Tonight on MeTV- we bring back an early and eerie Universal offering that has two of horror’s greatest stars-Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff facing off in a complicated story of post-war pain, lost love, and even devil worship- with an innocent young couple caught up in the proceedings as victims- in 1934's “The Black Cat”!

I’m always careful to mention- this is NOT the Basil Rathbone/Broderick Crawford horror comedy from 1941 we have shown before, which had Bela (but no Boris) in a more minor role. This one has a far more sinister edge...and is the furthest thing from comedy.

Things start out pleasantly, as a happy young couple, Peter and Joan, heading out on their honeymoon, board a train to visit Hungary. They are put in the awkward position of having to share their train compartment with a complete stranger- psychiatrist Dr. Vitus Werdegast. Talk about bringing the mood down- he is finally returning home after 15 horrible years in a Siberian prison camp. He had left his wife to go to war- and, sadly, has never seen her again-and is now on his way to see an old “friend”, Hjalmar Poelzig, an eccentric architect with whom he claims he has to settle "some old business". Poelzig lives in an old fortress, still standing amidst the rubble left after the war.

By an awful coincidence, that becomes the destination for all three of our compartment passengers, who, after leaving the train, end up involved in a bus crash. The young bride is injured-making the stop at Poelzig's necessary to get her emergency medical attention.

In the odd Expressionistic interior of the former fort, Werdegast treats the newlywed woman, in whom Poelzig shows an unhealthy and disturbing interest. The psychiatrist Vitus, supposedly due to his fear of animals, is unnerved by a black cat roaming the house, and takes action against it- only to discover there is so much more to fear in these confines! Undaunted, Werdegast gets down to his "business"-confronting Poelzig about his betrayal during the war, causing the loss of many lives- and, even more personal - accusing him of stealing his wife while he was imprisoned!

We get a look at a bizarre "collection" Poelzig maintains- as well as his young female “companion” who has a sickening connection to the whole situation. It becomes apparent that Poelzig has sinister plans for the recovering young bride- and that the forthcoming dark of the moon is the time planned for satanic rituals – with part of the plan being that certain visitors will never leave the premises!

The look of this film is fascinating, especially the interior sets. Boris Karloff, as Poelzig, appears to have a “New Wave” look crossed with “Lost in Space”s Dr. Smith! But-no comedic cries for help or false bravado here-Karloff brilliantly plays a man - who is indeed a monster; and Bela, as Werdegast, gives a moving performance, showing passion, heartbreak and fury. The ending has shock after shock- going in a direction or two that it would not have been able to go, after the Motion Picture Code governing content was established. Along the way, we will explain what it means that this film is “pre-Code”. By the way, like the other comedic “Black Cat” film we’ve shown- any connection to Edgar Allan Poe is strictly in name only!

We'll go over the cast, give some notes on the production, present an “educational” feature, plus a commercial for a product suitable for use in any home with a black cat, some silliness from our Sven Squad, and we’ll bring you a big bonus chunk of Sven segments to round out our airtime, including another look at the big “Svengoolie Day” in- where else?- Berwyn!!

"The Black Cat" prowls onto MeTV at 8 pm eastern/pacific, 7 central, and, if unsure where and when to find us in your area, check your local listings or at www.metv.com . We’ve been in the list of trending topics nationally on both Twitter/X and Bluesky- and you can join the fans who post comments live during the show- just make sure to use the hashtag #svengoolie. This morning, Chicago area viewers can get wrapped up in the 50s sci fi classic “Invaders from Mars" on our main local station, WCIU the U, at 11 am.

We are just about a week away from our first appearance at the big San Diego Comic Con! Next Saturday evening, the Sven Squad and I will be at the convention, doing a very special panel giving you a look behind the scenes and the characters of our show- and with a signing during the day. The following weekend, I’ll be at the Flashback Weekend horror convention both Friday and Saturday at the beautiful Hyatt Regency O’Hare hotel in Rosemont, IL.- doing a signing, celebrity photo ops, and more. Look for info under the “appearances” tab here on our website.

Meanwhile, join us tonight for two horror greats in a battle that’s bitter- and not about kitty litter!