Generous Spectrum: The Black Sleep (1956)

My dear readers, while I would never dream of using a publication dedicated to the arts as a platform for laying bare my political perspective, I feel it is fair to mention that I have always found the business of capital punishment to be a bit distasteful. Its reformative potential seems limited to say the least and as a lesson in the value of human life, it is a tad confusing. My objectivity in this matter is admittedly hindered by tales of Enoch Hauntedhouse, a relative of mine from far down the family tree, who was sentenced to the gallows after some disagreement with local authorities over the extent of his religious freedoms. We Hauntedhouses possess a notorious stubborn streak and though the punishment was carried out, Enoch refused to let a broken neck slow him down, carrying on the spiritual practices that had so inflamed the public with floppy-headed determination.

Dr. Gordon Angus Ramsay (Herbet Rudley) also possesses deeply personal reasons for objecting to lawful execution. Despite his professed innocence and shoddy prosecutorial evidence, he has been convicted of murder and condemned to be hung. Sir Joel Cadman (Basil Rathbone), a seemingly benevolent concerned party, visits him on the eve of his execution with a tincture that is meant to soothe his mind. What Cadman doesn’t tell him that this potion contains Nind Andhera, an exotic Indian ingredient dubbed “the black sleep” that simulates in its imbiber all the characteristics of death. Once ingested, Sir Cadman is able to ferry away Dr. Angus’s body on the pretext that he has expired before he could be executed, eventually reviving him and inviting Dr. Angus to be his assistant in the exciting field of unlicensed neurosurgery.

The black sleep, it would seem, has a number of practical household uses. In addition to being a useful concoction when plotting an escape from death row, it also happens to be a highly effective surgical anesthetic, one that Sir Cadman uses to experiment on living human brains. At first, Dr. Ramsay is rather upbeat about being spared a date with the hangman and is more than happy to assist Sir Cadman in his research. But Ramsay proves himself a shameful ingrate and as soon as it is revealed that Sir Cadman operates on unwitting subjects, mangles them for life and then imprisons them in his cellar, Ramsay seeks to sever their relations. Forming an allegiance with Laurie Monroe (Patricia Blair) a woman whose father was treated to one of Sir Cadman’s less successful operations, Angus seeks to undermine the work of his unorthodox patron.

Sir Cadman’s previous medical efforts bespeak a man unafraid of failure

I expect that any fellow horror devotee might grant themselves a moment of breathless enthusiasm over a marquee positively drooping with classical horror heavyweights and though stacking the cast list with genre favorites is by no mean a novel gimmick, The Black Sleep distinguishes itself in its generous spectrum of actorly offerings. There is Basil Rathbone, a Shakespearian thespian born of the British stage and Tor Johnson, a stout physical specimen and professional wrestler whose familiarity with the Bard is unclear. For those who don’t care for Bela Lugosi’s gentle, avuncular mute, there is Lon Chaney Junior’s more murderous mute. At times, it is admittedly difficult to find one’s footing with the hero in a film with so many winning antagonists but there is plenty to distract from any of the principal character’s shortcomings. Much like the sundry display of malformed horrors in Sir Cadman’s cellar, The Black Sleep offers a little something for everyone.

The Black Sleep runs 82 minutes and does not possess a certified rating in the United States.