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A prestigious house starts when a younger twin kills the older and a prophesy says some day the house will end by the same method. Today the house is run by a baron with a younger brother, though the younger has moved away and has a gimpy arm. But when the younger brother returns and the people have turned against the older, a crucial moment arrives -- how can the older brother satisfy the people without fulfilling the prophecy? Can it be avoided? How has "The Black Room" gone so many years under my radar? Boris Karloff is amazingly versatile here, playing both brothers (sometimes on the screen at the same time). Marian Marsh plays both brothers' love interest. The picture is crisp, the sound is clear and the production value is beyond impressive for 1935. And the plot? Intriguing, to say the least. While the baron can't be considered a villain on the level of Dracula or Frankenstein's monster, the story here is gripping and the setting really anticipates the works of Roger Corman in the 1960s.

A special note must be payed to the lovely Marian Marsh. Marsh rounds out the cast and does a fantastic job alongside the dominant men of the cast (not just Karloff, but practically everyone). Her beauty and charm sell the picture well, as the Baron's love for her character really drives the plot. Sadly, Marsh gave up acting in 1959 to become an environmentalist. While I fully sympathize with the move, Hollywood was denied a great talent and spirit for the next forty years (the time of Marsh's death).

I strongly encourage those who enjoy older films to give this one a try. I found it both enjoyable and critically satisfying. So many thrillers of the 1930s seem one-dimensional and cliché, but "The Black Room" is fresh, prescient and timeless. I would love to see a deluxe edition of this film, though I suppose it is now too late. Its due failed to come when it mattered most.

The Black Room: 7 out of 10: In the Tim Burton film "Ed Wood" Martin Landau's Bela Lugosi complains about his rival Boris Karloff continuing to work even though he played Frankenstein which required only grunting under heavy make-up as opposed to accented seductive Dracula.

Well I hate to point this out to a long dead actor but Karloff can really act. The Black Room is a tour de force performance.

Karloff plays three roles (two twins and one twin pretending to be the other) and manages to give them such a distinctive nuanced performances I squinted at the screen to make sure it really was the same actor in the roles.

The story itself is quite a good set-up. With one brother a devilish tyrant with a taste for village girls and the other a slightly fey traveler with a birth defect. Hanging over their head is a family curse that states one brother will kill the other in the titular Black Room.

There are twists and turns and as many reviews have pointed out this is more a costume drama/mystery than straight horror film. The supporting cast is competent and the sets are well done but this is Karloff's show and he runs away with it.

Another film I had been reading about since childhood but up till now have had no opportunity to watch.

An interesting star vehicle for Boris Karloff allowing him to play two roles as contrasting twins; the fact that one of them is deformed may owe something to Lon Chaney and here Karloff demonstrates himself a most worthy successor to the Master's mantle. The period setting - its-folk-tale quality hearkens back to German Expressionism - serves the handsome production extremely well, especially when considering that Columbia Pictures at the time was just starting to pose a serious challenge (following the Oscar sweep of Frank Capra's IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT [1934]) to the major studios. Director Roy William Neill handles the proceedings with great efficiency and style providing plenty of visual flourishes along the way.

The only criticism one can level at the film regards a couple of slightly contrived plot points: the evil Karloff, who has done away with his benign but paralyzed sibling and whom he impersonates in order to win the girl he loves, is rather stupidly caught by the girl's father when he is spotted in a mirror using his 'lame' hand to sign the marriage contract; Karloff's come-uppance is brought about by his dead brother's faithful mastiff which hates his guts - it's implausible to think that the dog has kept away from Karloff for days (by which time the girl's lover has been convicted for her father's murder) only to conveniently reappear on his wedding day! However, the ironic climax - which allows the prophecy tied with Karloff's family name to be fulfilled - is a splendid one.

All in all, along with THE MASK OF FU MANCHU (1932) and THE WALKING DEAD (1936; see below), THE BLACK ROOM is Karloff's best vehicle of the 1930s which wasn't produced by the studio which made his name, Universal.

This film, little known except amongst traditional horror fans, is a sparkling gem. It is an outstanding story about two twin brothers, one of them evil and the other benevolent, who grow up surrounded by a curse that says the older brother will die at the hands of the younger brother in the mysterious Black Room. Karloff plays both brothers and he is excellent, quipping evil commands and leering as the malevolent sibling and prancing and being overly solicitous as the good brother. Karloff breathes life in every pore of this film. He is the focal point of attention as he speaks each line. Few of his performances show so much of his range and few show him as such a twisted, ruthless individual. This is a must see for the Karloff fan, or any fan of good old-fashioned horror stories.

Karloff plays a dual role here as twin brothers, the oldest of which is heir to the family fortune and lands. The children's' father fears the old prophesy that as the family began, so will it end, and it began with a younger jealous twin killing the older twin. This is what he fears will happen again since the younger twin inherits none of the lands that the older one does. Furthermore, the younger twin's right arm is paralyzed, giving the younger twin even more reason for bitterness and ultimately jealousy and murder. The prophesy also says that the murder will occur in the "Black Room" just as before. A family friend states the obvious - seal off the black room so that it cannot be used and thus the murder will never happen. The father does that, and erroneously rests easy.

Well, history doesn't exactly repeat itself. The older twin, Gregor turns out to be evil, and the younger twin, Anton, though disabled and without property of his own, is a good and generous soul. Gregor invites Anton home to "help him" - which, unknown to Anton, is actually part of a devilish escape plot by Gregor whose subjects are boiling over with rage from all of the women who have gone missing in the castle over the years. Both brothers take a fancy to the daughter of Colonel Hassle, Thea (Marian Marsh), though Thea actually loves a soldier. Thea is quite uneasy with the affections of Gregor, given his polite but menacing demeanor and all of those rumors about missing girls. So how can Gregor manage to both get the girl and get away from the angry villagers? Watch and find out.

The plot is extremely clever and ironic, Karloff's acting is superb with his roles seemingly tailor made for him, and the supporting players are very good, but there really isn't much atmosphere in this one to the point that it is really difficult to classify it as horror. Its strength is in its screenplay and in Karloff's performance, not its visuals. Still, I'd recommend this one.

If you're going to have a plot involving an evil twin, who could do it better than Boris?

The evil Baron Gregor, who has a habit of luring women from the local village and then "disposing" of them, has a public relations problem. Everyone hates him, and he seems to spend most of his day fending off assassins. So why not invite his nice twin, Anton, to come for a visit, let the villagers meet the "good guy," and then take his place? Clever old Gregor, and of course he wants the hand (and other bits) of the lovely Thea as part of the deal.

There are plenty of horror-movie clichés, such as Balkan military uniforms, sealed rooms, terrified peasants, scary hounds, and of course the storming of the castle. But there are some really wonderful touches here and there: like the shot when Thea's father sees Gregor/Anton in the mirror, or the look on Thea's face when they announce her lover's sentence.

And at the center is the great Boris, doing wonderful characterizations as the two brothers. Along with "The Body Snatcher," I would rate this film at the top of Karloff's performances.

"The Black Room" is a clever little thriller from Columbia Pictures that gives Boris Karloff a dual role.

Karloff plays twin brothers from a powerful family. The oldest is the kindest of gentlemen, and the youngest is wickedness personified. When Bad Karloff is bad, he's really bad, fond of murdering women and burying their bodies in a basement pit. His subjects are on to him and call on Good Karloff to take his place. If only it were that simple. Bad Karloff adds his good brother to his collection of corpses, confident that a prophecy in which he dies by a knife held by his older sibling can no longer be fulfilled. Again, if only it were that simple.

Karloff is terrific in both parts, and there's a fine atmospheric touch, not surprising since "The Black Room" was directed by Roy William Neill, the unsung genius who guided Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce through 11 of their 12 Sherlock Holmes movies at Universal.

Well-written and acted, this is a gem of a movie. Discover it and you will realize once again that Karloff truly was a great actor (in a dual role here as a cruel Baron and his kindly twin). The twin angle is played for tension and creepiness and really works in the hands of a great but under recognized director, Roy William Neill. Check out more of Neill's work- most often in the b-movie category but always superbly crafted. Neill's films are always a cut above the average and I believe that his gifts are nowadays finally being noticed and receiving well-deserved recognition.

Marion Marsh hits just the right note in a fine youthful performance as the stunningly beautiful daughter of a local official, committed by family to potential lifetime unhappiness and depravity at the hands of the despicable Baron. Ms. Marsh was one of the most beautiful women ever in the long history of film, but is unaffected by her looks and is almost always natural and effective in her roles. Probably the best word to describe her is simply that she is likable- a good trait for a movie star but too often lacking in many of them.

This film moves along energetically in juggernaut fashion and is marvelously entertaining, totally without any padding or slowness. Its a winner.

Nicely plotted period horror tale that just goes to show the kind of talent that the legendary Boris Karloff possessed. As directed by Roy William Neill, it's great fun, with a fine supporting cast, an adequate pace, thunderous music, and respectable atmosphere. It leads to a solid action climax and a satisfying denouement. This may not be one of Karloffs' better known vehicles, but it does deserve more exposure.

Karloff plays twin brothers (one good and one evil, naturally) who have a nasty family prophecy hanging over their heads, seemingly solved when a room inside their castle is sealed up. Also helping matters is the fact that Anton, the nice younger twin, travels the world for a while before being summoned home by his brother, a cruel despot who abuses his position of power. This leads to a great twist, but it won't be revealed here. Gregor, the evil twin, has his eye on beautiful young Thea (the radiant Marian Marsh), and intends to marry her despite the fact that she's already attached to another man, Lt. Lussan (Robert Allen), whom he frames for murder.

"The Black Room" does have its assets, but chief among them are the dual Karloff performances; he's superb at creating two very different personalities. His delicious villainy when he plays Gregor easily rivals his equally compelling turn in "The Body Snatcher" a decade later. Also doing creditable work are Thurston Hall, Katherine DeMille, John Buckler, and Henry Kolker. The dog, Thor, is great too.

Highly recommended to Karloff fans.

Eight out of 10.

This well-known 1935 Boris Karloff thriller, "The Black Room", is simply one of Boris Karloff's greatest films of the 1930's. The chance to see Karloff in a dual role in this movie is a treat in itself. He plays twins: one good and the other evil. Needless to say, Karloff is effectively creepy as the latter. Lovely Marian Marsh, who was menaced by John Barrymore in "Svengali" (1931), is a picture pretty heroine. She adds a marvelous touch of glamor and sincerity to her role. It's so nice to see that this film has finally been put onto DVD. The print used in the transfer is indeed as pristine a print as possible. Well-worth adding to your DVD collection!

Aware of a vicious curse rumored to fall on them, a man murders his benevolent twin to continue rule in his stead as he has been doing, only to slowly see his plan unravel when he falls for a young woman and threatens to find his ploy exposed.

This here has a lot of problems that really hold this one down a lot. One of the biggest problems here is the simple fact that not a lot happens at all, as there's very little happenings that really generate any suspense or tension at all because it's gone ahead with the switch at the earliest possible convenience. Rather than build up the possible effects of the curse driving him mad and then making the switch to everyone's complete shock, this has them go out in quite early fashion so instead of anything remotely horror based going on it's left with his attempted wooing of the family and romance with the daughter while everyone else at the castle is nary a suspect to the real situation, a possible product of the time that may have been scary then but instead renders the entire middle segment of the film a complete bore. The fact that it takes a completely obscure plot-point with the dog knowing the truth to finally undo the ruse, who comes out of nowhere and is treated rather flimsily anyway as it's ignored most of the movie, and while it does have some fun in the chase back to the castle as well as the attempts to hide amongst the different passages for an exciting conclusion, it's not enough to rise above the dreariness before it.

Today's Rating-PG: Violence.

I stumbled on this while surfing, and decided to check it out, since I like costume movies, a bit of "time travel". But I wasn't expecting much (besides a good performance from Boris Karloff) because movies from the 1930's tend to be melodramatic, but this one surprised me. It was pretty good, and the legend of the Black Room holds your attention from the start, as does the good/evil twin brother story. Boris plays both parts well, the more you like Anton the more you despise Gregor.

I also liked Katherine DeMille in her too short role of the doomed peasant girl who was unfortunately in love with Gregor, but in the leading lady role of Thea, I thought Marian Marsh was a bit insipid. Robert Allen did a good job as the hero, Allen, but my award goes to the dog, the true hero of the story, who could put both Rin Tin Tin and Lassie to shame!

This movie is worth checking out!

How this film is not regarded as a classic is beyond me. Boris Karloff at his best, with a plotline that never stops, resulting in a crusendo of action drama that would put Arnie to shame. Haunting music..... Creepy sets ...... bad accents.. They are all here but look beyond the pale on this one, because it's worth it.

Boris Karloff (as Gregor and Anton de Bergmann) plays cursed twins, separated as young children. "Twenty years later" (forty would have been closer to the lead actor's apparent age), good twin "Anton" returns to the old Hungarian homestead, where bad twin "Gregor" presides as Baron. They, and most everyone in town, are aware of a "Cain and Abel"-recalling curse, which dictates that the younger Karloff kill the older Karloff, in "The Black Room". Can two Karloffs survive in the castle, and for how long?

The dualistic Karloff, director Roy William Neill, and photographer Allen Siegler make an otherwise very ordinary, predictable film look much better than it should. Karloff's performance in the later half is especially outstanding; he makes it very difficult to turn away from the screen. Lightly porcelain-faced blonde Marian Marsh (as Thea Hassle) is a beautiful vis-à-vis.

****** The Black Room (1935) Roy William Nell ~ Boris Karloff, Marian Marsh, Robert Allen

THE BLACK ROOM boasts one of Boris Karloff's finest triumphs as an actor. It's a period piece set in 1834 Budapest, with Karloff in an excellent dual performance as a pair of identical twin brothers. Ever since they were born to the house of Berghman, a terrible curse has hung over both their heads ... it has been declared through an old prophecy that the younger brother will murder the older in what is known in the castle as "The Black Room". Upon the death of their father, the youngest brother, Anton, tries to avoid the dreaded prophecy by leaving Hungary for twenty years while the older, Gregor, stays on and becomes the new baron. But as a ruler, Gregor is an evil tyrant who is hated and feared by the peasants whom he abuses.

When it appears that the people may take the law into their own hands and dispose of him, Gregor invites his younger brother Anton back home, and Colonel Hassle (Thurston Hall) accompanies Anton to the baron's castle. Anton is by contrast the complete opposite of his wicked sibling, a kindly gentleman by nature, despite the burden of being born with a paralyzed right arm. Unbeknownst to Anton, Gregor has sinister intentions planned, and part of his scheme is to make the colonel's lovely niece (played by SVENGALI's Marian Marsh) marry him. With poignant music, a magnificent double (actually triple!) performance from Boris, as well as a strong directing job by Roy William Neill, this is an exceptional film which stands up to the very best work Karloff did over at Universal from this period. This is a movie not to be overlooked if you're a fan of Boris Karloff. ***1/2 out of ****

No other worldly creatures. no man made type monsters are in this Boris Karloff film. Instead Karloff plays a pair of twin brothers, one good, one bad in The Black Room set during the 19th century in some German principality.

The concept of twins is always an interesting one ever since Romulus and Remus battled in ancient times. Bette Davis did a pair of films playing good and evil women. Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. did a great film The Corsican Brothers with the same idea about one good and one cursed apparently evil twin.

But there's some prophecy here about a pair of twin heirs that one would slay the other. So the boys who grew up to be Boris Karloff were separated with one going off to live the life of a 19th century trust fund baby.

Wouldn't you know it, but the bad twin is left in charge and Karloff is his usual malevolent self. Won't go into it, but he has evil designs on the young women of the domain like Marian Marsh and Katherine DeMille. The prophecy is fulfilled, but in a most ironic way.

Note the presence of Robert Allen who at that time was Columbia's B picture western star for once not in cowboy gear for a film. He's a young guards officer with a thing for Marian Marsh.

Karloff's double performance makes this one worth watching.

Roy William Neill directed Boris Karloff in two roles: Anton, cultured, sophisticated and benevolent; then his twin brother Gregor, a Baron who is crude and crafty, but evil, and hated by his people for his tyranny. He entices Anton back home with promises of appeasement to his people(who threaten to revolt) by stepping aside and letting Anton assume power. He does this, but cruelly and cleverly murders his brother, then resumes the throne by impersonating him! This works for a short time, but he is found out, leading to the fulfillment of the old prophecy about the brothers and the fabled black room... Karloff is excellent in two distinct performances, and film interesting and atmospheric.

This movie was about a prophecy that was to come true after two twins were born. After many years go by the prophecy comes true. This seems like a short story that was rushed to get towards the end and therefore left alot of dissapointment during the movie with a rush towards the plot and ending. It was a good movie and one worth watching if your into Karlofs movies but it was not one of my favorites and not a collectors item.