Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932)

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220px Murders in the Rue Morgue 1932 poster Murders in the Rue Morgue is a 1932 American pre-Code horror film directed by Robert Florey. Based on Edgar Allan Poe's 1841 short story "Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932)", the film stars Bela Lugosi as Doctor Mirakle, a carnival sideshow entertainer and scientist who kidnaps Parisian prostitutes to mix their blood with that of his pet gorilla. As his experiments fail due to the quality of blood, Mirakle meets with Camille L'Espanye (Sidney Fox). Mirakle has Camille kidnapped and her mother murdered, leading to suspicion falling on her husband Pierre Dupin (Leon Waycoff). Dupin manages to prove his innocence and rescues Camille.

Florey had suggested adapting Poe's story as early as March 1930, but was only attached to the film after he was taken off the film Frankenstein. In the script by Tom Reed and Dale Van Every, only a few elements of Poe's original story are kept, with much of the story being changed to accommodate a role for Lugosi's character. Florey left the project but returned to it, arguing with Universal about certain elements such as period setting. After production wrapped on November 13, 1931 it was brought back into production for five days of re-shoots and re-ordering of the scenes in the final edit.

The film was first shown publicly in New York on February 10, 1932 and on wide release was censored in various forms throughout North America. Initial reviews of the film were described by the authors of Universal Horrors as "harsh", while later reception received lukewarm reviews from historians and home video reviewers. The film would lead to other Poe adaptations by Universal Picures and was the first to have Lugosi play the role of either a mad scientist or doctor, a role he would reprise in his career from The Black Cat (1934) to Bride of the Monster (1955).

Plot

In Paris in 1845, Dr. Mirakle, a mad scientist, abducts young women and injects them with ape blood in order to create a mate for Erik, his talking sideshow ape. Young Pierre Dupin, a naive medical student and detective, his fiancée Camille L'Espanaye, and their friends Paul and Mignette, visit carnival sideshows, including Mirakle's sideshow, where he exhibits Erik. Both master and servant are enchanted by Camille, whom Mirakle plans to become Erik's mate. Mirakle invites her to take a closer look at Erik, who grabs Camille's bonnet. Dupin tries to get it back, and Erik tries to strangle him. Mirakle backs him off and offers to replace the bonnet. But Camille is suspicious and reluctant to give the doctor her address, so when they leave, Mirakle orders his servant Janos to follow her.

One of Mirakle's victims, a prostitute, is found dead in a river and is fished out and taken to the police station. Dupin wants to examine the girl's blood but the morgue keeper (D'Arcy Corrigan) won't allow it. A bribe convinces the morgue keeper to draw some of the blood and deliver it to Dupin the next day. Dupin discovers a foreign substance in the blood, also found in the blood of other victims. Mirakle visits Camille and asks her to visit Erik again, but when she refuses, he sends Erik to kidnap her. Dupin happens to be passing out of the flat; hearing her screams, he tries to enter the room, but it is locked. The police arrive when the ape has retreated, and Dupin is arrested. Neither Madame L'Espanaye nor her daughter are found. The police prefect interviews three witnesses: Italian Alberto Montani, German Franz Odenheimer and a Dane. All of them state that they had heard Camille screaming and someone else talking in a strange language (the German thinks it was Italian, the Italian thinks it was Danish, and the Dane thinks it was German). Camille's mother is found dead, stuffed in the chimney, her hand clutching ape fur. Dupin points out from the fur that Erik may be involved.

The police, along with Dupin, run to Mirakle's hideout. Before they arrive, Erik turns against his master and strangles him. The police arrive; Erik grabs Camille and they chase him. When Janos tries to keep them at bay, the police shoot him in the back. Erik is pursued and cornered on the roof of a small dockside house. He confronts Dupin, who fatally shoots the animal, saving his fiancée from peril.

Cast sourced from the book Universal Horrors.

Bela Lugosi as Dr. Mirakle
Sidney Fox as Mademoiselle Camille L'Espanaye
Leon Ames as Pierre Dupin
Bert Roach as Paul
Betty Ross Clarke as Mademoiselle L'Espanaye
Brandon Hurst as Prefect of Police
D'Arcy Corrigan as Morgue Keeper
Noble Johnson as Janos
Arlene Francis as Streetwalker
Charles Gemora as the sideshow ape Erik

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Theatrical release poster for the 1932 film Murders in the Rue Morgue, based on Edgar Allan Poe's 1841 short story of the same name.

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