominably. Tor Johnson first appears in a wallet photograph in an hilariously inappropriate wig.
Yet, there are saving graces, notably Akim Tamarov's shady gypsy - he's a delight to watch as he acts as Rathbone's procurer of living specimens, and the film does offer a rousing climax, with Johnson and Chaney squaring off. A film of missed opportunities, then, but an interesting bridge between the old-style horror and the Hammer era to come.
Director Reginald LeBorg manages to instill some decent scenes, however, and the shots of the exposed brain are remarkably go-ahead for their time. The Black Sleep appears to have had some influence on Hammer's Curse Of Frankenstein, which re-started the Gothic horror genre, as Rathbone's Dr. Cadman appears a virtual prototype for Peter Cushing's Baron Frankenstein. He gives a good performance, but the film disappoints in the thin and unflattering roles given to Chaney and Lugosi - Lon is a mindless brute and Lugosi is a mute butler with nothing to do but open doors and carry a warming pan! John Carradine drew the short straw as a mad prophet, and appears dangerously late in the film. 3 Actors who gave so much to the horror film are treated abominably. Tor Johnson first appears in a wallet photograph in an hilariously inappropriate wig.
Yet, there are saving graces, notably Akim Tamarov's shady gypsy - he's a delight to watch as he acts as Rathbone's procurer of living specimens, and the film does offer a rousing climax, with Johnson and Chaney squaring off. A film of missed opportunities, then, but an interesting bridge between the old-style horror and the Hammer era to come.