The Black Sleep (1956): cast, story & where to watch
1956 · Film · ★ 6.2
Released in 1956, The Black Sleep is a horror and science fiction film directed by Reginald Le Borg, running about 82 minutes. “The Terror Drug That Wakes the Dead!” — that tagline sets the tone.
What it’s about. In 19th century England, a noted brain surgeon rescues a former student from being hanged on a false conviction for murder, and spirits him away to an ancient, repurposed abbey far in the countryside. There, he connives his pupil into assisting him in mapping the functions of the various parts of the human brain, using living subjects who are under a terrible animation-suspending drug called "black sleep". Subsequently, the student, along with the daughter of one of the subjects, discover that most of these subjects have survived but are being kept in a dungeon-like cellar, in various stages of physical and mental derangement...
Who’s in it. The Black Sleep stars Basil Rathbone as Sir Joel Cadman, Herbert Rudley as Dr. Gordon Ramsay, Patricia Blair as Laurie Munroe and Akim Tamiroff as Odo the Gypsy, among others.
How it landed. With an audience score of 6.2/10, The Black Sleep has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.
Where to watch. In US you can stream it on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube TV, Cultpix and ScreenPix Apple TV Channel and rent or buy it from Amazon Video. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch The Black Sleep page.
If you liked it. Fans of The Black Sleep tend to enjoy Psycho, The Silence of the Lambs, The Shining and Alien.
Frequently asked
- Where can I watch The Black Sleep (1956)?
- In US, The Black Sleep is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube TV and Cultpix, and rent or buy from Amazon Video. Availability varies by country — check our where-to-watch page for every region.
- Is The Black Sleep worth watching?
- The Black Sleep holds an audience score of 6.2 out of 10, and is a strong pick if you enjoy horror and science fiction. Reactions are mixed, so it may depend on taste.
- Who stars in The Black Sleep?
- The Black Sleep stars Basil Rathbone, Herbert Rudley, Patricia Blair, Akim Tamiroff and Phyllis Stanley.
- When was The Black Sleep released?
- The Black Sleep was released in 1956, with a runtime of about 82 minutes.