Day 5: The Black Cat (1934)

Kelley 2016, 31 Days of Horror, Classics, Part 4, Reviews Leave a Comment

Day 5 of our 31 Days of Horror brings a double whammy in the form of the two great masters of horror cinema: Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff. 1934’s The Black Cat is very loosely adapted from Edgar Allan Poe’s story of the same name, and it is the first of seven Lugosi/Karloff pairings. When I say it leaves no holds barred, I mean it leaves no holds barred. Necrophilia, pedophilia, Satanic rituals, ailurophobia (a deathly fear of cats!), torture, flaying…they all come into play as the film unfolds in a nightmarish and truly disturbing fashion. But first: a summary! The movie begins with two American newlyweds, the Alisons, boarding the Orient Express for a …

Day 4: Island of Lost Souls (1932)

Kelley 2016, 31 Days of Horror, Classics, Reviews Leave a Comment

Welcome back for Day 4 of our 31 Days of Horror series! This review will lead the charge into the beginning of a new decade: the 1930s. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I love pre-code films. I won’t bore you with a long-winded ode to the popcorn-munching, wine-drinking watchability of these early ’30s movies, but I do want to say one thing before moving on to my actual review. In case you are not familiar with the difference in what studios could get away with pre- and post-Motion Picture Production Code, it’s an interesting concept to keep in mind as we journey through the rest of our 1930s selections for this …