Black Friday
A Reign Of HORROR... a man-made monster on the loose!
1940 | 70m | English
Popularity: 1 (history)
| Director: | Arthur Lubin |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Eric Taylor, Curt Siodmak |
| Staring: |
| University professor George Kingsley is struck by gangsters while crossing the street, leaving him with brain damage and one of the gangsters, Cannon, paralyzed. Kingsley's friend Dr. Sovac attends to both men, and when Cannon offers him a reward for aiding his recovery, Kovac transplants part of Cannon's brain into the dying Kingsley's skull, creating a dual personality. | |
| Release Date: | Feb 29, 1940 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Arthur Lubin |
| Writer: | Eric Taylor, Curt Siodmak |
| Genres: | Science Fiction, Drama, Horror, Crime, Mystery, Thriller |
| Keywords | experiment, professor, gangster, murder, mad doctor, car accident, brain surgeon, hidden loot, brain transplant, hidden money |
| Production Companies | Universal Pictures |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $125,750 |
| Updates |
Updated: Aug 09, 2025 Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Stanley Ridges | Prof. George Kingsley / Red Cannon |
| Boris Karloff | Dr. Ernest Sovac |
| Bela Lugosi | Eric Marnay |
| Anne Nagel | Sunny Rogers |
| Anne Gwynne | Jean Sovac |
| Virginia Brissac | Mrs. Margaret Kingsley |
| Edmund MacDonald | Frank Miller |
| Paul Fix | William Kane |
| Murray Alper | Bellhop |
| Jack Mulhall | Bartender |
| Raymond Bailey | Louis Devore |
| Joe King | Chief of Police |
| John Kelly | Taxi Driver |
| Jessie Arnold | Nurse |
| Elfriede Borodin | 2nd Nurse |
| Tommy Conlon | Student |
| Franco Corsaro | Club Maitre d' (uncredited) |
| James Craig | Reporter Ernst Gives Notes To |
| Kernan Cripps | Detective |
| Eddie Dunn | Det. Farnow |
| Edward Earle | Detective |
| Harry Hayden | Prison Doctor |
| Frank Jaquet | Fat Man in Bar |
| Ellen Lowe | Midtown Hotel Maid |
| Jerry Marlowe | Midtown Hotel Clerk |
| Jerry Marlowe | Cabbie |
| Wallace Reid Jr. | Student |
| William Ruhl | G-Man |
| Frank Sheridan | Prison Chaplain |
| Edwin Stanley | Dr. Warner |
| Harry Tenbrook | Cabbie |
| Emmett Vogan | Det. Carpenter |
| Russell Wade | Student |
| Dave Willock | Student |
| Victor Zimmerman | G-Man |
| Robert Morgan | Hotel Associate |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Elwood Bredell | Director of Photography |
| Eric Taylor | Screenplay |
| Philip Cahn | Editor |
| Jack Otterson | Art Direction |
| Vera West | Costume Design |
| Charles Carroll | Sound |
| Hans J. Salter | Music Director |
| Arthur Lubin | Director |
| Jack Pierce | Makeup Artist |
| Frank Skinner | Original Music Composer |
| Curt Siodmak | Screenplay |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Burt Kelly | Associate Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 9 | 18 | 3 |
| 2024 | 5 | 10 | 16 | 3 |
| 2024 | 6 | 9 | 18 | 3 |
| 2024 | 7 | 9 | 15 | 5 |
| 2024 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 3 |
| 2024 | 9 | 8 | 12 | 4 |
| 2024 | 10 | 7 | 26 | 3 |
| 2024 | 11 | 6 | 14 | 3 |
| 2024 | 12 | 5 | 8 | 3 |
| 2025 | 1 | 9 | 22 | 4 |
| 2025 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Trending Position
Disappointing movie if only because Karloff and Lugosi do not share a single scene together and they pretty much play second and third fiddle to Stanley Ridges who was okay in a dual role. Otherwise a bland movie. ...
Stanley Ridges ("Prof. Kingsley") is seriously ill when Boris Karloff ("Dr. Sovac") performs a highly unethical operation to replace his brain with that of gangster "Red Cannon". Though successful in prolonging his friend's life, the newly invigorated Professor begins to demonstrate quite a few of t ... he less savoury character flaws/traits of "Cannon". "Sovac" learns from one of these episodes that there is $500,000 hidden away somewhere, so he attempts to manipulate his friend to reveal the location of the loot. It's billed as a Karloff and Lugosi feature - but some recasting shenanigans meant that they never ended up appearing in a scene together, but that doesn't really matter - this is more of a sci-fi thriller than a horror film, and neither of their performance are really much to write home about, anyway. The star is Ridges who juggles his split personalities quite well whilst Arthur Lubin keeps the story moving along well enough. Sadly, though, it's all just a bit unremarkable with a fairly standard structure and ending.