Phantom of the Rue Morgue Phantom of the Rue Morgue Phantom of the Rue Morgue is a 1954 feature film directed by Roy Del Ruth (known for directing "The Terror") and starring Karl Malden and Claude Dauphin. The film is an adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Murders in the Rue Morgue". Warner Bros. released 3D productions during the 1950s, including the big-budget "The Charge at Feather River" (1953). Following another western, "The Moonlighter" (1953), starring Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray, the studio attempted to repeat the success they had with "House of Wax" the previous year. This movie was based on the
Masque of the Red Death and Other Tales setting's fine, but it's a sidebar to the system overhaul. "Masque of the Red Death" makes a persuasive case for reality-based role-playing, where wits count more than muscle and a shotgun packs more punch than a fireball. Endearingly human, these are the only "AD&D" game characters I'd consider using as investigators in a "Call of Cthulhu" game or, for that matter, as adversaries in a "Vampire" campaign. And nitpickers who've been clamoring for a streamlined, skill-based "AD&D" game ought to be dancing in the streets. "Masque of the Red Death" doesn't qualify as the Third Edition of the "AD&D" game,