Why a 1934 horror film with almost no connection to Poe became a masterpiece.
In short: The Black Cat is a 1934 horror classic that shares almost nothing with Edgar Allan Poe’s original story. Instead, it pioneered psychological horror through an eerie, near-continuous classical score and a dark exploration of the human psyche, cementing the legendary on-screen rivalry between Boris Karloff and Béla Lugosi.
Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer, The Black Cat was Universal Pictures' highest-grossing film of 1934. While it carries a 'suggested by' credit for Poe’s 1843 short story, the screenplay by Peter Ruric—a pulp writer known as Paul Cain—was entirely original. It tapped into a contemporary fascination with psychiatry, weaving a nightmare involving ailurophobia, necrophilia, and a deadly game of chess. The film is notable for its almost constant musical score, which utilizes excerpts from composers like Liszt, Tchaikovsky, and Chopin to cover nearly 80% of the runtime.
The plot follows Dr. Vitus Werdegast, a psychiatrist returning from a Siberian prison camp, who seeks revenge against Hjalmar Poelzig, an architect who betrayed their military unit during World War I. Poelzig, a character inspired by occultist Aleister Crowley, lives in a remote home built atop the ruins of a fort. The tension culminates in a grim finale where Werdegast attempts to skin Poelzig alive before triggering demolition charges to destroy the house and its resident cult.
Though initial reviews were dismissive—with The New York Times calling it 'more foolish than horrible'—the film’s reputation has evolved into that of an irrational, atmospheric masterpiece. It remains the first of eight collaborations between Karloff and Lugosi. Its influence persists in pop culture, with its dialogue appearing in works ranging from The Monkees’ 1968 film Head to Thomas Pynchon’s 2025 book Shadow Ticket, and its 'skinning' scene being ranked among the scariest moments in cinema history.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: The Black Cat (1934 film)
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