The Masque of the Red Death (play) building. The narrative was based on the short stories of Edgar Allan Poe, including but not limited to "The Masque of the Red Death". The production fell within several genres of theatre, including site-specific theatre, promenade theatre, interactive theatre and immersive theatre. The audience members, who were free to roam around the sets at will, wore white masks to distinguish themselves from the cast who were maskless and the stewards/staff who wore discreet black masks. The narrative was communicated through a series of overlapping scenes blending the mediums of interpretive dance, contemporary dance and traditional acting. Following the show on
Murders in the Rue Morgue (1971 film) a premonition of what was going to happen. When it's tinted, it's just so obvious. Audiences picked up on it immediately." AIP also removed a lot of Lilli Palmer's scenes. "She was vital to the plot and by cutting her scenes down, it was like she was an extra in the film," said Hessler. Robards later called the film "a disaster... but I got a good price and part of the picture." "Murders in the Rue Morgue" received mixed to negative reviews from critics. Leonard Maltin panned the film, awarding the film 1 1/2 out of 4 stars. Howard Thompson