Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932)

Bela goes ape! - Murders in the Rue Morgue review by NP

Released in 1932 and directed by Robert Florey and starring Bela Lugosi. Both had moved on, or been moved on, from production on the previous year’s ‘Frankenstein’ once James Whale and Boris Karloff showed up – ‘Rue Morgue’ was based on a tale by Edgar Allan Poe. Poe stories would provide film goers with many thrills and chills over the following years.

‘Rue Morgue’ never achieved the popularity of ‘Frankenstein’, ‘Dracula’ or the forthcoming ‘The Mummy’, and while this is beautifully filmed and enthusiastically acted (especially by Lugosi and top billed Sidney Fox), it’s not difficult to see why. Whereas the other films have very clearly defined monsters/villains, here evildoings are shared between Dr. Mirakle (Lugosi), a mad scientist, and Erik, an ape. Equally, where the other films have straightforward stories, this often verges on the incomprehensible. We’re clearly meant to be booing Mirakle but it’s not clear exactly why.

Despite that, this is a triumph of mood, despite some misplaced humour that lacks the darkness of Whale’s touch. Florey was a fine director but seemed continually to miss out on opportunities – he makes a great job of this, but the story isn’t as polished as it might be. At Universal’s insistence, close-ups of man-in-a-suit Erik are provided by a real life monkey. The creature looks frightening, but is clearly a very different looking animal, and his movements often don’t match the action. Would the film have been more successful without this and other examples of studio interference? We’ll never know. My score is 7 out of 10.

Crazy Hour - Murders in the Rue Morgue review by Steve

This is the forgotten production in the creative big bang of Universal horror; an adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's influential locked room mystery set in mid-19th Century Paris. Not much Poe remains, but we do get the ape! Bela Lugosi is a carnival showman immersed in a maniacal scheme to crossbreed his simian sideshow attraction with a sweet, beautiful young lady.

Sidney Fox (she's a girl!) gets top billing, maybe because she was dating the head of the studio. But Lugosi dominates as Dr. Mirakle, the carny with a sideline in cutting edge evolutionary biology. He trains the ape to scale an apartment building and kidnap her for his experiments. Which are pretty sordid, even for precode.

It's a bit slow and creaky like all early Universal horrors. Critics claim it borrows from German silent, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), especially the climax as the primate drags his victim over jagged rooftops. This isn't of similar stature, but it's a fair comparison. And the painted, expressionist city is memorable.

There is plenty of atmosphere, but zero logic. Which is fine in the woozy trance of early horror. It's Lugosi's gift to seem to belong in this opiated fantasy. His performance is ridiculous, but absolutely appropriate! Robert Florey doesn't create much suspense, or any scares, but it's still transgressive stuff, and he gets it all done in an hour.