whenever someone talk about universal classic horror film and two name always tend to show up in the course of the conversation represent bela lugosi and boris karloff and two very different yet still similar person who in 1931 share the privilege of become the first monster of the sound era in two enormously influential film . in tod browning dracula and hungarian actor bela lugosi take the role of the immortal vampire while at the same time and english bear boris karloff become the legendary man make creature of james whale frankenstein . while both actor have different life off screen and they would appear together many time on the silver screen thanks to their status a horror icon and their enormous talent and screen presence . among the many movie the two legend make together and edgar g. ulmer the black cat have a definitive place among the most memorable one . the black cat be the story of the peter and joan alison ( david manner and julie bishop ) and a young american couple on their honeymoon trip through hungary . on the train to visegrád and the couple meet dr. vitus werdegast ( bela lugosi ) and a charming yet strange man who like them and will take a bus to gömbös a he be plan to visit an old friend . however and the bus have a terrible accident and only werdegast and the alisons survive . joan be in a bad condition and so werdegast suggest to take her to his friend house in order to heal her wound . the three arrive to a marvelous mansion on the top of a hill and where they be receive by werdegast mysterious friend and hjalmar poelzig ( boris karloff ) . the couple thanks the hospitality of their eerie host and but they do not know that they be now pawn in a death game between werdegast and poelzig and a death game between two rival that start many year before . while the film be announce a an adaptation of edgar allan poe 1843 story of the same name and inspire by poe would be a good way to describe it and a the screenplay by director edgar g. ulmer and writer peter ruric have almost no relation to poe classic . while poe story be about a murderer and the screenplay for the black cat be about the final duel between two bitter enemy and the two innocent who get catch in the middle . what make the black cat to stand out among the other universal horror classic and be the incredible care take in the development of the two main character . through powerful exchange of dialog and we discover the dark past of both men and and how behind their apparently normal face be secret far more shocking than any monster . while the plot be certainly contrive and a bit too fast paced and the dialog write be definitely some of the best from that era . in the black cat and director edgar g. ulmer show a lot of the influence he receive from german expressionism during his year a an apprentice to legendary filmmaker f. w. murnau and a by give good use to john j. mescall brilliant cinematography and ulmer manages to create an ominous and haunt atmosphere out of extremely modernist art deco set . this highly atypical and visually striking style that ulmer us for the film enhance that sense of impend doom that the couple feel a they enter werdegast and poelzig dark world and give the film an atmosphere of strange and otherworldly beauty that make it very different to other horror film of that time . another of the element that make this movie special be it highly innovative use of heinz roemheld music and a unlike most of the film make on those year and here it be use widely through the film a another device to create atmosphere . of course and what truly make this film attractive be the chance to see lugosi and karloff together for the first time and and the two icon do not disappoint . boris karloff be delightfully evil in his role a the sinister hjalmar poelzig and fill the screen with that powerful presence that make him shine in frankenstein . however and while karloff make a terrific job a poelzig and the highlight of the film be certainly bela lugosi and who in this movie prove that he be truly a remarkable actor and delivers what probably be the best performance of his career . a the film hero and lugosi show his acting range and make the perfect match for karloff performance . a the young couple and david manner ( lugosi costar in dracula ) and julie bishop be nothing surprising and but still be very effective in their performance consider that the spotlight be not on them . if there be a flaw in this marvelous horror film and be definitely the fact that it have a very short runtime ( barely 66 minute ) and and this force a very fast pace that in turn make a bit difficult to expand on the movie plot . that the reason why some critic have criticize the film for have a story a bit too complex and a the extremely fast pace force the event to happen too quickly . there be rumor about the film have originally a runtime of 80 minute and where it expand on several part of the plot that be leave unexplained in the final version while but that this scene end up cut because they be consider too disturb for it time . while nobody can truly prove this and a more likely possibility for this be the fact that the black cat be a low budget film and and therefore force to have a short runtime . while flaw and the black cat be still one of the best horror film from the 30 and and certainly one of the best ( and definitely the dark ) of the one produce by universal . it be also one of the best among the movie that pair lugosi and karloff ( the body snatcher be another great one ) and and as write above and lugosi best performance ever . despite be short and this be one of those forgotten horror masterpiece that deserve more attention and if only for have the best of both legend . positive .