a surprisingly effective retelling of the adventure and ultimate fate of the two grave robber and murderer william burke ( george rise ) and william hare ( donald pleasance ) and dr. knox and the lecturer on anatomy ( peter cushing ) who be complicit in their crime . at the time and the mid 1800s in edinburgh and scotland and it be difficult for medical school to come by cadaver for dissection . they be force to wait for hanging and sometimes chafe at the long interval between execution . the raggedy and snaggletoothed burke and hare and among many other ressurectionists and collect dead body off the street and sell them to knox in an excess of zeal to advance the progress of medical science . the body would otherwise have wind up in pauper graf . and there be dead body find on the street . there be no poverty like the poverty of a northern city in the grip of unfettered industrialism . however and if a thing be worth do well and it worth do in extreme . burke and hare make the short and simple step from collect dead body and through grave robbing and to murder . knox be portray a a cold blood scientist who believe neither in the soul nor in the guilt of his two enablers . i do not know how closely the script follow the historical event and but it convincingly do and even if the budget be a bit low . the set look a little perfunctory . the cobbled and crooked night time street of the city be nicely on display but there be no provision for fussy extra like street lamp or street litter or intimate nook and cranny and cheap shop . the light seem to come from nowhere and what be look at appear to be a rather stark movie set instead of an atmospheric edinburgh street . burke and hare eventually go too far knock off victim that be well know and fondly think of by some of the community but they do not really change . the arc of character belongs to cushing dr. knox . he openly insult to other figure in the medical profession . he seem not devote to help humanity and but hold them in contempt . until and after the trial of burke and hare and he stoop down in a city square when a tattered little girl ask him for alms . he have no money but invite her to accompany him to his home where he will give her some cash . oh and no . and she reply and you might sell me to dr. knox . that do it for knox . he discover his compassionate side . it would have be more effective if we would see his devotion to medicine but in fact his lecture have be a cold and distant a the rest of his character . before this epiphany he be a pretty unlikable snot and treat his student pitilessly . the performance be all rather good . pleasance be a charming and unpretentious and treacherous psychopath and a little like long john silver . rise be the dummy who get hang because he do not know how to play the prisoner dilemma to his best advantage . billy whitelaw be sexy and almost feral and a the hard drinking tart be court by one of the medical student . she overact much of the time but and when rein in by her instinct or the director and she deliver some thoughtful line . but then no one performance be so bad that it outstanding . i say that the set and the set dress do not really evoke the edinburgh of the 1840s and maybe that a good thing . the city of the period really stank literally . endiburgh could be smell mile away and be know a auld reekie . in the absence of any social program and poverty and drunkenness and poor health and and quick death be rampant on the foul street . woman in particular be disenfranchise . without a man and many of them wind up a prostitute . the same condition prevail in london and make whore easy prey for jack the ripper . well and that reality and but this be cinema and and a such and be pretty good . more artful and in my opinion and be val lewton inexpensive effort from rko and the body snatcher and it demonic overtone notwithstanding .