Great film for multiple reasons: Yes, we have Bela Legosi and Boris Karloff going head to head but to the more seasoned admirer of cinema we have ulmer’s expressionist work with shadows and set design
Universal vehicle after Dracula and Frankenstein
The Edgar Allen Poe story has nothing to do with the film
Legosi’s mannerisms are very strong—it’s a performances that walks the line of effective over-the-top-ness and campy—I think it’s the former
Ulmer shows what he’d do 11 years later in detour/noir- we have constant rain and shadows here
The Karloff cult here in Austria hints at Nazism
Great use of lighting- the bed Karloff gets up in—lots of wonderful shadow work
All atmosphere- the narrative isn’t brilliant- we have some bad pauses and an overall weak cast outside of the two dynamic leads—ulmer makes up for it with ominous house and architecture
It’s pretty cool to see the two leads together like this- even if it’s not pacino and de niro in heat or stewart and wayne in liberty valance
Tremendous set piece—the spiral staircase in the basement
There’s a good tracking shot right after through the basement as well
An awful wide edit to signify day change half way through
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