Movie Review: The Black Cat (1934)

The Black Cat (1934) directed by Edgar G. Ulmer

Very loosely based on Edgar Allan Poe's short story The Black Cat, this movie features the first team-up of Bela Lugosi (Dracula) and Boris Karloff (Frankenstein). "Team-up" is the wrong word, because their characters are enemies. Lugosi plays Dr. Werdegast, a recent escapee from prison who is coming to an obscure Austrian town seeking revenge on Poelzig (Karloff). They were in the war together (presumably World War I). Poelzig commanded a fort where thousands of men died. Werdegast was stationed there but wound up in the prison. The real problem is that Poelzig stole Werdegast's wife and daughter, claiming Werdegast died in prison just after the war. Now, Poelzig has built an ultra-modern home on the ruins of the fortification (so he has an appropriately creepy basement). Werdegast travels by train and runs into some American newlyweds who ride the same bus through the obscure Austrian town. The bus crashes in the rain, killing the driver. The passengers seek shelter in Poelzig's home. The tension quickly skyrockets as Werdegast plans his revenge, only to find his wife dead and eerily preserved in the basement. Poelzig has even more sinister plans, especially for the young bride.

The movie has almost nothing to do with the Poe story. Karloff's character does have a black cat; Lugosi is pathologically afraid of cats (leading to a bit of overacting). The conflict between the two is fun as they simmer in rage. The newlyweds are more like unfortunate victims caught in the crossfire. Visually, the movie is impressive. The sets are expressive and do a good job mirroring the duplicitous nature of Karloff's Poelzig. The editing also has some nice visual flourishes and hints at the really shocking moments without being graphic.

Recommended--not as great as Dracula or Frankenstein, but a worthy horror outing. I was inspired to watch this by a history of Universal Horror films on the Hypnogoria podcast.