Weird, eerie as anything you’ve seen!
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Without taking anything from Poe’s narrative but the title and the eponymous black cat as an immortal witch, Ulmer creates his own contemporary story out of such Poe themes as reincarnation, perversity and retribution. It’s a movie about surfaces, about the polish and gleam of obsession, the sublime shadows of death, and the seductive beauty of evil.
Dr. Steve Haberman, The Black Cat audio commentary (Scream Factory, 2019)
Selected disc options for The Black Cat
| Extras | Scream Factory BD-A/US 2019 | Eureka BD-B/UK 2020 | Universal DVD-R-0/US 2012 | Universal DVD-1/US 2005 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audio Commentary by Gregory William Mank | has extra | has extra | ||
| Audio Commentary by Dr. Steve Haberman | has extra | |||
| Cats in Horror - Video Essay by Lee Gambin | has extra | |||
| Dreams Within a Dream: The Classic Cinema of Edgar Allan Poe - Narrated by Doug Bradley | has extra | |||
| A Good Game: Karloff & Lugosi at Universal, Part One - “The Black Cat” | has extra | |||
| “The Black Cat” Contest - Vintage Footage | has extra | has extra | ||
| Stills Gallery [Eureka] | has extra | |||
| Stills Gallery [Scream Factory] | has extra | |||
| Mystery in the Air: “The Black Cat” - With Actor Peter Lorre | has extra |
Notes
- Scream Factory’s Blu-ray is included in the “Universal Horror Collection, Volume 1” box set with The Raven (1935), The Invisible Ray (1936) and Black Friday (1940); and contains a 12-page booklet.
- Eureka’s Blu-ray is included in the “Three Universal Pictures” box set with Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932) and The Raven (1935). It contains a 48-page booklet with writing by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas (“Bela Lugosi and the Masque of the Mad Doctor”), Jon Towlson (“Full of Fiendish and Diabolical Doings: Making and Censoring ‘The Black Cat’ (1934) and ‘The Raven’ (1935)”) and Tim Lucas (“Re-Arranging ‘Murders in the Rue Morgue’”). Reissued 2021/04/12 with 20-page booklet with writing by Tim Lucas (“Re-Arranging ‘Murders in the Rue Morgue’”).
- Universal’s “Vault Series” DVD-R contains no extras.
- Universal’s DVD contains no extras. It is included in “The Bela Lugosi Collection” box set with Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932), The Raven (1935), The Invisible Ray (1936) and Black Friday (1940). It is also available in the “Boris Karloff & Bela Lugosi: 4-Movie Horror Collection” box set with The Raven (1935), The Invisible Ray (1936) and Black Friday (1940).
Ultimate Edition
Combine the best digital presentation with a selection of choice extras for the ultimate edition.
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Cats in Horror (12:47) -
Dreams Within a Dream: The Classic Cinema of Edgar Allan Poe (56:02) -
A Good Game: Karloff & Lugosi at Universal, Part One - “The Black Cat” (23:35) -
Mystery in the Air: “The Black Cat” (Radio Episode, 1947, 26:02)
| Presentation |
Scream Factory BD 2019
|
|---|---|
Eureka BD 2020
|
|
| Extras | Audio Commentary by Gregory William Mank Scream Factory BD |
| Audio Commentary by Dr. Steve Haberman Scream Factory BD | |
| Cats in Horror - Video Essay by Lee Gambin Eureka BD | |
| Dreams Within a Dream: The Classic Cinema of Edgar Allan Poe - Narrated by Doug Bradley Scream Factory BD | |
| A Good Game: Karloff & Lugosi at Universal, Part One - “The Black Cat” Scream Factory BD | |
| “The Black Cat” Contest - Vintage Footage Scream Factory BD | |
| Stills Gallery [Eureka] Eureka BD | |
| Stills Gallery [Scream Factory] Scream Factory BD | |
| Mystery in the Air: “The Black Cat” - With Actor Peter Lorre Eureka BD |
Notes
- Eureka’s video file is preceded with 2:30 of black screen.