Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Sanjeev Waters A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Delight Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

Hitchcoc This is a fantastic film, even though there are holes in the plot, strictly because of the stars. Karloff and Lugosi, Lugosi and Karloff. The revenge motif is at the center. Lugosi's character has been devastated by the evil former Frankenstein monster and enters his adversary's home which is a fortress he must invade. There is great tension and lots of dramatic irony. The young couple that finds themselves in the home through circumstances create a secondary sense of danger. The young woman is injured in a fatal car accident (the driver of a bus is killed) and is allowed to stay in Karloff's home. They never wanted to be there but become observers in the craziness. It takes a while to figure out the motivations, even who the real bad guy is. See this. It's a superior movie, not just one of the Universal horror films.

GL84 Traveling through the Austrian countryside, a man and his wife get stranded at the remote villa of a tormented architect along with his long-time rival who is out to seek revenge for long-dead wife and must get away before being dragged into the escalating war. This was quite a bland and overall really unappealing effort without much going for it. Much of the film's flaws is based around the fact that nothing at all happens in here. It's mostly just a seemingly- endless series of the two talking to each other about the need for revenge and the truth about his family's whereabouts yet does nothing with them due to the whole concept of bringing the two together in real-life. It's all about the actors in this situation rather than doing anything special with them since they're just simply yakking incessantly at each other which does nothing interesting within the concept of their scenes to make this come off as a horror film with the way they go on endlessly that isn't in the slightest bit exciting or engaging. Their battle of wits doesn't really generate any kind of action at all until the finale and just rests of them saying these supposedly spooky things to each other in a creepy house but is all that's pretty much accomplished here for the vast majority of the film. There's just so little of the film where it does anything because it's so concerned with having these two just stand around yakking endlessly at each other that it really just drags the film out endlessly despite the brief running time, and does make the rather fine appearance of the revenge at the end much more compelling as it comes at the end of all this overt blandness. The start of it all, from their taunting him with leaving and then forcibly restraining them at the house gives this a somewhat creepy vibe and when placed alongside the Satanic ceremony in the main cellar and the battling down in the basement gives this such a strong and striking series of action scenes that truly set the stage for the truly legendary finale that serves this one incredibly well with it's dark and gruesome antics. It's enough to make this more watchable than it would otherwise be, but it's still hurt by so much utter blandness beforehand.Today's Rating: Unrated/PG: Violence.

snicewanger 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.

simeon_flake The first pairing of horror legends Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff & frequently throughout these pairings, it was Karloff getting top billing over Lugosi. And I think there has been some debate raging for many years between classic horror fans on whether this film or "The Raven" is the superior movie.Maybe depending on one's own personal tastes--as to whether you prefer Karloff or Lugosi--may decide which film you think is better. Personally speaking, I think in most cases I would say I'm more of a Bela fan than Boris, which is why I would vote for "The Raven" being the better movie- -although here in "The Black Cat", the 2 horror legends are on equal footing in this macabre tale suggested by Edgar Allan Poe.The movie centers around Dr. Vitus Werdegast's (Bela) motivation to kind Hjalmar Poelzing (Karloff) and avenge the wrongs Karloff has done to him--namely, leaving him for dead during the Great War and marrying his wife and adopting his daughter. Of course, Karloff's Dr. Poelzing may have murdered Werdegast's wife, just as he would eventually murder his daughter, Karen.To say that the Poelzing character is a weirdo would be an understatement. A practicing Satanist, he intends to use the requisite love interests of this movie as a sacrifice in some Satanic ritual."The Black Cat" is a much more methodical film than the followup, "The Raven"--whether that's good or bad may depend once again on one's personal tastes. The film seems to simmer along at a slow pace to start then picks up steams in the last 2 thirds of the film I would say. While not as in your face or as gloriously over the top as "The Raven", "The Black Cat" may work better as a more cerebral thriller.8 stars