Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932)
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Synopsis of Murders in the Rue Morgue
Having missed the opportunity to direct Frankenstein for Universal, Robert Florey was offered Murders in the Rue Morgue as a consolation, whereupon he transformed a pedestrian property into a minor classic. Owing more to Cabinet of Dr. Caligari than to Edgar Allen Poe, the film stars Bela Lugosi as Doctor Mirakle (accent on the second syllable), a carnival sideshow entertainer who doubles as a mad scientist. Kidnapping prostitutes off the Paris streets, Mirakle endeavors to mix their blood with that of his pet gorilla. His experiments will forever be doomed to failure, however, until he is able to obtain the blood of a virgin -- and that's where Camille L'Espanye (Sidney Fox) comes into the picture. When Mirakle's monkey kidnaps Camille and murders her mother, suspicion immediately falls upon the girl's sweetheart, starving artist Pierre Dupin (Leon Waycoff, later known as Leon Ames). But by using the deductive skills displayed in the original story by Poe's master detective C. Auguste Dupin, our hero not only proves his innocence, but rescues the helpless heroine from Mirakle's clutches. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Complete Cast of Murders in the Rue Morgue
- Bela Lugosi - Dr. Mirakle
- Sydney Fox - Mlle. Camille L'Esponage
- Brandon Hurst - Prefect of Police
- D'Arcy Corrigan - Morgue Keeper
- Herman Bing
- Charles Gemora - Erik the Ape
- Leon Waycoff [Ames] - Pierre Dupin
- Bert Roach - Paul
- Noble Johnson - Janos, the Black One
- Betty Ross Clarke - Mme. L'Esponage, The Mother
- Arlene Francis - Monette, the Lady of the Streets
- Director(s):
- Robert Florey
- Writer(s):
- Dale Van Every, Tom Reed, John Huston
- Producer(s):
- Carl Laemmle, Jr.
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