Genre: Adventure, Crime, Horror, Romance, Thriller
Starring: Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, David Manners, Julie Bishop, Egon Brecher, Harry Cording, Lucille Lund, Henry Armetta, Albert Conti
Review: After an accident honeymooners Joan (Julie Bishop) and Peter Alison (David Manners) and the mysterious Dr. Vitus Werdegast (Bela Legosi) are forced to spend the night at the home of the sinister Poelzig (Boris Karloff). Soon the young couple realize that they are being held captive and Werdegast and Poelzig are sworn enemies with unfinished business.
The Black Cat is a shockingly frightful gem from Universal Pictures during their horror hey-day in the 1930s. Instead of man-made monsters or seductive Transylvanian blood-suckers, this very wicked tale deals with murderers, war-criminals and Satanists; all of which are very creepy, sadistic, and horrifying, usually that goes without saying.
The story opens with newlyweds Joan and Peter Alison taking a train to their honeymoon destination when it's suddenly intruded upon by Dr. Vitus Werdegast, played by Lugosi. The strange doctor and his aid tag along with the the couple, but when their ride crashes during a dark and stormy night they must take refuge in a nearby mansion. The mansion belongs to the super creepy Poelzig, played to goose-pimple perfection by Karloff. Once these two horror legends meet the movie truly begins. They are the real story. Two mysterious men share a dark, sorted past and now they must settle a score that was decades in the making.
Lugosi is so incredible to watch as a broken man that only has revenge on his mind. He's a sad character that is still fearful of his nemesis, but must manage to muster the courage to make his pay for his evil deeds. Karloff, from the very second he appears is unsettling. He almost appears to be ghostly or zombie-like, moving and speaking in such a dreadful way; and as a minion of the devil himself you'd expect nothing less. These two are at the top of their game here. I'd have to say that The Black Cat might be their best film, individually and jointly.
At just over an hour, The Black Cat manages to get under your skin with creepy characters, a setting that seems Gothic, yet futuristic simultaneously, and a horrifying reveal that is sure to shock the most dedicated of horror film fanatics. The last act of the movie is so macabre, so chilling that'll make your hair stand on end. It still amazes me how this movie got made with it's occult subject matter, violence, and ghastly plot. It's so weird, but that's what makes it worth a watch. The Black Cat is full of freaky surprises, shocks, and two of the best stars from the era showing exactly why they became screen legends.