Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- eerie
- lurid
- theatrical
- classic horror night
- bela lugosi double feature
What critics said
Critics generally regard the film as an atmospheric, visually striking, and enjoyable but uneven Universal horror whose Lugosi performance and direction outweigh dated acting and a weak script.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Karl Freund's black-and-white cinematography turns nineteenth-century Paris into a fogbound, distorted gothic environment.
Dr. Mirakle abducts women and injects them with ape blood to prove a theory of human-ape kinship.
The film foregrounds abducted women, eroticized menace, murder, and provocative pseudo-scientific experimentation in a 1932 Universal production.
Bela Lugosi's rigid, intense performance makes Dr. Mirakle's criminal experiments feel both grotesque and performative.
Films like Murders in the Rue Morgue, and why
Dracula
pre-code gothic horror, sinister scientific experimentation, atmospheric period setting, and a charismatic monstrous antagonist
Frankenstein
Universal horror atmosphere, black-and-white expressionist imagery, obsessive medical experimentation, and tragic romance
The Black Cat
Poe-derived mystery-horror, nineteenth-century Parisian setting, murder investigation, and stylized macabre mood
The Old Dark House
black-and-white gothic horror, doomed young women, supernatural-tinged menace, and elaborate period atmosphere
Movie Details
- Director
- Robert Florey
- Release Date
- 1932-01-27
- Runtime
- 61 min
- Rating
- 6.0 / 10 (150)
Cast
- Sidney Fox
- Bela Lugosi
- Leon Ames
- Bert Roach
- Betty Ross Clarke
- Brandon Hurst
- D'Arcy Corrigan
- Noble Johnson
- Arlene Francis
- Ted Billings
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Murders in the Rue Morgue about?
- A fogbound Parisian medical mystery pits a determined student against a theatrical scientist using ape blood in deadly experiments.
- What is Murders in the Rue Morgue like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Murders in the Rue Morgue as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Murders in the Rue Morgue violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Murders in the Rue Morgue as moderate.
- What did critics think of Murders in the Rue Morgue?
- Critics generally regard the film as an atmospheric, visually striking, and enjoyable but uneven Universal horror whose Lugosi performance and direction outweigh dated acting and a weak script.
- Which films are like Murders in the Rue Morgue?
- Films with a similar feel include Dracula, Frankenstein, The Black Cat, and The Old Dark House.
- How long is Murders in the Rue Morgue?
- Murders in the Rue Morgue runs 61 minutes.
- Where can I watch Murders in the Rue Morgue?
- In United States, Murders in the Rue Morgue is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
