The Doctor and the Devils (1985)

Country of Origin: UK / USA
Year of Production: 1985
Running Times: 93 mins
Format: colour     35mm     J-D-C Scope
Ratio: 2.35:1
Sound: Dolby Stereo

PRODUCTION
Production Company: Brooksfilms / Dr Barrington Cooper & Burton Gintell
Executive Producer: Mel Brooks
Producer: Jonathan Sanger
Associate Producer: Geoffrey Helman

SCRIPT
Script: Ronald Harwood
Original Script: Dylan Thomas

DIRECTION
Director: Freddie Francis
Assistant Director: Peter Bennett
2nd Assistant Director: Andrew Warren
3rd Assistant Directors: Nikolas Korda, Simon Haveland

PHOTOGRAPHY
Directors of Photography: Gerry Turpin, Norman Warwick
Camera Operator: Gordon Hayman
Gaffer: Wick Finch
Electrician: Bill Merrell
Best Boy: George Parrish
Stills: Tom Hilton
Grip and Lighting Equipment: Lee Lighting Ltd
Labs: DeLuxe; Rank Film Laboratories, Denham, UK

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editor: Laurence Méry-Clark

MUSIC
Music: John Morris
Songs: In Tua Nua (Tainted Hands); M. Piccolomini, C. Hubi Newcombe (Whisper and I Shall Hear)
Songs Performed By: In Tua Nua (Tainted Hands); Twiggy (Whisper and I Shall Hear)
Orchestrator: Jack Hayes

SOUND
Sound Mixer: Ken Weston
Boom Operator: Steve O'Brien
Sound Editor: Alan Paley
Dialogue Editor: Peter Bond

COSTUMES AND MAKE-UP
Make Up: Naomi Donne
Hair: Sally Sutton
Costume Designer: Imogen Richardson

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Alan Bryce

VISUAL EFFECTS
Titles: Peerless Camera Co Ltd

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designers: Brian Ackland-Snow, Robert W. Laing
Set Decorator: Peter James
Property Master: Tony Teiger
Construction Coordinator: Bob Cross

MISCELLANEOUS
Script Supervisor: Pamela Davies
Unit Publicist: Jane Golding

LOCATIONS
Studio: Lee International Studios, Shepperton, England, UK

CASTING
Casting: Maggie Cartier

CAST
Timothy Dalton (Doctor Thomas Rock)
Jonathan Pryce (Robert Fallon)
Twiggy (Jennie Bailey)
Julian Sands (Dr Murray)
Stephen Rea (Timothy Broom)
Phyllis Logan (Elizabeth Rock)
Lewis Fiander (Dr Thornton)
Beryl Reid (Mrs Flynn)
T.P. McKenna (O'Connor)
Patrick Stewart (Professor Macklin)
Siân Phillips (Annabella Rock)
Philip Davis (Billy Bedlam)
Philip Jackson (Andrew Merry-Lees)
Danny Schiller (Praying Howard)
Bruce Green (Mole)
Toni Palmer (Rosie)
David Bamber (Cronin)
Nichola McAuliffe (Alice)
Deirdre Costello (Nelly)
Terry Neason (Kate)
Paul Curran (Tom the porter)
Merelina Kendall (Mrs Webb)
Dermot Crowley (Mr Webb)
Sarah Melia (Nora Webb)
Stephen Yardley (Joseph)
John Horsley (Dr Mackendrick)
Jack May (Dr Stevens)
Rachel Herbert (Mrs Stevens)
Simon Shepherd (Harding)
David Parfitt (Billings)
Simon Adams (Green)
Jeff Rawle (Lambert)
William Morgan Sheppard (landlord)
Jennifer Jayne (barmaid)
Moira Brooken (Molly the maid)
P.G. Stevens (priest)
Roy Evans (sewerman)
Peter Burton (customer)
Leonard Maguire (nightwatchman)
Hedger Wallace (doctor)
Ray Dunbobbin (tinker)
Martin Herring (messenger)
Shaun Curry (policeman)
David Grahame (old man)
Kevin Duffield (Daniel)
Ray Armstrong, Sam Bartlett (prison guards)
Samantha Meaton (little girl in bar - uncredited)

PLOT SUMMARY

Doctor Thomas Rock is an eminent surgeon whose obsessive zeal for anatomical research leads him to secure the services of low-life grave-robbers Fallon and Broom. But when the resurrection men run out of fresh cadavers for Rock, they resort to murder to keep him supplied with specimens.

After his success photographing David Lynch's The Elephant Man (1980), Freddie Francis got the chance to return to the director's chair of a horror picture. Based a film script written years before by famous welsh poet and playwright Dylan Thomas and based on the legend of grave robbers Burke and Hare and the man they supplied, Dr Knox. A pre-Bond Dalton and Jonathan Pryce as one of the robbers turn in particularly good performances but the whole effort felt dated on release, not surprising given its genesis, and was a box office flop. Time has been kind and the film is enjoyable, particularly for those who enjoy Hammer and Amicus movies of the sixties. However they would still enjoy The Flesh and the Fiends, John Gilling's 1959 version of the story a lot more. (Full Review)

Spain
Theatrical Distributor: TriPictures S.A.

UK
Theatrical Distributors: Twentieth Century Fox through UK Film Distributors

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
Video Distributor: Key Video

Finland
Rating: K-16

France
Rating: -12

Sweden
Rating: 15

UK
Rating: 15 (with 9 seconds of cuts)

USA
Rating: R

1985
October
4: USA – theatrical release

1986
January
17: Finland – theatrical release
29: France – theatrical release

May
Day Unknown: UK - theatrical release

1987
September
11: Sweden – theatrical release

Le docteur et les assassins – French title
El doctor y los diablos - Spanish title
Doktor i diably – Polish title
O Médico e os Monstros – Portugese title
Tohtori ja paholaiset - Finnish title

REMAKE OF
The Greed of William Hart (1948)
The Flesh and the Fiends (1959)
Burke and Hare (1971)

SEE ALSO
Play of the Month: The Anatomist (1980)

REFERENCES

MAGAZINES

The Dark Side September 1995 pp.15-16 (UK)
credits, review

Flesh and Blood no.10 pp.25-26 (UK)
credits, review

BOOKS

Hoffman's Guide to SF, Horror and Fantasy Movie 1991 - 1992 p.107
credits, review

OTHER SOURCES

screen
credits

doctors, grave robbers, hospitals, medical schools, mental illness

Last Updated: 1 January, 2009