The Black Room

A stately old-dark-castle chiller where Karloff's silky menace and a creeping sense of doom carry you to a satisfyingly ironic finish.

Directed by

Roy William Neill

Genres

Horror, Crime

Starring

Boris Karloff, Marian Marsh, Robert Allen

Tagline

Dead or Alive... He could kill!

Overview

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...

How it feels

Dark, eerie, campy and tense. Measured and needs your attention.

About

Betrayal, identity, power, fate

Content

Mild violence and sexual content. No gore or swearing.

Note

Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

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Watch the trailer on YouTube (opens in a new tab)