BURKE AND HARE

In 1827, Edinburgh wasn’t yet renowned for being the cradle of such celebrities as Sean Connery or J.K Rowling. Its 19th Century pride came more from anatomy lectures and public dissections at the Medical College. The Bloody Code, which established the death penalty as a national sport – the hangman’s rope for the slightest theft -, offered a constant renewal of raw material for those wielding the scalpel. But when the Code got repealed and fresh corpses became as rare as a legal Wikileak, a profitable black market for the recently deceased sprung up overnight. Burke and Hare, two morons specializing in cock-eyed plans, stumble upon this goldmine when they sell the corpse of a senile lodger to doctor Knox, a renowned college butcher. Pitchforked as Knox’s unofficial suppliers, Burke and Hare start hunting down the dying in every corner of the city. But demand quickly exceeds supply, and our two Victorian bastards are left with no choice but to help death a little. John Landis ( Blues Brothers, Michael Jackson’s Thriller, An American Werewolf in London ) is back with a macabre tale based on true events. Burke and Hare is a departure from other big screen adaptations due to its dark humor and a first-rate cast : Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis as the Laurel and Hardy of serial killers and an anthology of RKO and Hammer cameos ( Christopher Lee and Ray Harryhausen for example ). A must for diehard fans !