Corridors of Blood (1958)

In the year 1840, renowned surgeon Dr. Thomas Bolton finds himself haunted by the agonizing cries of his patients undergoing the scalpel's sting. Propelled by a compassionate heart and a fervent conviction that painless surgery is possible, Bolton dedicates himself to the pursuit of a breakthrough. His relentless endeavors lead him down the winding path of experimentation, where he stumbles upon the numbing properties of nitrous oxide. However, the shadows of the operating theater cast long, and Bolton's first attempt to illuminate the promise of pain-free surgery to his peers ends in calamity. His professional reputation tarnished and his health deteriorating due to self-experimentation, Bolton finds himself expelled from the hospital that once revered his skills. Desperate to continue his research and increasingly dependent on the opium derivative he discovered, Bolton finds unlikely allies in a tavern keeper and his band of unscrupulous associates. In exchange for the vital chemicals he needs, Bolton unwittingly descends into a dark underbelly, providing false death certificates that enable a lucrative and macabre trade in human cadavers. As the body count rises and the hospital begins receiving a suspicious influx of corpses, the law starts closing in. Trapped in the chilling corridors of his own creation, Bolton must navigate the treacherous maze of addiction, ethical dilemmas, and a looming legal storm. This haunting tale of scientific ambition and personal descent paints a vivid portrait of a man caught between his noble intentions and the grim realities of the world he inhabits.

Corridors of Blood is a crime movie featuring Boris Karloff and directed by Robert Day.

Corridors of Blood is currently streaming on Criterion Channel, FlixFling and IndieFlix.

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