The Black Cat (1934)

Touches You

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

"The Black Cat" from 1934, is the best of the Karloff/Lugosi collaborations. Never again in their future films together would both actors have equal screen time and be equally relevant to a films plot. This makes for rather grim viewing (apart from a brief comic interlude) but the way in which this film is cast, directed, written and photographed makes for a gripping and fairly original horror film. The plot owes very little to the short story from Edgar Allan Poe but that slight reference is of no importance.For once, Bela Lugosi is cast against type as he is a more sympathetic character - even though he is still a bit unhinged!Boris Karloff is pure evil as the leader of his own group of Satanic followers. He is also the one responsible for betraying a number of his fellow countrymen during the first world war - Lugosi included.It is the performances of Karloff and Lugosi that stand out - they compliment each other very well.The American film censors weren't happy with the final version of "The Black Cat" and as a result, they instructed "Universal" to shoot additional footage in the hope of making the film more fit for public exhibition. During the extra filming, the director Edgar Ulmer managed to sneak in a scene that went by the American film censors without realising what a controversial scene it was!One of the best horror films from "Universal's" first horror cycle.

This is a fantastic film, even though there are holes in the plot, strictly because of the stars. Karloff and Lugosi, Lugosi and Karloff. The revenge motif is at the center. Lugosi's character has been devastated by the evil former Frankenstein monster and enters his adversary's home which is a fortress he must invade. There is great tension and lots of dramatic irony. The young couple that finds themselves in the home through circumstances create a secondary sense of danger. The young woman is injured in a fatal car accident (the driver of a bus is killed) and is allowed to stay in Karloff's home. They never wanted to be there but become observers in the craziness. It takes a while to figure out the motivations, even who the real bad guy is. See this. It's a superior movie, not just one of the Universal horror films.

Universal studio's The Black Cat from 1934, starred Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff for the first time together, a run they would share a total of eight times. Not to be confused with Lugosi's 1941 "The Black Cat" with the same name, this 1934 version was a box office hit for Universal and has a lot more notoriety. The film appeals on a few stand points, mostly carried by Bela Lugosi's performance, the film was held together with short scenes and clever dialogue. Acting and characters outside of Lugosi and Karloff definitely suffered, David Manners didn't stick a strong performance and Julie Bishop had no shining moments. The Black Cat should have either followed Edgar Allen Poe's story closer or had a more interesting, thrilling story. The film had great potential that wasn't really showcased but is a decent watch solely because of Bela Lugosi, who can make any film watchable.

Edgar G. Ulmer directed this (very) loose adaptation of the Edgar Allan Poe short story. Bela Lugosi plays Dr. Vitas, who is on his way back to his homeland in Hungary by train, when he meets honeymooning American couple Peter & Joan Alison, whom he tells his tragic life story. Later on a bus headed for their hotel, it is overturned in a bad storm, and Vitas and Peter take an injured Joan to the fortress home of Dr. Poelzig(played by Boris Karloff) who turns out to have a sinister(and personal) connection to Vitas. He is also an evil Satan worshiper, and plans to sacrifice Joan at their high mass. Can he be stopped? Bizarre yet strikingly designed film has fine performances and atmosphere, and a violent confrontation scene with Vitas and Peolzig at the end that is still potent today.