Doctor Blood's Coffin (1961)

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Initially, I was surprised this was made as early as 1961. Its graphic content, misty Cornish locations, promotional features picturing a lurching zombie, and lurid title seemed more like a production from in early 1970's (Sergeant Cook is played by Kenneth J. Warren, known for 70's horror flicks 'I, Monster' and 'The Creeping Flesh'). As such, I'm surprised it made such little impact.Also surprising is the fact that the lead character is actually called Doctor Blood (Peter Blood, played by Kieron Moore). Horror veterans Hazel Court stars as Nurse Helen and Paul Hardtmuth is briefly seen as Prof. Luckman, both actors previously having starred in Hammer's ground-breaking 'Curse o0f Frankenstein (1957).' One of the cameramen is no less than Nicholas Roeg, who went on to direct horror classic 'Don't Look Now (1971)' amongst other things.Dashing Irish actor Kieron Moore plays Blood, a character tailor-made to be the hero of the piece, but turning out to be the crazed villain. He's very good, especially considering he is playing against type. Also, the contrast between sunny, beautiful Cornwall and Blood's unwholesome experiments is effectively realised.More reminiscent of films of this period (especially the more mannered Hammer entries), however, are that the shocks are reserved strictly for the final act, where the magnitude of Blood's delusion is given free reign. Up until then, we have an engaging enough drama, with Court in particular keeping the interest alive – sadly free of scares until the finale, which is great, but too brief.

Pretty straight forward little thriller, one I've always wanted to see, that interestingly makes a monster out of a doctor who wants to do heart transplants! And this was about 4 or 5 years before it actually happened for real! I wonder how Christiaan Barnard felt about that! OK I just checked the first heart transplant was 1967.Dr. Blood himself is pretty over the top not hesitating to sacrifice the useless and unworthy to further his pursuits.It's close and a little clammy when down in the mine tunnels but the location work is good and I want to add my praises for Hazel Court who is too attractive for her role. There's a great bit in the first two minutes. She's a nurse and when the village Dr drives up she runs over to help with his packages. He loads her up with an armful of five or six boxes then wanders off to jaw with the locals. Pretty funny bit no matter how you parse it from a period or contemporary perspective.I wouldn't recommend it. It's OK of its kind but the ending, which the whole movie builds up to, is ludicrous and let's all the steam out of the slowly, but effectively, developed tension.

SPOILERS!!!! Story about people disappearing in a remote Cornish town. It seems the well-liked doctor Peter Blood (Kieron Moore) is killing people he thinks are not needed and transferring their hearts into the corpses of intelligent people. HOW this is supposed to bring them to life is never explained. Pretty nurse Linda (Hazel Court) begins to suspect that something is up. The plot is pretty stupid but this is an OK horror film. The scenery is beautiful (I believe it was shot in Ireland) and it moves fairly quick. Moore and Court are great in their roles which helps. If you're going to watch this for blood or violence forget it. It's not a gory film at all but there are a few shots of exposed beating hearts. The ending is silly but effective. All in all just an OK horror film. Great title though.

Set in a "Cornish village" (high marks for any film of this vintage set in "a cornish village" - those cornish villages went through the mill in the middle years of horror), Dr. Blood's Coffin checks in as a Frankenstein -ish offering. Got your mad scientist tinkering with humans, more lurid and atmospheric lab scenes than the graphic and in your face stuff current movie viewers are used to.Creepy scenes. In the old days, I loved movies that gave me one creepy scene that made closing my eyes to go to sleep a challenge.Old horse, corny now but from that impossible to resist title to the whopper denouement, one of the knighted efforts to keep horror alive when 99% of cinema thought horror undignified and unworthy. If you like Freddy, Scream and Jason, you owe a nod of thanks (though not necessarily a viewing) to films like Dr. Blood. If you're a fan of creepier things like "The Ring" and remakes of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" or "Dawn of the Dead", you also owe a nod of thanks to films like this one. You guys, might even find the "loyalty to the cause" in a viewing of this film.