American honeymooners in Hungary become trapped in the home of a Satan-worshiping priest when the bride is taken there for medical help following a road accident.
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Title: The Black Cat (1934)
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The Raven
(1935)
Crime
|
Horror
Director:
Lew Landers
Stars:
Boris Karloff,
Bela Lugosi,
Lester Matthews
Murders in the Rue Morgue
(1932)
Certificate: Passed
Crime
|
Horror
|
Mystery
Director:
Robert Florey
Stars:
Bela Lugosi,
Sidney Fox,
Leon Ames
The Invisible Ray
(1936)
Horror
|
Sci-Fi
|
Thriller
Director:
Lambert Hillyer
Stars:
Boris Karloff,
Bela Lugosi,
Frances Drake
The Old Dark House
(1932)
Comedy
|
Horror
|
Thriller
Director:
James Whale
Stars:
Boris Karloff,
Melvyn Douglas,
Charles Laughton
The Black Cat
(1941)
Comedy
|
Horror
|
Mystery
Director:
Albert S. Rogell
Stars:
Basil Rathbone,
Hugh Herbert,
Broderick Crawford
Island of Lost Souls
(1932)
Horror
|
Sci-Fi
Director:
Erle C. Kenton
Stars:
Charles Laughton,
Bela Lugosi,
Richard Arlen
White Zombie
(1932)
Certificate: Passed
Horror
Director:
Victor Halperin
Stars:
Bela Lugosi,
Madge Bellamy,
Joseph Cawthorn
The Body Snatcher
(1945)
Horror
|
Thriller
Director:
Robert Wise
Stars:
Boris Karloff,
Bela Lugosi,
Henry Daniell
Dracula
(1931)
Fantasy
|
Horror
Director:
Tod Browning
Stars:
Bela Lugosi,
Helen Chandler,
David Manners
Son of Frankenstein
(1939)
Drama
|
Horror
|
Sci-Fi
Director:
Rowland V. Lee
Stars:
Boris Karloff,
Basil Rathbone,
Bela Lugosi
Bride of Frankenstein
(1935)
Drama
|
Horror
|
Sci-Fi
Director:
James Whale
Stars:
Boris Karloff,
Elsa Lanchester,
Colin Clive
Edit
Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Boris Karloff | ... | Hjalmar Poelzig (as Karloff) | |
| Bela Lugosi | ... | Dr. Vitus Werdegast | |
| David Manners | ... | Peter Alison | |
| Julie Bishop | ... | Joan Alison (as Jacqueline Wells) | |
 |
Egon Brecher | ... | The Majordomo |
| Harry Cording | ... | Thamal | |
| Lucille Lund | ... | Karen | |
| Henry Armetta | ... | The Sergeant | |
|
|
Albert Conti | ... | The Lieutenant |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
See All (93) »
Storyline
Honeymooning in Hungary, Joan and Peter Allison share their train compartment with Dr. Vitus Verdegast, a courtly but tragic man who is returning to the remains of the town he defended before becoming a prisoner of war for fifteen years. When their hotel-bound bus crashes in a mountain storm and Joan is injured, the travellers seek refuge in the home, built fortress-like upon the site of a bloody battlefield, of famed architect Hjalmar Poelzig. There, cat-phobic Verdegast learns his wife's fate, grieves for his lost daughter, and must play a game of chess for Allison's life. Written by Sister Grimm <srgrimm@teleport.com>
Plot Keywords:
satan worship | narcotic shot | bauhaus architecture | mute servant | hungary |Taglines:
The most imaginative picture yet! (Newspaper ad cut). See more »Certificate:
See all certifications »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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Edit
See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USARelease Date:
7 May 1934 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Vanishing Body See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$95,745 (estimated)Gross USA:
$236,000Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
Edit
The Lieutenant: [looking over Joan's passport] Mr. and Mrs. Alison, Car 96, Compartment F. Orient Express, Budapest, Visegrad.
See more »
(uncredited)
Music by Ludwig van Beethoven
Played as background music
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
A drawing of what resembles to be William Powell's face strangely ended up on a lobby card and poster next to Boris Karloff instead of Bela Lugosi. See more »Goofs
When Werdegast and Poelzig are fighting near the end of the film, Poelzig is on top of Werdegast, choking him. Werdegast then turns the tables and ends up on top of Poelzig. After Thamal (Werdegast's servant) enters the room, Poelzig is suddenly on top of Werdegast, and is choking him again. See more »Quotes
[first lines]The Lieutenant: [looking over Joan's passport] Mr. and Mrs. Alison, Car 96, Compartment F. Orient Express, Budapest, Visegrad.
See more »
Connections
Featured in Nightmares in Red, White and Blue: The Evolution of the American Horror Film (2009) See more »Soundtracks
Symphony no. 7: Second Movement(uncredited)
Music by Ludwig van Beethoven
Played as background music
See more »
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The best of the collaborations between Karloff & Lugosi. The production values are high and Karloff's makeup is excellent. There is a lot going on it the script-- perhaps too much, as the script is a bit confusing and sometimes pointless. But the atmosphere is thick and the "aura" hangs over the movie like a dense mist. There is more horror implied than actually seen. This movie has black magic, a man skinned alive, treachery, phobia, and a chess game with lives at stake. Mostly, it has great performances by Karloff and Lugosi in their one and only film appearance as equals (without one dominating the other). Truly, this is one of the finest Universal horror classics and will deliver everything a fan of such fare could possibly want.