All the way from 1934 is the Black Cat. while this is not actually a Universal Monster movie it still is a classic and since my site is not only about the classic monsters , it is also about the actors and the collectables also so this film qualifys to be here. The title suggests that is is based on the Edgar Allen Poe story but the title is about the only simularity. This is the first pairing of Universals'
biggest horror stars of the time., Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff. It is the first movie that dealt with the subject of satanism. Heavy stuff for that time! the movie was actually banned in England because of the subject matter. The other unique thing was the design of the house. All kinds of dark corners and staircases. Kind of artsy design. Boris and Bela once again created memorable characters in the form of Dr. Vitus Werdegast and Hjalmar Poelzig. The black cat angle was in the form of a fear of cats by Wedegast which Poelzig took great delight in using against him in one scene. Later in the movie it would be revealed Werdegasts' daughter would also have the phobia. Lugosi actually has the good guy role and Karloff is a human monster, if you will. They actually play a game of chess for the lives of the stranded couple in the house. Werdegasts' servant is a bit of a weird looking guy but he still gets the job done even after taking a bullett. Another memorable scene is after Werdegast learns of all the things Peolzig has done to his family who Poelzig had told them Wedegast was dead, he straps him to an alter and begins to skin him alive. Look for John Carridine in an uncredited role. He is the church organist but you do see him quickly in the crowd of devil worshipers.
