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Black Friday

Play trailer Poster for Black Friday 1940 1h 10m Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 6 Reviews 52% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
As Dr. Ernest Sovac makes his way to the electric chair, he recalls the events that landed him on death row. After placing brain matter from a violent gangster into the mind of a dying teacher named George Kingsley, Sovac watches his patient take on violent tendencies. When Sovac learns, through an almost-possessed Kingsley, about a hidden stash of mob money, the doctor entices the criminal in Kingsley to come out -- with murderous results.
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Black Friday

Critics Reviews

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Alberto Abuín Espinof Sep 4, 2019
Sequences like the one of the outrage, or the subsequent murders, each one more cruel than the other, reveal Lubin as a director more audacious than he seemed to be. [Full Review in Spanish] Go to Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Jun 22, 2019
2.5/4
While Karloff would continue to prominently appear in horror flicks for the remainder of his life, Lugosi found himself already being relegated to inconsequential bit parts. Go to Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Jul 7, 2005
3/5
Frank Swietek One Guy's Opinion Feb 13, 2004
3/5
Ken Hanke Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) Jul 30, 2002
3.5/5
Vastly inferior to the other Karloff-Lugosi vehicles from Universal, but it's actually a pretty sharp little horror film -- and of some note historically. Go to Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Jan 1, 2000
C+
The results are a mixed bag, but there's enough entertainment to be gotten from this B-film to make it a satisfying watch. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Blobbo X @Blobbo Jun 30, 2026 Karlov and Legosi plus Raymond Bailey from Beverly Hillbillies - so young - plus sheriff from The Rifleman. Worth 70 minutes time. See more Nathan P @RT99707952 Jul 19, 2025 A rather dull and disappointing film from two legendary actors. Unoriginal, boring not a fun film at all although having a non linear plot bumps it up in my book. See more Ted B @Movieaddicted Aug 26, 2024 It's kind of hard for me to categorize this movie. The expectation of a Boris Karloff/Bela Lugosi film set my expectations for something a little different. That's not to say it was a bad movie. It was an updated version of "Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde" remade as a mobster flick, which were popular in the late 1930s/early 1940s. See more Dallas H @RT53171010 Aug 25, 2024 Freaky Friday sure is different from what I can remember. Just kidding. I watched this on Svengoolie and got a kick out of the movie. See more Valerii Ege D @RT37895442 Sep 13, 2023 A different type of Jekyll and Hyde story. Really liked this one. Of course, it could have been better, but techniques weren't evolved in those days. Still, worth watching. See more Brad P @Bradster69 Feb 26, 2023 Neither Karloff nor Lugosi has the main role; instead, Stanley Ridges stars in a dual role with both of the main marquee draws taking supporting parts – in Lugosi's case a very minor one. See more Read all reviews
Black Friday

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Cast & Crew

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Arthur Lubin

Director

Boris Karloff

Dr. Ernest Sovac

Bela Lugosi

Eric Marnay

Stanley Ridges

Prof. George Kingsley

Anne Nagel

Sunny Rogers

Anne Gwynne

Jean Sovac

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Black Friday

Black Friday (1940) Black Friday (1940) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis As Dr. Ernest Sovac makes his way to the electric chair, he recalls the events that landed him on death row. After placing brain matter from a violent gangster into the mind of a dying teacher named George Kingsley, Sovac watches his patient take on violent tendencies. When Sovac learns, through an almost-possessed Kingsley, about a hidden stash of mob money, the doctor entices the criminal in Kingsley to come out -- with murderous results.
Director
Arthur Lubin
Producer
Burt Kelly
Screenwriter
Curt Siodmak, Eric Taylor
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Production Co
Universal Pictures
Genre
Horror
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 12, 1940, Original
Release Date (DVD)
May 28, 2002
Runtime
1h 10m
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