Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Murders in the Rue Morgue Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 5, 2021

Note: This version of this film is available as part of Three Edgar Allan Poe Adaptations Starring Bela Lugosi.

Bela Lugosi may have sadly ended his life as a largely destitute, wasted drug addict consigned to wandering through films like Ed Wood’s Plan 9 from Outer Space, but in the wake of the release of Dracula in 1931, for one brief, shining moment he was arguably the biggest star at Universal, at least within the studio’s horror output. Of course Lugosi soon had considerable competition from the likes of Boris Karloff in Frankenstein, which opened just a few months after Dracula and which arguably stole a bit of its thunder. That said, it’s important to note that Karloff got that iconic role only after Lugosi dropped out after what have been described as less than successful make up tests. Eureka Entertainment’s Masters of Cinema imprint has now aggregated three early Lugosi efforts, including his first two collaborations with Karloff. This set is at least somewhat similar to Shout! Factory's Region A release of Universal Horror Collection: Volume 1 , including not just in its inclusion of some of the same films but some of the supplements as well, so fans with region free players may want to do some contrasting and comparing between the two releases.

Lugosi wasn’t the only refugee from Frankenstein involved in Murders in the Rue Morgue, as director Robert Florey had originally been assigned to the project that would famously be completed by James Whale. As is arguably the case with all three “Poe adaptations” included in this set, the actual connection(s) to Poe are probably tenuous at best, but Murders in the Rue Morgue does offer Lugosi a chance to strut his “mad doctor” stuff, as a supposed scientist named Mirakle who is attempting to “mate” a human woman with an ape named Erik (Charles Gemora, though inserts of an actual chimpanzee were later added for close-ups). The fact that this film is the product of the early thirties meant that the whole “mating” aspect had to be handled fairly discursively, and so there’s an emphasis on blood transfusions instead of any acts of intimacy.

As Gregory Mank gets into in his typically interesting commentary, the film had a number of pre-production, production and post- production issues, and the result is probably expectedly a bit of a hodgepodge. There are definitely some creepy moments in the film, with a quasi- cameo by future What's My Line? stalwart Arlene Francis as a "working girl" who has the misfortune to catch Mirakle's eye. Another face well remembered by Baby Boomers as both an iconic father in films like Meet Me in St. Louis, and as one of the neighbors in the long running Mister Ed, Leon Ames, is here under his original named of Leon Waycoff. Ames/Waycoff portrays Pierre, the husband of Camille L'Espanye (Sidney Fox), who also unfortunately catches the eye of Mirakle, and perhaps more problematically, the eye of Erik. The film is also notable for an almost German Abstract Expressionist style.

Murders in the Rue Morgue Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Murders in the Rue Morgue is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Eureka! Entertainment's Masters of Cinema imprint with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.36:1. This is often a very appealing looking transfer, though detail levels tend to fluctuate, especially when effects like supposed fog are added (see screenshot 5). Many of the chiaroscuro lighting effects are quite striking throughout the presentation and tend to point out this transfer's generally nice looking contrast. There are manifest signs of age related wear and tear, albeit minor, and as with some of the other presentations in this set, grain can be rather heavy at times, though notably never really encounters compression issues, even in some of those aforementioned scenes featuring heavy "fog".

Murders in the Rue Morgue Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Murders in the Rue Morgue features an LPCM 2.0 Mono track that is understandably narrow and shallow sounding, but which supports the film's dialogue and occasional effects well enough. In that regard, some of the wimpering sounds Erik makes may strike some as unintentionally humorous at various points. Other moments, like the harrowing sequence featuring Arlene Francis, offer some nice spikes of activity courtesy of things like screams. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Murders in the Rue Morgue Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Eureka! has packaged this release with Murders in the Rue Morgue on Disc 1 and The Black Cat and The Raven on Disc 2. While there are some film specific supplements, as in the commentaries, there are also more generalist items, so here's a full list of the contents of both discs:

Disc One

• Audio Commentary by film historian Gregory William Mank


• Alternate Soundtrack is presented in LPCM 2.0 Mono and comes with a warning that it was supplied by Universal Pictures and adds music to scenes of the film, and that they recommend listening to the original track for a first viewing.


• Kim Newman Interview (HD; 28:49) is another enjoyable piece with Newman, who discusses the Universal "Poe adaptations".


• The Tell Tale Heart read by Bela Lugosi (HD; 13:21)


• Trailer (HD; 1:35)


• Stills Gallery (HD)


• Reconstructed Version (HD; 1:00:19) features an alternately structured version sparked by an article originally appearing in Video Watchdog. This is an old style "easter egg" that's hidden, but if you poke around the listing right above this one, you'll find it.

Disc Two

• The Black Cat Audio Commentary by film historian Gregory W. Mank explicitly references the Steve Haberman commentary that is included along with this one on Shout! Factory's release of The Black Cat, which makes it doubly odd that the Haberman commentary isn't included here.


• Cats in Horror (HD; 12:47) is a fun overview from Lee Gambin.


• The Black Cat Radio Adaptation with Peter Lorre (HD; 26:02) is a September 18, 1947 radio broadcast from Mystery in the Air.


• Vintage Footage (HD; 00:49) is a kind of hilarious brief silent snippet of kids parading their black cats past Lugosi and Karloff (I'll at least give Bela first billing).


• The Black Cat Stills Gallery (HD)


• The Raven Isolated Music and Effects Track is presented in LPCM 2.0 Mono.


• The Raven Audio Commentary by film historian Gary D. Rhodes


• The Raven Audio Commentary by Samm Deighan


• American Gothic (HD; 14:59) is an interesting exploration of various motifs by Kat Ellinger.


• The Tell-Tale Heart Radio Adaptation with Boris Karloff (HD; 26:42) is an August 3, 1941 episode from Inner Sanctum Mystery.


• Stills Gallery (HD)

While I don't yet have a final retail version, it looks like this Limited Edition also comes with Eureka's typically well appointed insert booklet.

Murders in the Rue Morgue Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Gregory Mank gets into some of the ways Murders in the Rue Morgue was restructured as it was prepared for release, and it's hard to argue with Mank's assertion that the film may have been more viscerally effective had some of those changes not been made. Yes, the whole plotline involving the ape is patently ridiculous, but the film is kind of disturbing anyway, and it certainly has a distinctive style. Technical merits are generally solid, and the supplementary package very enjoyable. Recommended.