Black Friday (1940) – Review

Modern viewers should be warned that Universal’s Black Friday has nothing to do with certain holiday centric sales promotion – which is its own type of horror – in this film we have another great pairing of Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi but instead of the usual Gothic horror, this particular outing has a mad science within a gangster movie setting.

This film is a rather odd entry from the folks over at Universal Pictures, a film that while originally to be called Friday the Thirteenth it has nothing really to do with that unlucky day, other than the events of the movie simply kicking off on that particular day of the week – it will decade a few more decades to get a proper Friday the 13th movie – which could be why the title change.  Set in the aftermath of a prison break, the plot of this film follows Dr. Ernest Sovac (Boris Karloff), a brilliant and compassionate neurologist who finds himself faced with a moral dilemma when his close friend, Professor George Kingsley (Stanley Ridges), is critically injured in a car accident. Sovac decides to perform a risky brain transplant that will replace Kingsley’s damaged brain with that of a previously injured gangster, Red Cannon (also played by Stanley Ridges), who was in the midst of a “falling out” with his crime syndicate.  His gang is now being led by Eric Marnay (Bela Lugosi) and will lead to further complications when Kingsley awakens with some of Cannon’s memories and criminal tendencies, an “unforeseen” consequences of Sovac’s experiment become increasingly dire. It’s at this point in the history Universal horror films that we must ask the question “Where are all these supposed doctors getting their medical degrees?”

“I got my license from the Acme School of Medicine and Screen Door Installers.”

Stray Observations:

• Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi both get above the title billing despite the fact that Stanley Ridges, in the dual role of Doctor Sovac and Red Cannon, is the actual star of this movie.
• Professor George Kingsley is part of the long line of absent-minded professors but instead of inventing something like Flubber the one thing he does is lose is his friend’s mind.
• Dr. Ernest Sovac goes to the electric chair for shooting Kingsley but as Kingsley was trying to murder Sovac’s daughter at the time I don’t see how he ended up with a murder charge.  At most he should have been charged with manslaughter.

“I really should have called Perry Mason.”

This science-fiction oddity doesn’t make a lot of sense, with Karloff plopping the brain of a gangster in the skull of his best friend with the hope of both proving his surgical technique as viable, while also hopefully learning where the gangster had hidden the $500 hundred thousand dollars that his gangster pals were after. But what’s so crazy about all that? Well, as the movie goes along we have what can best be described as a “body sharing” movie, with a kindly English professor struggling for control over his body with the mind of a notorious gangster. Now, I’m no doctor but I’m betting that a person who undergoes a brain transplant is not going to have the memories of both participants. Needless to say, things get sillier from here on out, for whenever the Professor takes a nap he then wakes up with the gangster persona in control and would then go off on a revenge killing spree. As I said, it doesn’t make much sense.

“My Dear, I’m sure your husband’s new killer instincts are quite natural.”

As goofy as the film’s premise is Boris Karloff’s performance as Dr. Sovac is nothing short of mesmerizing as he brilliantly portrays the internal struggle between his ambition and moral conscience – fame and money both being corrupting influences – creating a complex character with shades of both sympathy and menace, but the real standout is Stanley Ridges who delivers a stellar dual performance as both Professor Kingsley and his alter ego, Red Cannon. Ridges masterfully capture the subtle nuances of the two characters, convincingly differentiating their personalities and physicality. His transformation from the mild-mannered professor to the ruthless gangster is truly impressive and it elevates what could have been just another silly mad science movie. What doesn’t make sense is the fact that this film was billed as a starring vehicle for Karloff and Bela Lugosi when it’s actually a film starring Stanley Ridges in the dual role of the professor and the gangster, with Karloff playing the second banana and Lugosi being relegated to third banana role as one of Red Cannon’s criminal partners. Karloff was originally intended to play the pivotal dual role but he felt he was too old to pull off the tough gangster routine, and that the dual role would be too much for him, so he took the part of the mad doctor.  Sadly, this resulted in Lugosi, who was to have played the doctor, now being pushed down the cast list to that of supporting thug.

“I know you are the “Uncanny Karloff” but give me a break!”

With Black Friday, director Arthur Lubin created an atmosphere of suspense and unease, utilizing the dark and shadowy cinematography of Elwood Bredell to enhanced the eerie mood of the narrative, effectively reflecting the moral dilemmas faced by the characters, and the black-and-white visuals only add to the film’s classic charm, capturing the essence of the era’s horror movies and crime thrillers. While this entry may lack the elaborate special effects and fast-paced editing of contemporary films of this genre it more than compensates for this with its engrossing storytelling and thought-provoking themes. The exploration of identity, morality and the consequence of scientific intervention remains relevant even today, making the film’s underlying message enduring.

That message is that mad science never pays off.

In conclusion, Black Friday is a unique film noir/science fiction horror blend, one that explores the boundaries of science and morality.  With impressive performances, a captivating storyline and a touch of classic horror charm, it stands as a testament to the enduring appeal of the genre. Fans of classic horror movies, and those interested in the ethical dilemmas of scientific advancement, will find Black Friday to be an engaging and thought-provoking watch.