Murders in the Rue Morgue (1971 film) century theatre troupe in Paris specializing in gory, naturalistic horror plays in the fashion of the Grand Guignol. The director, Cesar Charron (Jason Robards), is presenting Poe's "Murders in the Rue Morgue". Cesar's wife, the actress Madeline (Christine Kaufmann), whose mother (Lilli Palmer) had been murdered by axe, is haunted by nightmares of an ax-wielding man. Then, suddenly, Rene Marot (Herbert Lom), a former lover of Madeline's mother thought long dead after being horribly disfigured on stage, mysteriously returns and begins murdering members and ex-members of the acting troupe, confounding the Paris police, who initially suspect Cesar. Gordon Hessler was
Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932 film) Morgue, "sends your thumping heart up into your throat!" Much praise is also given to cinematographer Karl W. Freund for giving the film a "German Expressionistic" look. A lot of the criticism arises from comparisons to other great horror films from the time period. A writer for the NY Times wrote, "The entire production suffers from an overzealous effort at terrorization, and the cast, inspired by the general hysteria, succumbs to the temptation to overact." A print is preserved in the Library of Congress collection. Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932 film) Murders in the Rue Morgue is a 1932