The Doctor and the Devils
| The Doctor and the Devils | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Freddie Francis |
| Written by | Ronald Harwood Dylan Thomas |
| Produced by | Jonathan Sanger |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | |
| Edited by | Lawrence Méry-Clark |
| Music by | John Morris |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release date |
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Running time | 93 minutes |
| Countries | United Kingdom United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $5 million |
| Box office | $147,070 |
The Doctor and The Devils is a 1985 gothic horror film directed by Freddie Francis and starring Timothy Dalton, Jonathan Pryce, Stephen Rea, Julian Sands, Patrick Stewart and Twiggy. It is based upon the true story of William Burke and William Hare, who in 1828 Edinburgh, Scotland, murdered at least 16 people and sold their bodies for anatomical dissection.
The film was produced by Mel Brooks, through his production company Brooksfilms. The script was adapted by Sir Ronald Harwood from an unproduced screenplay by Dylan Thomas. A previous attempt to film the script in 1965, by director Nicholas Ray, had failed due to production troubles.
The film was released on October 4, 1985, to mixed reviews. It was one of the last films directed by Freddie Francis, before he returned to cinematography full-time.