The Body Snatcher

The second I started this short, I was reminded of ‘The Body Snatcher' staring the inimitable Boris Karloff. I looked it up, and to my surprise, it is indeed loosely based on the book. Exciting!

|| “You can't begin and then stop. If you begin, you must keep on beginning: that's the truth. No rest for the wicked.”

Written in 1884, this is a tale that will chill the bones! Basically, a group of friends are having a few drinks with a doctor in a local pub. One of the friends recognizes the local health services purveyor and, funny enough, worked with him in medical school. The friend, Fettes, used to ahem ‘run the logistical side' of providing the doctor with bodies so he could run tests on them. Unethical or progressing science at the time? You'll have to decide.

As these things go, conscience starts to play a big role, certain people in-the-know are beckoned to keep silent about the doctor's procurements, and evidence is tampered with. There is one curiosity, though. What happens when the body evidence you thought you destroyed comes back to haunt you? Creepy, indeed.

|| “The more things are wrong the more we must act as if all were right.”

This was a fun and interesting little haunt of a story. I did have a hard time (at points) following this one for some reason. The flow of the writing was sort of disjointed to an extent, but the insults cast between the characters were so much fun and dignified. There is always a certain charm to these types of books. The scientist or doctor is always attempting to ‘finish their work', but meddlesome family, colleagues, and friends ultimately thwart their progress, leaving them no choice but to ramp up the timeline, which leads to some sort of catastrophic mistake(s).

So, the next time your professor asks you to obtain a corpse, it's probably time to go to the registrar and change your course.

A great short to end the spooky season.