The Black Room
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...
From the archive
The Black Room is a 1935 American horror film directed by Roy William Neill and starring Boris Karloff. Cinematography was done by Allen G. Siegler. It follows twin brothers Gregor and Anton are born into a noble family with a prophecy that the younger brother will kill the elder in a mysterious Black Room. As adults, Gregor becomes a tyrannical ruler, while Anton, who is kind-hearted, returns home, leading to a tragic confrontation that fulfills the prophecy.
Why this is free to watch
The Black Room (1935) is hosted by the Internet Archive as a public-domain or openly licensed work, which means its copyright has expired, lapsed, or was released by the rights holder. The uploader declared an explicit licence, linked in the source panel. Nitrate streams the file directly from the Archive and hosts no video itself.
- Director
- Roy William Neill
- Starring
- Boris Karloff, Marian Marsh, Robert Allen, Thurston Hall, Katherine DeMille, John Buckler, Henry Kolker, Colin Tapley
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