My take: I was very happy to fall upon a unique story for a change. It was also fun to see Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi in the same film duking it out.

The Black Cat (1934 version) was the first movie to put Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff together. As a result, it was big box office smash for Universal. I can understand why.

theblackcat1934

Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi in The Black Cat

This is the 18th movie in Studies in Terror, and I am really starting to get a hang of the big names in early horror. I’ve also started developing a bit of an obsession with the actors from that period, even going so far as to buy a couple of books with huge sections about Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff.

As a result, I was excited to see this movie. But unlike the last film I watched (The Ghoul), it did not disappoint.

The story starts with two newlyweds on their honeymoon. They have the unfortunate luck of sharing a ride with Dr. Vitus Werdegast, played by Bela Lugosi. When their ride crashes, they end up at the home of Werdegast’s “friend,” Hjalmar Poelzig, played by Boris Karloff. Friend is in quotation marks because he is really no friend at all.

There is death, satanism, hints of necrophilia and host of other nefarious things happening in Poelzig’s house. And Poelzig wants to keep the fair young bride for one of his satanic rituals.

After having seen so many basic horror stories, it was refreshing to see something new and unique. The summary above does not do the plot justice. It is a complex story, though still entertaining to watch. Most of all, it is great to see two masters of the horror genre go head-to-dead in this film.

I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes classic horror movies, movies with Bela Lugosi, and movies with Boris Karloff.

I found a gritty version on the Internet Archive, though I think this one may still be under copyright and not the public domain.  Here is a trailer someone made that I found on youtube: