FilmNRGothic Classic Monsters Psychological

The Black Room1935

Name: The Black Room
Genre: Gothic, Classic Monsters, Psychological
Released: 1935-07-15
Rating: 6.8

“Dead or Alive... He could kill!”

Directed by Roy William Neill

6.8

Crypt Score

Blended from 2 sources

IMDb 6.9TMDB 6.5

✍ Review

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Year

1935

Runtime

70 min

The premise

In a 16th-century European town, the ruling family has been given a prophecy that, should there ever be twin boys born, the younger will murder the older; so is dismayed when twins are born to the popular baron. The older grows to be a selfish, slovenly man, who inherits the castle at his father's death and becomes ruler over the formerly happy villagers. He enjoys his power until he learns his younger brother is returning from abroad and, afraid of the prophecy, he determines to murder his sibling, hide his body in the "black room" - an old torture chamber sealed away behind the fireplace - and then impersonate him, right down to his withered arm. In this way he hopes to not only avoid the prophecy, but also escape consequences of his other criminal deeds and obtain marriage to a local girl of the nobility...

Horror Vault's take

In a 16th-century European castle, an ancient prophecy shadows a ruling family from the moment twin sons are born — and the darker of the two brothers proves all too willing to fulfil its terrible promise. Boris Karloff delivers a tour-de-force dual performance as the scheming nobleman whose crimes multiply even as he plots to escape destiny altogether. The sealed 'black room' lurks at the heart of the castle like a wound that refuses to heal, and the elaborate deception surrounding it grows ever more precarious. A lean, elegant slice of pre-Code Gothic menace that punches well above its era's usual horror ambitions.

Content: Depictions Of Torture Chamber, Themes Of Murder And Fratricide, Peril Involving A Dog