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Those looking for an accurate adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's short story should look elsewhere. About the only thing this film has in common with Poe's story is the fact that there is a black cat in the movie, and Lugosi's character is deathly afraid of black cats. If on the other hand you're looking for some great moments in classic horror, then you should definitely check out THE BLACK CAT. It stars both Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. I've seen a few films starring both horror legends together (THE RAVEN, THE INVISIBLE RAY, SON OF FRANKENSTEIN, and BLACK FRIDAY); but in my opinion THE BLACK CAT features the best performances of both actors together. They play so well off of each other in this film. The story concerns a young couple Peter (played by David Manners) and Joan (played by Jacqueline Wells) who are honeymooning in Hungary and traveling by way of the Orient Express. They share a train compartment with Dr. Vitus Werdegast (Bela Lugosi) is going back to his homeland to visit an "old friend", Hjalmar Poelzig (Boris Karloff). Dr Vitus relates a story to them of how he left his wife and daughter 18 years ago to go to war, and how he was captured and imprisoned for the last 15 years. Once they reach the train station, the three board a bus. In route to a hotel, the bus crashes and Joan is injured. Dr. Vitus decides to take them to Poelzig's estate which is within walking distance. The estate is a sprawling post-modern, futuristic (for the '30s anyway) fortress; which is later revealed to have been built by Poelzig on the ruins of the fort where Dr. Vitus was captured. It's an interesting setting and quite a departure from Universal's classic horror movies of the time, which were usually set in a gothic, cobweb-filled castle or mansion. There are some wonderful expressionist scenes throughout the movie using this "futuristic" house setting. It is revealed that Poelzig's (Karloff) traitorous actions were responsible for Dr. Vitus' (Lugosi) capture and imprisonment. After Vitus was imprisoned, Poelzig convinced Vitus' wife that he had died. Two years later she died of pneumonia (and Poelzig keeps her perfectly-preserved body in a concealed room in the house). Poelzig has married Vitus' daughter Karen (played by Lucille Lund), who he also keeps hidden in the house. Dr. Vitus has returned for revenge. Poelzig also happens to be a satanic high priest and is planning on sacrificing Joan in a ritual. Karloff as Poelzig is certainly sinister and is meant to be the "bad guy" of the movie. I really like the ambiguity of Lugosi's Dr. Vitus character. He seems almost as sinister as Karloff in some scenes, and you're not even sure if he's a "good guy" until near the end of the movie (and even then he manages to indulge in a little sadism in the conclusion).
8/10
