Synopsis: In turn-of-the-century Paris, actors aren’t just playing dead…they’re staying dead! Academy Award winner Jason Robards and Herbert Lom star in this mind-bending, macabre murder-mystery in which a passionate lunatic out for bloody revenge brings the grisly horror of Edgar Allan Poe’s most frightening tale…to gory, gruesome real life!
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Murders in the Rue Morgue. If the title seems vaguely familiar, that’s because it’s based on an Edgar Allan Poe short story. It wasn’t the first Poe adaptation; since the ‘20s there had been a number of films based on Poe’s works. By the ‘70s, American International Pictures had basically built its reputation on them with the help of the inimitable Vincent Price.
There’s a small problem with making a whole film out of a short story: it’s difficult to stretch the material beyond a certain point. So the filmmakers will frequently pad the story or alter in ways that are anathema to purists. Poe’s ‘The Raven’ was a perfect example of the latter; it was transformed into a comedy.
Murders in the Rue Morgue is another.
While it was (thankfully) not made into a farce, it is only loosely based on the original material. Rightly so, the director felt that the ending was already well-known and decided that a wholly new, yet still contrived, story should be filmed. But, to top it all off, they made it extremely convoluted.
They retained elements of the original: for instance, a play called ‘Murders in the Rue Morgue’ is central to the film’s setting. Also, there are murders. And there is an ape suit (if you don’t know what this means, then I’d suggest reading the original). That’s pretty much it, I’m afraid – even the characters are different.
In fact, the film is more akin to ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ than to Poe’s original. Ironically enough, Herbert Lom, who played The Phantom himself for the Hammer Films adaptation of the story, is typecasted into a similar role for this one. It’s not only unfortunate, but it’s a wholly ridiculous character in this story: everyone pretends that they don’t see his mask, as though all is well with the world.
Lom plays a version himself, as usual, as does Jason Robards – the main strength of this film. It is said that the film was originally intended as yet another vehicle for Vincent Price, but that he had turned it down. Robards steps into the lead role with a gravitas that Price no doubt would have eschewed, and it serves the film right – even if he doesn’t bring anything striking to the screen.
Overall, it’s pretty standard ‘70s fare from AIP, who made films in the same vein as Hammer did at the time. The sets are low-budget, as can be expected, as is the gore and the special effects. It was probably something at the time, but it has aged terribly since and doesn’t hold its own against more modern productions. It’s truly the mark of a certain era in horror-filmmaking – for good or bad.
There are some fun dream sequences, however, that are the definite highlight of the film. As one can imagine, they are central to the mystery in this film, so watching these abstract bits can be rather enjoyable. Granted, we know from the onset who the killer is, but the motives are unclear until the end. And these dream sequences, in all their surrealistic pretensions, add to the overall experience.
Bottom line, if you have seen and enjoy these types of productions, then you’ll know what’s in store and will enjoy the red paint and unrealistic sets. If not, then I would suggest watching the film with tapered expectations: ‘Murders in the Rue Morgue’ may suggest a very different kind of film than this slow-paced, low budget slice of theatre.
thecriticaleye 