The Black Cat (1934)
The Black Cat (1934)
In the 1930s the biggest names in horror were Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, and Universal was the top film company for quality horror films. In 1934 Universal Pictures put their two biggest stars together for the first time, with Bela Lugosi who played Dracula, and Boris Karloff who played Frankenstein, this would be the first of eight films that the two would appear in together. This film was one of the top grossing Universal films in 1934, and it was one of the first horror films to feature a musical track throughout the whole film, and also one of the first psychological horror films. This was an amazing film that pushed boundaries, and might be one of the greatest films that the two horror legends would be in together.
The Black Cat was directed by Edgar G. Ulmer, with a screenplay by Peter Ruric. Though the film claims to be based on Edgar Allan Poe's short story The Black Cat, it bares no real resemblance to Poe's story. Carl Laemmle Jr and E.M. Asher produced the film for Universal Pictures who both produced and distributed the film in 1934. The film also featured a beautiful soundtrack by Heinz Eric Roemheld, which played through about eighty percent of the film. In the UK the film was entitled House Of Doom, which may have been a more fitting title for the film. The film was quite successful for Universal being made with a budget of $95,745, it grossed $236,000 in the box office.
The Black Cat stars Bela Lugosi as Dr. Vitus Wedegast, Boris Karloff as Hjalmar Poelzig (the name was inspired by architect Hans Poelzig, though the character himself was modeled more on occultist Aleister Crowley), David Manners plays Peter Alison, Jacqueline Wells plays his fiance Joan Alison, Egon Brecher plays The Mjordomo, Harry Cording plays Thamal, Lucille Lund plays Wedegast's daughter Karen Werdegast, Henry Armetta plays Police Sergeant, Albert Conti plays Police Lieutenant, and there is an uncredited cameo by horror legend John Carradine as the organist. I loved Lugosi in this film, so often we see him as a monster, and in this film Karloff is a monster, and embodies evil, but Lugosi's character is a slightly normal person, and he talks a lot more and more naturally than he does in many of his other films. He is out for revenge, but he isn't a monster or a mad scientist as he is often cast, and we see him in a much more "human" role, and I felt sympathetic for him. However he also does probably the most barbaric act in the film, as an act of revenge. Both Lugosi and Karloff are fantastic in this film, and overall the film is fantastically done.
The Black Cat, is one of the first major horror films to explore psychiatry, and psychological horror, and as a horror film it is quite effective. If you have not yet seen The Black Cat, I highly recommend checking it out, it is really well made, and superbly acted. To me Bela Lugosi's and Boris Karloff's on screen chemistry worked really well, and the two actors seemed to feed off of each other, I would definitely say that Lugosi's character was my favourite of the two though, I feel like he completely outdid Karloff in this film. I would place this classic up there with the classic Universal Monsters films as a must-see classic horror film. I think that The Black Cat belongs in every film collectors library, and if you come across a copy of it I highly recommend picking it up.
Also as a personal side note, while I was watching this my roommate's cat sat at the foot of my bed, and it looked like he was intently watching the film, it was really adorable, and I thought fitting since the film is named The Black Cat. So I guess Jack (my roommate's cat) enjoyed the film, so that alone is a good reason to check it out, as if Lugosi and Karloff on screen for the first time wasn't enough. Also I really want to talk about an amazing scene near the end of the film, that is probably one of the most brutal scenes in early horror, but only shows it to you though shadows, allowing your imagination to create the images of what is happening! But I don't want to spoil it for you if you have never seen this film. Let me just say that there is a very valid reason that this film ranks high on many all-time best horror film lists.
The Black Cat was directed by Edgar G. Ulmer, with a screenplay by Peter Ruric. Though the film claims to be based on Edgar Allan Poe's short story The Black Cat, it bares no real resemblance to Poe's story. Carl Laemmle Jr and E.M. Asher produced the film for Universal Pictures who both produced and distributed the film in 1934. The film also featured a beautiful soundtrack by Heinz Eric Roemheld, which played through about eighty percent of the film. In the UK the film was entitled House Of Doom, which may have been a more fitting title for the film. The film was quite successful for Universal being made with a budget of $95,745, it grossed $236,000 in the box office.
Also as a personal side note, while I was watching this my roommate's cat sat at the foot of my bed, and it looked like he was intently watching the film, it was really adorable, and I thought fitting since the film is named The Black Cat. So I guess Jack (my roommate's cat) enjoyed the film, so that alone is a good reason to check it out, as if Lugosi and Karloff on screen for the first time wasn't enough. Also I really want to talk about an amazing scene near the end of the film, that is probably one of the most brutal scenes in early horror, but only shows it to you though shadows, allowing your imagination to create the images of what is happening! But I don't want to spoil it for you if you have never seen this film. Let me just say that there is a very valid reason that this film ranks high on many all-time best horror film lists.
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