The Black Sleep (1956)

The year is 1872, in the heart of England's Victorian era. We meet Dr. Gordon Ramsey, a young, promising physician convicted of a murder he staunchly denies. On the eve of his unjust execution, he is visited by his former mentor, the renowned surgeon Sir Joel Cadmund. Posing as a benevolent guide, Cadmund offers Ramsey a peculiar sleeping powder to ease his impending anguish. Unbeknownst to Ramsey, the powder is an exotic Eastern drug known as "nind andhera" or "the black sleep", with the power to induce a deathlike anesthesia. When Ramsey awakens, he finds himself not in the afterlife, but in Cadmund's secluded abbey home, pronounced dead yet skillfully revived by Cadmund's hand. The eminent surgeon confesses his belief in Ramsey's innocence, and more so, his need for Ramsey's medical prowess for a project of unparalleled importance. Beneath the veil of secrecy, Cadmund is in a desperate race against time, his beloved wife trapped in a deathly coma due to an insidious brain tumor. His audacious plan is to pioneer a safe surgical route to the tumor, but the means to his noble end are chilling. Cadmund has been conducting secret experiments on living subjects, their will stolen under the influence of the black sleep. These victims are then confined to a concealed recovery room in the abbey, a crypt-like space from which few ever return, despite their lingering vitality. The Black Sleep is a haunting exploration of the lengths one might go for love, framed within the grim realities of 19th-century medical ethics. It's a tale of innocence accused, mentors turned tormentors, and the dangerous allure of secret knowledge. This film will keep viewers on the edge of their seats, questioning the blurred lines between villainy and virtue in the pursuit of salvation.

The Black Sleep is a horror movie featuring Basil Rathbone.

The Black Sleep is currently streaming for free (ad-supported) on Pluto TV and Tubi TV and it's also available on Amazon Prime Video, Cultpix, MGM Plus Amazon Channel, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, Paramount Plus Apple TV Channel and fuboTV.

It is also possible to buy The Black Sleep on Amazon Video.