While the Victorian setting brings Frankenstein to mind, it's really more "Herbert West - Reanimator".
Sir Charles Westbrooke is a friend of Victoria's father but, unlike Edward Waterfield, Westbrooke is not content with widowerhood. So he endeavors to cheat death. And he succeeds.
The introductory section is very Lovecraftian with Victoria setting down an account of the horrors she has witnessed to explain her vow which opens the tale.
When the Doctor, Jamie, and Victoria arrive on the scene, Westbrooke is at home with a half dozen zombies who show no gratitude to him for having been resurrected. Campbell sets a moody scene which becomes rather gory.
Somehow Westbrooke has stumbled upon an atrocious Time Lord weapon which causes blood to be turned into acid. The Doctor boasts that he had it banned on Gallifrey so what's it doing on Earth in 1866? He seizes on this as a way to dispose of the zombies who have shown that they are nearly impossible to, um, kill. Jamie and a handy claymore deal with one that threatens Victoria only to find that the hacked up parts reassemble into a blasphemous shade of a man not allowed to rest in peace.
In one scene, Jamie falters and is unable to shoot a dart with the horrible blood transmogrifying stuff in it but Victoria saves the day by grabbing the gun and dispatching with zombie. The description of an animated corpse melting from the inside out was both disgusting and morbidly satisfying.
A fun, creepy tale. Definitely one of the more satisfying Short Trips so far.
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