MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE (1932)
I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I had not seen this particular Universal classic until last night. Perhaps the absence of an iconic monster persuaded my subconscious to sidestep Murders in the Rue Morgue (I'm an insipid polliwog, after all). It's unimportant. I am righting my wrongs, as I'll be investigating a separate infraction at the very same Morgue. The murders are decades apart, but I suspect foul play. Then again, the cast is different. These transgressions may be...movies. Gasp! So that was nice and stupid; why don't I encapsulate this Lugosi-starring spine-tickler for you?
I was expecting the story to tarry over grave robbers, but to my pleasant surprise, a considerable portion of Rue Morgue is occupied by a brainsick, off-his-goddamn-rocker "mad scientist." Yippee! That's where Lugosi earns his pay (which wasn't enough). Most horror fans agree that Dracula and The Black Cat contain his best performances, and I will co-sign on that dotted line. However, his raving turn as Dr. Mirakle is no straggler. The scene in which he tortures a prostitute is grisly stuff. Yeah, the studio extricated twenty minutes from the initial cut, and technically, that was before the Hays Code was officially adopted by Hollywood.
A black-and-white medalwinner. I don't believe that it won any actual medals. I just mean, watch it.
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