I often wonder… Instead of receiving a salary, were horror icons paid per word that they said in the old days or something? The amount of old (1930s, '40s and '50s) horror movies in which great actors appear, and even receive top billing, but hardly have any lines or dialogs is enormous. Particularly Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney Jr. were specialists in this, although this probably had something to do with the fact that they were both very unreliable due to their alcoholism/drug addiction issues in the fall of their careers… The very first screen is perhaps the best thing about "The Black Sleep", because that's the opening image that lists the names of Basil Rathbone, Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney and John Carradine underneath each other. What an awesome line-up for a horror movie, you'd think, and we even get a little cherry on top of the cake when also the name of Tor Johnson appears on the second credits' screen! Yes, the line-up is definitely incredible at first sight, but I've rarely witnessed a bigger waste of talents. Basil Rathbone – history's greatest Sherlock Holmes – is the only one with a prominent role, whereas the others merely just serve as set decoration. Lugosi is a mute butler (again…), Chaney Jr is a mad-raving brute (again) and Carradine appears as a kind of wizard but I honestly don't understand who his character was and what his role added to the plot. Purely talking in terms of plotting "The Black Sleep" does form an interesting footnote in horror movie history, as it somewhat builds a bridge between the old-fashioned mad scientists from the Universal era (Victor Frankenstein and such…) and the more emotionally tormented mad scientists from the 1960s and onwards. The former group contains merely just megalomaniac geniuses, whereas the latter group is driven by severe personal problems, usually to cure their terminally ill wives or to save their daughters that got horribly deformed in accidents. The classic French masterpiece "Les Yeux Sans Visage" (1959) was officially the first and most famous of the 'tormented scientist' flicks, but perhaps "The Black Sleep" was really the first one. Physician Joel Cadman (Rathbone) is looking for a cure for his wife's brain tumor and therefore conducts unorthodox experiments in a remote old castle, primarily experiments that teach him how the human brain is mapped and structured. He uses an oriental drug, nicknamed black sleep, that puts the patient in a death-like coma and subsequently cuts open their skull to explore the brain functions. Unfortunately things usually go awry during this process and therefore the castle is full of failed experimental subjects. "The Black Sleep" benefices from the professional direction by Reginald LeBorg and strong performance of Basil Rathbone, but the screenplay is often boring and there disappointingly aren't any real Grand Guignol highlights. As stated already, the phenomenal cast is underused and it's a bit sad that Lugosi's very last role is such a pitiable one.

When I say 1950's horror version of The Expendables I mean it's got a few cast members who are either horror legends or have a notable horror role. Here we have Lon Chaney Jr ( The Wolf Man) Bela Lugosi (Dracula) in his last role, John Carradine ( I guess his most famous horror role would be Dracula also), Tor Johnson ( a few Ed Wood horrors) and Basil Rathbone ( although mostly famous for the Sherlock Holmes he had a memorable part in Son Of Frankenstein). Now with such a bunch of capable even brilliant actors you'd think we'd have a horror masterpiece instead we get crap.Rathbone plays a surgeon in the 1800's who's wife has fallen into a coma due to brain tumor and because of the limited knowledge at the time he doesn't know how to operate without risking death or brain damage so he puts people under a thing called the black sleep and operates in them to learn more about it and of course he messes up every time and he keeps them hidden in a cellar in his house. Lon Chaney Jr is the only one who actually gets the chance to scare anybody as a mute patient of the doctor who due to the operation now attacks his daughter who is assisting the doctor every time he sees her. Bela Lugosi in his last role after a few years of Ed Wood movies is Rathbone's butler and is also mute because according to the director he couldn't handle dialogue due to his illness he would shorty die after the film was completed such a sad end. Carradine and Johnson are also patients who don't show up until the end. The film is just boring until the last five minutes and the horror legends apart from Rathbone were wasted and not given a chance to show what they could do. Unless your a fan of any of the cast I'd skip this one.

Very odd horror movie that features Lon Chaney, Basil Rathbone, Bela Lugosi AND Tor Johnson! Oh, and Akim Tamaraoff.. who? Anyways, Tamaroff plays a doctor, unjustly accused of murder who is saved from the noose from Rathbone, Rathbone knows Tamaroff is a brilliant surgeon, and wants him to join him to get into some exploratory brain surgery Rathbone is doing! Anyways, Rathbone is of course, loony, and Karloff and Lugosi (AND Johnson) are all in the movie playing mute subjects! Poor guys. I felt sorry for them having to do this kind of role. The movie itself is sort of silly, and Tamaroff must've thought he hit the big time playing with these legends! It's Rathbone that shines the brightest here though. I could listen to a non-stop tape of Rathbone for hours.

Reginald Le Borg directs some notable horror stars in this overlooked Black & White classic. Although some of the star's dialog may be a bit limited, but still you'll recognize these titans of horror. Also known as DOCTOR CADMAN'S SECRET; Basil Rathbone plays Sir Joel Cadman, an ingenious doctor who has created a mystery drug that induces the appearance of death. Cadman uses his drug to study the living brain. Cadman's most promising surgical student, Dr. Gordon Ramsay(Herbert Rudley)is saved from a trip to the hangman by use of Cadman's drug. The price he pays is helping the mad doctor in performing surgeries to map the individual functions of parts of the human brain. Also in the cast: Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr., John Carradine, Tor Johnson along with Akim Tamiroff, Phyllis Stanley and the winsome Patricia Blair. I never heard the sound of thunder any creepier. And the old mansion where most of the action happens is perfect for a scary movie. Some may find THE BLACK SLEEP so bad its good.