Part of the BAMcinématek series 3 Black Tales by Roy William Neill
Thu, May 31, 2012 at 6:50, 9:30pm
Black Moon
Directed by Roy William Neill
With Jack Holt, Fay Wray, Dorothy Burgess
(1934) 68min, 35mm
Ominous, rhythmic drumming forms the backbeat of this blood-pumping B-movie. Born on the remote tropical island of San Christopher, Juanita escaped as a toddler when her parents were murdered in a voodoo sacrifice. Years later, she’s compelled to revisit her birthplace, and returns with her daughter and secretary to find she is treated by the natives as a voodoo goddess. Her speedy descent into voodoo madness threatens her entire family, as she becomes consumed by a power she can’t control. Fay Wray is fantastic as Juanita’s steely secretary.
With
The Black Room
Directed by Roy William Neill
With Boris Karloff, Marian Marsh
(1935) 70min, 35mm
Without the make-up and grammatically challenged language of his previous role in 1931’sFrankenstein, Karloff gives an unadorned, virtuoso performance as two brothers born to a baron in a Tyrolean castle who are saddled with a frightening prophecy: the younger brother will kill the older in the “Black Room” of the castle. With expressive, shadowy camerawork and meticulous direction, this stylish Gothic melodrama has atmosphere to burn, but it is Karloff’s three-part performance that makes it a thrill to watch.
