This highly regarded Universal horror classic was the first pairing of Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. Bela plays Dr. Vitus Verdegast, a mysterious traveler who returns to the art-deco mansion of his old military commander, the Satan-worshipping Poelzig (Karloff). The two horror stars wander through the hallways looking at dead girls floating in glass tanks. They also play chess for the lives of a newlywed couple stranded at the mansion (David Manners and Jacqueline Wells). Dr. Verdegast deals with a black cat that paralyzes him with fear, and Poelzing conducts a Satanic Mass in Latin. Cult director Edgar G. Ulmer made a name for himself with this bizarre masterpiece, which is filled with dreamy camera movements, and fanciful Bauhaus style architecture (Ulmer worked for many years as an art director for Max Reinhart and F.W. Murnau). This is one of the best (and weirdest) of all the Universal horror films of the 1930s. Classic monster lovers who fondly remember films like the original FRANKENSTEIN and DRACULA should do themselves a huge favor in seeking it out.

release year: 1935

star(s): Boris Karloff