The Films of Boris Karloff at RKO Pictures: A Retrospective

It’s hard to overstate the impact of that legendary actor Boris Carloff had on the horror genre. With his brooding, haunting features and eerie, ringing voice, Karloff brought to the screen a sense of otherworldly dread that has rarely been matched. And during his tenure at RKO Pictures, Karloff solidified his place as one of horror cinema’s all-time greats.

All of these films were produced by Val Lewton, who ended up being a close friend of Karloff. Karloff wanted to work with Lewton because he was done with Universal Pictures’ monster movies. He wanted a new challenge, smart and unique horror films, and Lewton was developing those films.

Nobody ever really talks about these films made by Karloff! Most people only know Karloff for his Universal Monster movies, but he did some of his best work at RKO Studios.

The body thief

The first film Karloff was cast in at RKO was the 1945 film The body thiefdirected by Robert Wise, and loosely based on the Robert Louis Stevenson novel of the same name. In this macabre story, Karloff plays the role of John Gray, a grave robber who supplies Dr. Toddy MacFarlane with the corpses he digs up for his medical experiments. He is known as “the resurrection man”.

Although it is believed that Gray and his assistant, Joseph (Beautiful Lugosi), unearth the bodies from the cemetery. Donald, Dr. MacFarlane’s assistant, ends up recognizing one of the corpses Gray delivers, and the true source of the bodies is called into question.

The body thief it’s quite a creepy and gothic movie and I love the visuals in the movie which are set in the night. There are also some great moments between horror movie legends, Karloff and Lugosi.

Karloff’s portrayal of Gray is nothing short of sinister, as he exudes a sense of cold-blooded calculation that is truly chilling. The film also allowed him to rebrand himself as a new kind of villain, a new kind of monster, but without his face being hidden behind makeup. The ending to this movie is awful and one of my favorite endings to a movie because of how freaking wild it is!

The Isle of the Dead

Karloff’s second film at RKO was The Isle of the Deaddirected by Mark Robson. This film was inspired by a painting that hung in Lewton’s office. Karloff plays General Nikolas Pherides in the story who takes leave of the 1912 Balkan War to visit a small island in Greece, where his wife is buried.

While there, a plague breaks out and he is quarantined on the island with an American journalist and several other travellers. Over time and madness, they begin to believe that a nurse is a Vrykolaka, an undead vampire-like creature that haunts the living, and that she is the true cause of the recent deaths. I love the mythology this movie plays with!

Karloff is at the top of his game in Isle of the Dead, delivering a performance that is both commanding and deeply disturbing. The film’s eerie atmosphere and shadowy setting only serve to enhance Karloff’s already formidable presence, and for this reason the film has become a fan favorite among horror aficionados.

Bedlam

The third and last film in which Karloff starred in 1945 at RKO was Bedlam, directed by Mark Robson. In this chilling story, Karloff plays the head of an asylum called St. Mary’s of Bethlehem Asylum, also known as the Bedlam.

After taking a look at conditions at St. Mary’s, a woman named Nell Bowen takes pity on the inmates and worries that patients are being mistreated. All the “madmen” are kept in their cages in the asylum and are shown as sideshow attractions that the public can admire for a fee. When she tries to try to improve the situation, Sims uses her political savvy to get Nell to commit. But, while locked up in the asylum, Nell begins to turn patients against Sims in an attempt to violently remove him from power.

Karloff’s performance in Bedlam is nothing short of masterful, as he manages to be so fiendishly sinister. He’s the type of character who masterfully mixes the pots to get what he wants, while he pushes away those who wrong him. He’s such a manic character and he’s a perfect villain. This movie left quite an impression on me, especially the ending, which I couldn’t get out of my head for a few days.

Boris Karloff’s films at RKO Pictures represent some of the best examples of the horror genre. Whether playing a grave robber in The Body Snatcher, a Greek general in Isle of the Dead or a sinister villain in Bedlam, Karloff brings a level of authenticity and fear to his roles that is unmatched.