The Greed of William Hart (1953)

Why so much hype?

Simply Perfect

How sad is this?

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

This dark thriller was a nice surprise. I'd not seen this before so when it appeared on telly, thanks to the Talking Pictures channel, I took the chance on it as the premise interested me. Based on the nefarious Burke and Hare this tells the story of William Hart (Slaughter) and Mr Moore (Oscar) and their dealings with Dr Cox (Bell), for whom they procure cadavers for. However, the doctor has a need for younger and fresher bodies so, greedy for money, Hart and Moore comply with the doctor's wishes... by turning murderous...There's a lot which is good about this film. I liked the way the director, Mitchell, opted for a more realistic feel. The streets of Edinburgh are close and tight. People pretty much lived in each other's pockets in that era. Mitchell, then adds eeriness by adding fog and shadows. It's also nice to see the size of the living quarters that the common folk were subjected to. Hart runs a rooming house, in which there are just two rooms downstairs, a living room and a kitchen. The living room is sparse, containing a table and chairs and a bed, where he and his wife sleep. Upstairs is for their guests. Life is hard so it's no wonder you do what you have to just to survive. A hard life can make for hard men and both Hart and Moore have no compunctions about beating their wives into sublimation. Moore's wife is so under the fist she's only too happy to squeal on Hart's wife, so she can take what's coming to her.This builds up a bleak overlook to the film. So enter Aubrey Woods portraying the simpleton Jamie Wilson. This character is there not only to lift the film with a comedic element but is also the crux and pivotal role of the movie. This was a good idea by the writer, Gilling, and the director. Woods excels as Jamie and has some of the best lines in the film. It's also nice because he is a breath of fresh air amongst the plethora of melodramatic actors, which can become a little too heavy at times when they deliver their lines - and this is probably the only drawback to the film. Though, for the times, the acting is good to fair.If you like your dark thrillers then I would recommend you check this out, should you get the chance.

A movie so poorly made that it seems 20 years older than it is, "Horror Maniacs" (or "The Greed of William Hart") is a creaky antique that makes its subject matter deadly dull even if the actual history behind its connection with real life events is fascinatingly macabre. With names changed due to lawsuits from family members of the characters it portrays, a lot of the details are obviously missing, mainly because the print available is approximately 25 minutes short of the original running time. The editing out of the character's real life names is so badly dubbed that what was looped in sounds louder than the rest of the soundtrack.The difference between this and other Tod Slaughter films is that his earlier films gave a historical feeling of what the old gaslight theaters of the late 1800's and early 1900's must have been like with the melodramatic thrillers that were popular during this era. This one isn't even an interesting account of the Burke and Hare case of the 1820's in Edinburgh. Slaughter plays his character as if he was mentally retarded and he seems relatively normal when compared to his nefarious partner played by Henry Oscar. Aubrey Woods gives an interesting performance as the very sensitive Jamie Wilson, a rather effeminate young man who shows fear at the very mention of people disappearing in the area where he lives. There is really no element of terror here which makes the insinuations of what the two grave robbers (who also kill for profit) all the less menacing.

Greed of William Hart, The (1948) * 1/2 (out of 4) Tod Slaughter, Britain's biggest horror star, makes one of his final appearances in this film also known as Horror Maniacs. The history behind the film is actually a lot more interesting than the film itself. This was originally called The Crimes of Burke and Hare with those two names used in the film. However, the British censors objected and a relative of Hare threatened to sue so they had to dub the names, which cost so much money that the producer's couldn't afford a music score. As for the film, it's a pretty dull take on the Burke and Hare story with Slaughter very dry up until the end when he goes so over the top that you can't help but laugh. Clearly this was meant to challenge The Body Snatcher but doesn't come close.

Under an hour in length, this film about two bodysnatchers named Wally Hart and Mr. Moore(obviously meant to be Burke and Hare)showcases the immense talent of British ham Tod Slaughter, one of the truly forgotten kings of horror. It is weak in plot development, and it has little action, but the film does a good job creating the atmosphere of the poor and wicked in Edinburgh during a time when bodies were needed for medical use. A lot more could have been done with the film, but taken as it is, it is entertaining just as a vehicle in which to see Tod Slaughter cackle and gesture about. It is not Slaughter's best, however, but he does have moments as an amoral ressurectionist who kills for money with no compunction or moral barrier at all. The rest of the cast is average at best, and the film suffers from a very evident low budget. This was one of Slaughter's last "big" films. It is a shame that he was never given a budget for a film that would have made him more popular with audiences today. So few people have seen his films, and this film seems to be somewhat obscure. I recommend the film based on his presence(not performance).