The Black Cat (1934)

Newlyweds Peter and Joan Alison (David Manners and Julie Bishop) are travelling through Hungary in the company of Dr. Vitus Werdegast (Bela Lugosi) when their bus crashes, leaving Joan with minor injuries. The travellers take refuge at the home of celebrated architect Hjalmar Poelzog (Boris Karloff, billed simply as Karloff), with whom Werdegast has a bitter feud. As Joan recuperates, Poelzig plans to use his pretty guest in a Satanic ritual, while Werdegast plots revenge against the man he holds responsible for the death of his wife and child.Karloff and Lugosi might sound like the perfect pairing for any Universal horror fan, but for me the real star of this rather dreary potboiler is Poelzig's house, which is far more interesting than any of the dialogue heavy action that takes place within. Art Deco by way of Dr. Seuss, with a particularly impressive spiral staircase leading down to the architect's angular Satanic altar, it's a shame when the place is blown sky high in the film's less than thrilling climax.

I have to admit this is one of my all time favorite films. Edgar Ulmer created one of the most chilling horror/fantasy odysseys in film history.Karloff and Lugosi are brilliant in their portrayals of the antagonists Hjamar Poelzig and Vitis Werdegast. The setting is a modernistic and nightmarish Hell House designed by the Satanic architect Poelzig which is wonderfully realized by Ulmers direction and set design, John Mescal's camera work, and Heinz Roenhelds eerie musical score. Peter Ruric's screenplay contains some of the most quotable lines in horror movie history, including my all time favorite " You see Vitus, in this house even the phone is dead," The Black Cat was released in 1934 and outraged so many critics at the time that it it help inspire the Catholic League of Decency and it s moral code for motion pictures which became the industry standard for many years. With that and Ulmer "Stealing" the wife of Carl Laemmles nephew, Ulmer was banished to poverty row film making for the rest of his career.

I am going to be honest but a movie that has two major horror icons like Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff in the main roles I expected a lot more. They are the main attraction of the movie in the scenes they have together. However the plot is really messy and sounds like it was sewn together in a few minutes. Yes more often than not I was bored despite the short length of the movie. I found it a wasted opportunity. I don't really understand why they used the title "The Black Cat" when the black cat itself is only in a few scenes and has no importance at all to the plot, except for Lugosi's character fear for them. That scenes where he throws a knife at the cat must be one of the silliest I have ever seen.

Boy, does this movie have problems with the plot and plot holes, and parts of it just don't make a lot of sense, but this doesn't matter when it comes to viewing "The Black Cat". Acting, dialog, atmosphere and cinematography simply roll over any complaints I have about the screenplay's idiosyncrasies and wrap me up in a genuinely creepy and disturbing experience. Karloff and Lugosi play off each other memorably, and Bela shows that he could play more than one kind of character. What a shame it was that his career went sour in later years - one wonders what kind of roles he could have played had he learned to do without the Hungarian accent. Great fun. Worth picking up if you can find it in a DVD collection, or if you get a chance to see it on cable and wonder what the fuss is, make sure to catch it.