Dr. Rock needs bodies. Some might call those needs nefarious, but Rock will use them to advance his studies and further humanity’s knowledge of the human body. One small caveat, though: he prefers those bodies fresh, and a couple of men decide to take advantage of the money that comes from providing them.

Based on the real-life murders of Burke and Hare, director Terrence Fisher takes a stab at bringing that story to life on the big screen, with mixed results. Overall, The Doctor and the Devils is a decent watch, featuring all the hallmarks Fisher brought to Hammer Films in previous decades. A period gothic horror film, tinged with mystery and crime, it finds itself a moody, atmospheric beast at a time when horror was expanding rapidly in new and different ways to titillate audiences. That is not to say movies like this would not, did not, or could not work in 1985, but they were definitely not the norm and, as such, most likely had to fight to find their viewers upon release.

Starring Timothy Dalton as the titular doctor, with Stephen Rea and Jonathan Pryce portraying the ‘devils’, the cast was superb from top to bottom, including Julian Sands, Patrick Stewart, and Twiggy to round it out. The performances were, as one might expect, on par with anything they have ever done, and they helped lift the film from simply okay to better than predicted. Because of them, this film does not languish in obscurity; without them, there is not much to recommend. Fisher lends that steady hand, culling the best he can from his performers, and the piece looks good on every level. It is dark and dingy when needed, with little light as the material is quite sordid. On the other hand, the pace is slow, and at times it feels like Fisher is just spinning his wheels. Characterization is fine, but when it drags the plot down, one has to know when to make those essential cuts. Rea and Pryce made perfect villains, and the book set them up to be. Some scenes featuring the two could have been shortened or cut altogether to make for a slightly more streamlined effort. On the other hand, while it could have used fewer devils, it could also have used a little more of the doctor.

Having Dalton take the lead here was a good thing, but he felt more like a secondary character at times than he did a main one. True, the story was more about the villains than those they served, yet striking a better balance between them and the doctor might have been far more interesting. One intriguing thing that was never fully explored was Rock’s familial intricacies, which were hinted at a couple of times but left on the cutting room floor, so to speak. Also never fully realized was the romance between Sands and Twiggy, whose characters seem to care for each other, but never really get there, at least on screen. That relationship causes everything to fall apart in the end, but it needed a bit more to make viewers actually care about either of them.

Though disturbing at times, especially during the murder of an elderly woman, the movie is never all that scary despite the horror present. Fisher does everything he can to make this picture a winner, and for the most part, he does succeed. It needed a stronger script to really shine, and perhaps that is why The Doctor and the Devils fails to be remembered as one of his best, even though it had the elements to be.

3 out of 5