Murders in the Rue Morgue (film)

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Murders in the Rue Morgue
Directed by	Robert Florey
Produced by	Carl Laemmle, Jr.
Written by	John Huston Tom Reed Dale Van Every
Starring	Bela Lugosi Sydney Fox Leon Ames Bert Roach Brandon Hurst Arlene Francis
Cinematography	Karl W. Freund
Editing by	Miton Carruth
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date(s)	February 21, 1932
Running time	61 min.
Language	English
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Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932) is a Universal Pictures pre-Code horror film loosely based on an Edgar Allan Poe short story. Bela Lugosi, one year after his legendary performance as Dracula, portrays a lunatic scientist who abducts prostitutes and injects them with fresh blood from his vicious caged ape. The atmospheric cinematography by Karl Freund has been singled out by critics as superb, along with Robert Florey's direction.

This film was provided as a sort of compensatory package for Lugosi and Florey after each were dropped from Frankenstein (1931). Lugosi had been originally cast as Dr. Frankenstein, to be directed by Florey. Lugosi was subsequently demoted to play the monster, which he claimed to have turned down. Florey was soon fired as director in favor of James Whale.

Box office results were disappointing, and Lugosi's original Universal contract for Dracula was not extended.

Running time 61 minutes.

Universal Pictures horror movie series
Dracula Dracula (1931) | Dracula's Daughter (1936) | Son of Dracula (1943) | House of Dracula (1945)
Frankenstein Frankenstein (1931) | Bride of Frankenstein (1935) | Son of Frankenstein (1939) | The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942) | Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943) | House of Frankenstein (1944) | Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
The Wolf Man The Wolf Man (1941) | Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943)
The Mummy The Mummy (1932) | The Mummy's Hand (1940) | The Mummy's Tomb (1942) | The Mummy's Ghost (1944) | The Mummy's Curse (1944) | Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955)
The Invisible Man The Invisible Man (1933) | The Invisible Man Returns (1940) | The Invisible Woman (1940) | Invisible Agent (1942) | The Invisible Man's Revenge (1944) | Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man (1951)
The Creature from the Black Lagoon Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) | Revenge of the Creature (1955) | The Creature Walks Among Us (1956)
Edgar Allan Poe Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932) | The Black Cat (1934) | The Raven (1935)
Other notable films The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) | The Phantom of the Opera (1925) | Werewolf of London (1935) | Phantom of the Opera (1943) | She-Wolf of London (1946)