The Black Cat

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Cast & Crew

Boris Karloff
Hjalmar Poelzig

Bela Lugosi
Dr. Vitus Werdegast

David Manners
Peter Alison

Julie Bishop
Joan Alison

Lucille Lund
Karen Werdegast Poelzig

Egon Brecher
The Majordomo

Henry Armetta
Police Sergeant

Albert Conti
Police Lieutenant

Anna Duncan
Maid (uncredited)

Herman Bing
Car Steward (uncredited)

Andre Cheron
Train Conductor (uncredited)

Luis Alberni
Train Steward (uncredited)

Edgar G. Ulmer
Director

Edgar Allan Poe
Writer

Edgar G. Ulmer
Writer

Peter Ruric
Writer

Carl Laemmle Jr.
Producer

Heinz Roemheld
Original Music

John J. Mescall
Cinematography

Ray Curtiss
Film Editing

Charles D. Hall
Art Director

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Audience Reviews for The Black Cat

• May 16, 2012

  "The Black Cat" was the first film to pair the legendary stars Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, and at just 65 minutes in length, it packs quite a bit of oddness into it's short running time. A young couple (David Manners and Julie Bishop) are honeymooning in Hungary (of all places). Traveling by train, they share a compartment with Dr. Vitus Werdegast (Lugosi), a psychiatrist on his way to visit an old friend. This old friend, Hjalmar Poelzig (Karloff) is an architect who has built a futuristic mansion on top of an old battlefield/graveyard. Poelzig betrayed Dr. Werdegast during WWI, and Werdegast spent several years in a prison there (he was betrayed possibly so Poelzig could steal his wife away), and now returning, Werdegast swears revenge. Throw some satanism into the works and there you have it. Karloff's Hjalmar Poelzig is quite a unique and sinister character, and Lugosi's doctor, with his bizarre cat phobia (whenever he sees a cat, he must either try to murder it or throw his hands over his eyes in terror) is equally odd. While the credits might acknowledge Edgar Allen Poe's original story, there is little here to resemble it. What we have is a strange and well, unique contribution to the horror genre of the 1930s.
  Devon B Super Reviewer
• Mar 23, 2011

  Messy script and typically silly finalle. But Karloff's presence is marvellous, terrifying and convincing.
  George M Super Reviewer
• Sep 03, 2010

  A very interesting old horror movie with two of the best old horror movie stars. A really cool movie.
  Aj V Super Reviewer
• Aug 18, 2010

  So I decided to watch... well the next movie that came across my desk. I had never heard of this little gem before. This is a big deal movie too. One that you would of heard of right? One that would be deserving of a ride at Universal unlike Earthquake the movie. This is the first blockbuster for Universal Horror since Dracula! I mean you have two major Horror heavyweights. Frankensteins own Boris Karloff and Dracula himself Bela Lugosi, both act incredibly. The movie story is bizarre and loosely biased on a Edgar Allen Poe story. A couple meets a weird Doctor (Bela) on a train. They all get into an auto accident, where I assume the driver is killed, yet no one in the movie ever talks about him again. Then they all stumble conveniently to the Doctors destination. A House owned and built by Boris Karloff's character, a psychotic and satanic Architect. I guess that the Architect stole the Doctors lady during the war and put him in an internment camp. So Bela came to this place with these people to collect. This movie has a ton of versions released all with cuts. I guess that this movie has a pretty decent amount of early gore. There is even a skinning, though I haven't seen it yet. Unfortunately, I had to watch the condensed 59 minuet version. This version sucks, it had no amount of gore. It did however show things that were incredibly shocking for its time. One it showed Boris Karloff in the same bed as a woman, which is like uncalled for in Horror movies up until this point really. The movie also shows a woman being kissed on the neck, pretty passionately. This is a milestone movie, hell it was produced by Universal. A movie this memorable should be an attraction. It does have its flaws though there are problems with continuity, bodies moving, and the whole driver thing. Because of these things, the movie comes out to a 7 on my scale. I recommend this movie to black and white movie fans. It makes its way onto the 1001 movies list. "You Lose Vitus!" S!D
  Brandon S Super Reviewer

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