Review of Murders in the Rue Morgue

"Murders in the Rue Morgue", an adaptation of the Edgar Allan Poe tale, is set in 19th century Paris when a mad scientist named Dr. Mirakle (Bela Lugosi) has an exhibit consisting of a "human"-like ape. Dr. Mirakle spouts some pretty radical ideas about evolution that local carnival goers find blasphemous. But the bad doctor is committed to his pursuit: proving the link between man and ape. So periodically he abducts young women so they may be injected with gorilla blood. His latest target is Camille L'Espanaye (pretty Sidney Fox), whose boyfriend Pierre (Leon Ames) is not a real Dudley Do Right type himself. He's not above bribing a morgue keeper (D'Arcy Corrigan) to let him have access to dead bodies in order to study them. Overall, this isn't one of the most notable Universal horrors of the time. The main problem is that for a movie running only about one hour, it goes on a little long(!), with some scenes that do feel padded, and some comedy relief (supplied by Bert Roach, as Paul, Pierre's roommate) that doesn't really add anything to it. The movie is simply too slow, too quiet (it could have used a music score), and too light on horror too much of the time. Still, it has the look of quality, with appropriate Expressionist cinematography by Karl Freund, and some good atmosphere. In the movies' few shocking scenes, it *does* deliver, and is actually strong stuff for the time, with people getting stabbed, stripped naked and jabbed with a needle, and stuffed up a chimney. These moments do add punch to the movie, but what really elevates the rating by a point is the presence of Lugosi, one genre star who could always be counted on to give 100% to any role; here he delights in the depraved nature of his character. The other actors are okay but can't exactly compare. Erik himself is portrayed with a combination of a human performer in a gorilla suit and closeups of chimpanzees. This may take some viewers out of the movie too much. Given the short duration, the climax naturally feels a little rushed. All things considered, this is worth a look for devoted fans of 30s horror, but isn't as potent as some of the other productions of the time. John Huston is credited with additional dialogue. Seven out of 10.