The Black Cat

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DanTheMan 2 @DanTheMan2150AD Oct 22, 2026 Thoroughly Poe-stmodern, almost nothing about The Black Cat resembles Poe's story beyond its title, a sinister black cat and an atmosphere of mounting dread yet, as one of the last Pre-Code horrors, it's a wonderfully bizarre trance. Trading classic Gothic architecture for a pristine Art Deco citadel, director Edgar G. Ulmer's grandest danse macabre, features one too many images that bury themselves in the mind, unsettling ideas and an unmistakable sense that something profoundly unpleasant is lurking just outside the frame. Combined with a flair for its own luridness and breezy runtime, The Black Cat is a decidedly unfaithful but wonderfully superb showcase for its horror icons, genuinely sinister without becoming monotonous, and visually inventive enough to compensate for its increasingly eccentric narrative. See more Thomas V @TomVee Sep 1, 2026 One of the prototypes for thousands of horror movies to follow. There are such familiar tropes here, although I'm sure they were novel at the time: The honeymooners who gets stranded in the middle of nowhere after a car accident, the creepy house, the mad scientist or otherwise evil head of household who tries to imprison them for some sinister purpose, a madman's obsession with the young wife, a satanic ritual, a pipe organ playing toccata and fugue in D minor, torture by skinning alive, it's all here in exquisite detail. The set design is a terrific blend of Gothic and deco, lighting is super creepy and effective, the cinematography is all shadow and weirdo angles, and Karloff and Lugosi are in peak form. A true classic every horror fan should see. See more Kyle M @RT77296778 Nov 1, 2025 Subversively meaningless without a valid point as it simply narrowed down to uncovering a madman’s enigma without anything to verify its categorization based on its atmospheric build, soulfully enlivened by the magnetic performative push between Lugosi and Karloff. (B) See more Madoka A @RT95510435 Jun 23, 2025 Fantastic. Spooky. Funny. Great product! Really good! See more Jay W @RT52162311 Nov 21, 2024 This movie is perfect for the background noise for a Halloween Party. It has all the vibes of a classic Universal Horror movie. It has Karloff and Lugosi; the two biggest names horror has ever had. It has a creepy haunted house full of trap doors and secret passages. It has at least 12 scenes of women fainting and getting carried away. Throw in some clunky "action" scenes of a man strangling someone. It has a whole bunch of public domain orchestra music. This movie has all the corny stuff you want to see in one of these. It isn't either horror icons best role, but these two never put in a bad performance. Your enjoyment will depend on how much you enjoy classic horror tropes. Nothing like a good helping of candy corn. See more Elvis D @Elvis-Del-Valle Oct 29, 2023 Un thriller psicológico fascinante que tiene a los iconicos Boris Karloft y Bela Lugosi juntos, pero su mayor error es pretender ser una adaptación del cuento original de Edgar Allan Poe, ya que no tiene absolutamente nada que ver con dicho relato y solamente toma el título y algunos pocos guiños implícitos. Deriva demasiado presentando una historia diferente que sirvió como antecedente para el thriller psicológico aplicado en películas futuras. Como película de Karloft y Lugosi es aceptable, pero nunca debió ser etiquetada como una adaptación de las obras Poe, ya que en eso fracasa mucho. Mi calificación para esta película es un 7/10. See more Read all reviews

The Black Cat

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