| Boris Karloff | ... | Baron / Anton | |
| Marian Marsh | ... | Thea | |
| Robert Allen | ... | Lt. Lussan | |
| Thurston Hall | ... | Col. Hassel | |
| Katherine DeMille | ... | Mashka (as Katherine de Mille) | |
| John Buckler | ... | Beran | |
| Henry Kolker | ... | Baron de Berghman | |
| Colin Tapley | ... | Lt. Hassel | |
| Torben Meyer | ... | Peter | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Enrique Acosta | ... | Judge (scenes deleted) (uncredited) | |
| John Beck | ... | Court Clerk (uncredited) | |
| Daniel Joseph Bleifer | ... | Anton as a Child (uncredited) | |
| John Bleifer | ... | Franz - Captured Assassin-Villager (uncredited) | |
| Sidney Bracey | ... | Gregor's Hairdresser (uncredited) | |
| Egon Brecher | ... | Karl - Lead Villager (uncredited) | |
| Carrie Daumery | ... | Member of the Court (uncredited) | |
| Edwards Davis | ... | Member of the Court (uncredited) | |
| Victor De Linsky | ... | Michael the Footman (uncredited) | |
| Abe Dinovitch | ... | Gatekeeper (uncredited) | |
| Von the Dog | ... | Thor (uncredited) | |
| Herbert Evans | ... | Minor Role (uncredited) | |
| Phyllis Fraser | ... | A Bridesmaid (uncredited) | |
| John George | ... | Inn Waiter (uncredited) | |
| Octavio Giraud | ... | Judge (uncredited) | |
| Grace Goodall | ... | Member of the Court (uncredited) | |
| James Gordon | ... | Gentleman (uncredited) | |
| Helena Grant | ... | Anna the Housekeeper (uncredited) | |
| Bert Howard | ... | Gentleman (uncredited) | |
| Edith Kingdon | ... | Member of the Court (uncredited) | |
| Richard Lancaster | ... | Gentleman (uncredited) | |
| Marion Lessing | ... | Maria the Chambermaid (uncredited) | |
| Lois Lindsay | ... | A Bridesmaid (uncredited) | |
| Ivan Linow | ... | Gatekeeper (uncredited) | |
| George Burr Macannan | ... | A Servant (uncredited) | |
| George MacQuarrie | ... | The Judge (uncredited) | |
| Michael Mark | ... | Peasant (uncredited) | |
| Eric Mayne | ... | Member of the Court (uncredited) | |
| Alex Melesh | ... | Judge (uncredited) | |
| Louis Merrill | ... | Story Teller in Trailer (uncredited) | |
| Robert Middlemass | ... | The Prosecutor (uncredited) | |
| Wilfrid North | ... | Member of the Court (uncredited) | |
| Reinhold Pasch | ... | Gregor's Tailor (uncredited) | |
| Constantine Romanoff | ... | Peasant (uncredited) | |
| John Singer | ... | Raoul the Butler (uncredited) | |
| Bert Sprotte | ... | A Peasant (uncredited) | |
| Count Stefenelli | ... | Member of the Court (uncredited) | |
| John M. Sullivan | ... | The Archbishop (uncredited) | |
| Edward Van Sloan | ... | Doctor (uncredited) | |
| Frederick Vogeding | ... | Josef, Resentful Villager with Heavy Moustache (uncredited) | |
| Hans von Morhart | ... | A Servant (uncredited) | |
| Paul Weigel | ... | A Peasant (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| Roy William Neill | (as R. William Neill) | ||
Writing credits | ||
| Arthur Strawn | (screenplay) & | |
| Henry Myers | (screenplay) | |
| Arthur Strawn | (story) | |
Original Music by | |||
| R.H. Bassett | (uncredited) | ||
| Milan Roder | (uncredited) | ||
| Louis Silvers | (uncredited) | ||
Cinematography by | |||
| Allen G. Siegler | |||
Film Editing by | |||
| Richard Cahoon | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| Stephen Goosson | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Murray Mayer | |||
Sound Department | |||
| Edward Bernds | .... | sound recordist (uncredited) | |
Visual Effects by | |||
| Jack Cosgrove | .... | matte painter (uncredited) | |
| Roy Davidson | .... | process shots (uncredited) | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| Gert Andersen | .... | assistant camera (uncredited) | |
| Fayte M. Browne | .... | camera operator (uncredited) | |
Music Department | |||
| Louis Silvers | .... | musical director | |
| Mischa Bakaleinikoff | .... | composer: stock music (uncredited) | |
| Edmund Ross | .... | composer: stock music (uncredited) | |
Other crew | |||
| Harry Cohn | .... | president | |
| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
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| Filming Locations? | leejh4 |
| SPOILER--re the pit scene | Bou |
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| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Crime section | IMDb USA section |
Boris Karloff only made a handful of movies that demonstrated he had some real range as an actor, and of that handful, THE BLACK ROOM has to rate as one of the best. In this work, Karloff plays twin brothers of a family of aristocrats. The older brother Gregor is a nasty piece of work. He is the titular head of the family of land barons, and has long developed a reputation for brutality in the region he governs. His estate is notorious for having disappeared several young women. Anton, the younger of the twins, is a cosmopolitan sort, has been away travelling and studying for many years. Both men are haunted by a family prophecy, in which the younger of the two twins is supposed to slay the older in order to complete a family curse, which apparently began in the "black room" of the film's title.
The room itself was ordered sealed shortly after the birth of the twins in order to avert a repeat of the tragedy. Unbeknownst to the villagers, Gregor has found a hidden passage into the black room, and it is the torture pit of the room where he disposes of the bodies of his victims.
Anton, the younger brother, returns home upon the urging of his brother Gregor, who has, after several attempts on his life, realized that he must step aside in order to calm the people down. Gregor has in mind a phoney abdication in which he seems to step aside in favor of his twin. His actual plan is to murder Anton, and to continue to reign in Anton's identity, in his own twist on the family curse. He falls over his own hubris for a number of personal reasons, but before film's end, he manages to indulge in a round of crafty Karloffian mayhem.
Karloff plays both the monstrous and benign brothers, but in addition, he portrays the nasty brother imitating the gentle one. That's what makes this piece fun. Seventy minutes of the grand old man of the gothics at his best. I've probably seen it about thirty times now, and it holds up well.