"Murders In the Rue Morgue" was Universal's follow up for star Bela Lugosi after the huge success of "Dracula" (1931). He did appear in other films during this period but mostly in minor roles. In fact, in one of the worst career moves of his career, Bela had turned down the role of the monster in "Frankenstein" (1931).

This film made in 1932, two years before the introduction of the infamous Production Code, contains many situations that would have not been allowed under the Production Code. For example, even the suggestion of a liaison between an ape and a woman would have never been allowed and the clear identification of a prostitute likewise. It's probably why this film was not seen for many years.

Lugosi, donning his mad scientist hat, plays the mysterious Dr. Mirakle who works in a carnival sideshow in 1845 Paris. He displays his man-like ape (actually it looks like a full grown chimpanzee) Erik while searching for a human female to presumably mate with the monster. One night pretty Camille L'Espanaye (Sidney Fox) and her beau, medical student Pierre Dupin (Leon Waycoff) visit the carnival and take in Dr. Mirakle's show. During the show, the ape is give the girl's bonnet and becomes obsessed with her.

Meanwhile we learn that Mirakle has been searching for the right blood match for his pet. We discover that two women have been murdered (offscreen) already. One dark night, Mirakle comes upon a "woman of the streets" (Arlene Francis) who has just witnessed the deaths of two "suitors" in a knife fight. The good doctor lures the poor wench to his laboratory where we witness his torture of her and her rather cold disposition of her corpse when she dies after she is injected with the ape's blood.

All the while Mirakle has kept his eye on the comely Camille. Then one night he sends the ape to Camille's room and..............

The film is well directed by Robert Florey who utilizes Universal's dark fog filled sets to great effect. Lugosi is quite terrifying in this role. Although he did get teamed with Boris Karloff in the mid thirties, he never achieved the heights he should have at Universal. With his personal off screen problems well documented, he made a number of poor choices in his movie roles. During the period when his star should have been rising he kept appearing in cheap poverty row features and serials which did little to advance his career.

Others in the cast include Bert Roach as Paul, Pierre's friend, Brandon Hurst as the Prefect of Police and D'Arcy Corrigan as the Morgue Keeper.

A very young John Huston contributes some additional dialog for the story. Leon Waycoff became Leon Ames and enjoyed a lengthy career as a character actor.

One of Lugosi's best.

This is a very early horror flick from Universal. Fresh off their successes with Dracula and FRANKENSTEIN, the studio decided to make a remake of Poe's classic tale of a murderous ape and his evil master (Bela Lugosi).

While the original story has been changed a lot in order to make the evil master more like a horror villain, it is still wonderful but very lurid entertainment. For 1932 and even today, the scene where Lugosi is tormenting the street-walker (Arlene Francis) is amazingly scary and horrible to watch. She is tied to a giant wooden X-style cross and she screams VERY realistically as he does his experiments on her. Then, when she dies, the way this is handled is pretty shocking as well! Apart from this very shocking segment, the film is very fast-paced and entertaining. Unlike many of Lugosi's later films, this is a quality picture with good sets, makeup, etc. His acting is also a little more restrained and less hokey than usual. Sure, the guy in the ape costume and the closeups of a gorilla are awfully different, but compared to the horrid effects in THE DEVIL BAT or PLAN 9, this is practically a Merchant-Ivory Production!! And, no matter the film's faults, it is a very good horror film--sure to please fans of the genre.

A final note about the male lead, "Leon Waycoff". He was later known as "Leon Ames" and I can see how this name change probably helped his career. He does a fine job in the film as the bright and heroic young man trying to convince the world's DUMBEST police force that he knows what has occurred. It isn't an exaggeration to say that they made the Keystone Kops look competent!

Murders In The Rue Morgue casts Bela Lugosi as one of the many mad scientists he played in his long career. To make ends meet he has a carnival act, but it's really a blind for some gruesome experiments involving sex. InterSpecies sex that is.

If Charles Darwin is correct and man is related to the other primates than it follows, reasons Bela apes should be looking to mate with man given the proper stimulation. So for his horny gorilla he kidnaps women and injects them with simian blood. In the Paris of 1845 Bela's experiments are working pretty good as his ape is let loose on these injected women and the young women of Paris are in danger. Women of all classes as streetwalker Arlene Francis discovers to her tragic regret.

King Kong never eyed Fay Wray with more lust than Bela's simian had when he was checking out Sidney Fox. In fact King Kong should prove the hypothesis Lugosi was advancing. The climax of Murders At The Rue Morgue is very similar to King Kong with Leon Ames playing the Bruce Cabot part.

Some really great sets and beautiful cinematography are the main attraction of Murders At The Rue Morgue which bares only the slightest resemblance to Edgar Allan Poe's story. Lugosi is fabulously sinister and lustful, he's checking out Fox and the others himself. It's not Dracula for him, but what is?