The Final Sven Show of 2013- 3 Bs- Bela, Boris, and “The Black Cat” Tonight!

We wind up this year of Sven movies with another look at one that we actually saw at the beginning of the year- an eerie pairing of  Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff in Universal's biggest hit of 1934- 'The Black Cat"!

A young honeymooning couple meets Vitus, a psychiatrist who is returning to his homeland after going to war and spending years in a prison camp. He hopes to locate his wife and daughter , who he has not seen since before  he left, and seeks the help of Poelzig, an architect and "friend" who may have some information about where his family is. On the bus ride through the homeland, there is an accident- the young bride is injured- and they make their way to Poelzig's home- built into a refurbished military fort. While the bride recovers, we discover that Poelzig may not actually be a "friend"- and there may be danger in store for the visitors- with betrayal and Satan worship as major factors! And what about the black cat that Vitus has a phobia about...?

This very stylistic film is actually  full of suspense, with Bela, as Vitus, doing one of his finest performances- and Karloff, as Poelzig, a menacing presence. The strange architecture of Karloff's fort/home, and other bizarre touches (including Boris' hairstyle!) create a chilling atmosphere. We've got lots of info about it all in the show, as well as the usual Sven stuff-including an encore look at a parody we did fairly recently that some may look at differently due to some current developments.

"The Black Cat" prowls onto Me-TV tonight at 10 pm eastern and pacific, 9 pm central, and check your local schedule for our run time in your area. Many of our Dallas/ Fort Worth viewers will have us back tonight- please go to www.metvnetwork.com -click on "where to watch"- and enter your zip code to find out who is carrying us again! Also, be aware that "Wonder Woman" is now part of our Saturday night schedule, right between "Batman" and "Star Trek". "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" will be on hiatus, with "Lost in Space" moving into its post-Sven time period.

In Chicago, you'll get another look (is that right? But how?) at "Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man" (but if he's invisible, how...oh, I'll stop now...) at 11 am on WCIU- the U.

To find out what you'll be seeing on Sven at the beginning of 2014- you need to subscribe to our monthly newsletter- it's free, and you can do so right on our site. The latest edition is just days away, so do it now!

Meanwhile, join us for the final Sven shows of the year- and come back for more blogging about the past year, coming soon!