Certainly one of the least popular Universal horror films, not only for lack of people bothering to see it, but also in terms of its reputation among those who have seen it, "Murders in the Rue Morgue" is worth seeing for the extraordinary visuals. Cinematographer Karl Freund gives the film the distinctive look of an Expressionist horror film, and his work is excellent throughout, and Robert Florey's work as director is up to his usual standard (Florey was a very talented director who unfortunately worked on films with mostly mediocre screenplays).
That's not to say "Murders in the Rue Morgue" is a neglected classic, as it most certainly is not. The film is, of course, an adaptation of the Edgar Allan Poe short story which is important historically and interesting if viewed as a template for later detective stories, but not great as a whole and with a solution which is a little on the bizarre and unbelievable side. The story contains some very memorable classic Poe moments especially in the description of the carnage, but is simply not one of Poe's finer works. The film isn't quite as loose an adaptation as 1935's "The Raven" (although that poem is almost certainly unfilmable, so it's pointless to try), but extrapolates and builds on Poe's story, and has many of the same problems in addition to others. It's simply not a very good screenplay at all.
Thankfully the film's visual appeal and the quality of the performances keep this from being a tedious affair but the story and script are far from memorable, and the finale plays a little like "King Kong" in 19th century Paris, although "Kong" would only arrive a year later.
6/10
That's not to say "Murders in the Rue Morgue" is a neglected classic, as it most certainly is not. The film is, of course, an adaptation of the Edgar Allan Poe short story which is important historically and interesting if viewed as a template for later detective stories, but not great as a whole and with a solution which is a little on the bizarre and unbelievable side. The story contains some very memorable classic Poe moments especially in the description of the carnage, but is simply not one of Poe's finer works. The film isn't quite as loose an adaptation as 1935's "The Raven" (although that poem is almost certainly unfilmable, so it's pointless to try), but extrapolates and builds on Poe's story, and has many of the same problems in addition to others. It's simply not a very good screenplay at all.
Thankfully the film's visual appeal and the quality of the performances keep this from being a tedious affair but the story and script are far from memorable, and the finale plays a little like "King Kong" in 19th century Paris, although "Kong" would only arrive a year later.
6/10