How a 19th-century murder spree became an 'evil' comedy in 2010
In short: Director John Landis returned to feature filmmaking after a twelve-year hiatus with a dark comedy reimagining the infamous 1828 Burke and Hare murders. By framing the notorious body snatchers as an evil version of the comedic duo Laurel and Hardy, the film attempts to blend macabre history with classic British humor.
Released in October 2010, Burke & Hare was the first feature from director John Landis since 1998. The production was developed by Ealing Studios, a company historically celebrated for iconic black comedies like The Ladykillers and Kind Hearts and Coronets. Landis aimed to channel this specific tonal mix of darkness and levity, casting Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis as the titular duo who transition from selling fraudulent patent medicine to supplying cadavers for medical dissection.
The narrative follows the pair as they navigate the grim demands of Dr. Robert Knox, who requires fresh bodies for his anatomical studies. As their business escalates from grave-robbing to calculated murder, the film introduces a cast of characters including a local henchman, a police captain, and a love interest for Burke. The plot culminates in a series of arrests and a final, tragic confession driven by the protagonist's romantic devotion, ultimately leaving the real skeleton of William Burke at the University of Edinburgh Medical School.
Critical reception for the film was largely lukewarm. Aggregators like Rotten Tomatoes noted that only about one-third of the nearly sixty critics surveyed offered a positive assessment, with an average score below five out of ten. While some reviewers appreciated it as a welcome, if minor, return for Landis, others dismissed the project as unpleasant or lacking in comedic impact. Despite the mixed reviews, the film remains a notable entry in the director's filmography, marking the final live-action appearance of Tim Curry before his 2012 stroke.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Burke & Hare (2010 film)
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