Michael O'Keefe CORRIDORS of BLOOD is one of those movies that could be considered an almost forgotten masterpiece. Horror veteran Boris Karloff takes a serious lead role and is excellent. Dr. Thomas Bolton(Karloff),an aging, but still respected London surgeon, believes that surgery does not have to be painful. This is before the days of anesthesia; and Bolton, while not at the hospital or his own private charity practice, at home begins experimenting on himself trying to develop a gas based on mixtures of nitrous oxide and opium and or heroin to provide patients with painless surgery. Bolton after many unsuccessful tries, ends up losing his job...and at the same time becomes addicted to the gas. With his supplies cut off by the hospital, the doctor is desperate enough make a deal with a gang of body snatchers and falsifying death certificates in order to gain access to the chemicals he so drastically needs.Being filmed at the MGM British Studios, at lease three scenes had to be modified to please the British censors. The renown Robert Day directs this Jean Scott Rogers screenplay. A well-rounded supporting cast features: Christopher Lee, Betta St. John, Frances De Wolff, Basil Dignam, Adrienne Corri, Frances Matthews and Yvonne Warren(before she became Yvonne Romain).

bob the moo Dr Thomas Bolton is determined in his quest to find a way to relieve the suffering of patients by somehow disconnecting the brain from the process and thus removing the experience of pain. His experiments have so far been failures and he has become somewhat of a joke between his peers. Self-experimenting with an opium-derived anaesthetic, Bolton gradually succumbs to addiction that only further feeds his drive for success in his studies. This addiction and destructive ambition leads him to the shadows of the criminal world and into the clutches of a den of those that would exploit him for all they can get.I recently watched a later film that featured Karloff and Lee (Curse of the Crimson Alter) and I assume that BBC2 must have been doing something of a mini season of such films because the following week they showed this film in the same slot. Corridors of Blood is a much better film than Crimson Alter due to much stronger material. The horror here is based on the descent of the main character into addiction and the world of Black Ben; a world of murder for small financial gains and a world that Bolton finds he needs for an increasing number of reasons. The addiction is the only "monster" of the film and to my pleasant surprise it is very well delivered by Karloff. I expected ham and what I got was actually quite restrained and engaging – his fall is built on good intentions and it is human and believable. The men he falls in with are also a convincing blend of man and monster as they murder and exploit for small rewards, they are sinister characters and they add another layer of darkness to Bolton's fall.De Wolff is good as the bear-sized boss of the group but of course most memorable is Christopher Lee, who is a gaunt figure all in black but gets most impact from the look of sheer dark menace that he manages not only to put on his face but also deep in his eyes. Day directs well and with his crew manages to build a good atmosphere while telling this human story. I'm not suggesting that it is a perfect film or incredibly insightful but it does well for what it is, providing an engaging character at the heart of the story. Well worth seeing for Karloff fans.

Spikeopath Dr. Thomas Bolton is one of London's top surgeons, brilliant and fast, he is however constantly troubled by the amount of pain his patients go through, for this be a time before anaesthesia. Painstakingly working on a formula to put patients to sleep during surgery, Bolton is convinced he has found a breakthrough, but upon trialling it in front of the board it goes terribly wrong. He continues undaunted, but as he keeps testing the formula out on himself he becomes badly addicted, unable to get the hospital board to sanction his research, he gets involved with a dastardly group of murderers who kill and then sell off corpse's to a suspect doctor.Make no (saw) bones about it, this is a wonderful Boris Karloff performance, the amount of sympathy and earthy fortitude he puts into Dr. Bolton is very impressive. The plot isn't up to much and fans of staple horror requirements will hardly get any titillation from it, but as a crime picture and a character study it comes out smiling and delivers the goods. The sets are very good, check out the frontal entry into the Seven Dials area, and now with better digital transfers the picture's black and white texture ripens the watching experience. It's a film that I suppose is easily forgotten quickly after the viewing, but it's well worth watching for Karloff's turn and an ending that is strangely sad but uplifting at the same time. 6/10

dbborroughs Another from the Criterion Madmen and Monsters set. Here Boris Karloff is a doctor trying to find away to end pain during surgery. Regrettably he becomes addicted to his drugs and all sorts of havoc ensues.Better in many way than the co feature Haunted Strangler, this boasts a super performance from Christopher Lee. The problem is that this is tough going when viewed close to the Haunted Strangler since in some ways its more of the same (which isn't too far off since the films were made somewhat back to back). Watching them back to back, as one is prone to do with double feature sets I found my attention wandering, which is very unfair because this is a good movie.Heavily censored upon initial release this is a dark and cold film where everyone appears to be on the make or damaged in someway. (The cut material is included as an extra in the Criterion set; which also has an excellent commentary).I really do like the movie, I only wish I had watched it spaced days apart from its co feature not minutes.