For Universal Horror fans, the story of MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE star Bela Lugosi and director Robert Florey at this point is pretty well known. Lugosi had a chance to star in FRANKENSTEIN and turned it down. Robert Florey was set to direct FRANKENSTEIN and even had some say in the script, only to be overtaken by James Whale. FRANKENSTEIN becomes a major success and both men’s careers missed a big opportunity as a result. The consolation prize they both received is the topic of this review, MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE. Nowhere near the box office success of DRACULA or FRANKENSTEIN, MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE is one of those films the term “flawed masterpiece” was made for.
Let’s start with the flaws and build our way to the good stuff. Leon Ames plays leading man Pierre Dupin and top billed Sidney Fox plays leading lady Camille. The romantic stuff is beyond sappy, especially that long, drawn out “May Day” spiel that works as unintentional comedy, funnier than some of the intended comedy in the film. Another case of my words don’t do justice to how sappy this is, but I promise you David Manners and John Boles, as their DRACULA and FRANKENSTEIN characters respectively, would go up to Pierre and say, “What the Hell is wrong with you, man? Show some dignity.” There is also the unnecessary scene with all the lovers in the springtime of nineteenth century Gay Paree leading to the infamous swing shot. Along with the mini musical number Camille gets, it really clashes with the wonderfully macabre tone of the rest of the film. Ames, very early in a long and distinguished career, is mostly fine but does overact in parts, namely after the ape breaks into Camille’s house. Sidney Fox, one of those tragic Hollywood stories, plays really innocent here. It was a performance that I was critical of for years, but like the performances of David Manners and Helen Chandler in DRACULA, one I’ve eased up on because the innocence is really a necessary part of the story. For Stooge fans, her look, if not on screen persona, is similar to Dorothy Appleby. As far as Bert Roach’s comedy relief when making lunch, the less said, the better.
So yes, we’ve established MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE is not a perfect film. That being said, this is a 1932 Universal Horror film with art direction by Charles Hall and starring Bela Lugosi. Quite obviously, those credentials should mean the good far outweighs the bad and indeed, it does. This film looks incredible. Charles Hall, once again, painted an amazing atmosphere. 1845 Paris, with it’s cobblestone streets, gaslit foggy nights, stone and brick buildings with German expressionistic angular roofs and that wonderful looking carnival in the intro really are a feast for the eyes. Universal Horror, especially 1931 - 1936, is my favorite era of horror and the atmosphere has so much to do with it. The atmospheric tour de force of MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE is the knife fight scene. The foggy atmosphere by that bridge is amazing, as are the close ups of Lugosi’s face as he approaches the lady in distress. Brrr, just a gloriously chilling scene.
Then there are the story elements themselves. Anybody who thinks 1930’s horror is tame stuff really should watch films like this. Lugosi plays Dr. Mirakle, a side show carnival man who brings an ape named Erik along with him. While offending half the nineteenth century population speaking of Darwinian evolution, his goal is to prove apes and humans are the same. He does this by mixing ape blood with female human blood. Once the blood proves compatible, then they can mate. Yes folks, there’s a bestiality theme going on here and to think, this is not the only 1932 film that deals with this subject. Like other films of the era, virginal purity is also important. Virginal Camille did just fine having her blood mixed, but non pure women, like the girl off the streets Mirakle found, die when having their blood mixed with an ape’s. Hey, sometimes you just have to roll with the plot, but yes, chastity, even in films as late as the 80’s, can increase your chances of survival in horror films.
Gotta mention Bela Lugosi himself. Prime Bela here. Curly hair, bushy eyebrows, a cape, a cool hat, Bela looks quite cool here and his acting is in top form. The carnival scene where he’s on stage is definitely one of his longest speeches he ever gives, speaking of science and evolution, accenting words and punctuating by hitting his cane to the ground. Great shots of the camera looking up at a shadowy Lugosi and Lugosi’s shadow overtaking the back of the tent as he speaks is very effective, When the prostitute he murders after injecting her with ape blood, she in a Christ like crucifixion position, he kneeling before her, Lugosi is fantastic, showing intense remorse for a moment like only Lugosi can, he then quickly becomes indifferent, having his sidekick, Janos (played by the wonderfully made up horror legend Noble Johnson), dump her body in the river below by hitting a lever and opening a hole in the ground below her. A really memorable Lugosi performance here, Dr. Mirakle is one of his great roles.
MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE, while not a place to start, is a great film for established fans of old horror films. It’s really a shame Lugosi wasn’t allowed to carry more classy productions like this one. After this, WHITE ZOMBIE and CHANDU THE MAGICIAN, it was either poverty row, teaming with Karloff, or being part of an ensemble. But yeah, I’m a fan boy of this stuff so any flaw I mentioned is just my logical side talking, I can easily overlook that stuff.
