Players at a Paris theatre (run by Jason Robards) become victims of a masked murderer (Herbert Lom). I saw a brand new print of this so the colors were rich and strong...that's about it for compliments. The movie was very obviously filmed in Spain and has erratic performances (even by pros Robards and Lom). Leading lady Christine Kaufmann is a really terrible actress and keeps having the same stupid dream again and again and again and again etc etc. The film is slow-moving, repititious, has lousy make-up (Lom seems to be wearing the exact same face he had in "Phantom of the Opera" in 1964) and the most boring murders ever put on screen...no gore and very little blood. Stick with the 1932 Lugosi version.

It's turn of the century Paris. Cesar Charron (Jason Robards) is directing the stage play of Edgar Allan Poe's "Murders in the Rue Morgue". Rene Marot (Herbert Lom) killed an actor and steals his part as the murderous ape. Cesar's wife Madeline Charron (Christine Kaufmann) is the star of the show. She is haunted by nightmares since her mother (Lilli Palmer) was killed by an ax. Marot is the killer and is supposed to be dead. He is seeking revenge upon some of the participants.

This is sort of a Poe play. This is sort of a horror. It's sort of thrilling. At the end of the day, it's not really any of these things. There are some good actors. The movie probably should be following Madeline more closely. She should be the sole protagonist. Her dreams need to be better. They're somewhat cheesy and what an old movie thinks a dream should be. In the end, there is not enough tension and only intermittently interesting.

A lush and good looking tale of gothic intrigue, this has a great setup being set in late 1800's Paris in a theater that primarily focuses on tales of grand guignole. However, what results is a confusing and emotionally empty film that deals with one of the troop members Herbert Lom who is presumed dead after committing a horrific murder, coming back to seek revenge. Jason Robards plays the troop leader who uncovers the fact that Lom is still living, and the beautiful but lifeless Christine Kaufman plays the leading lady who has a series of horrific nightmares that are basically just the same scene replayed over and over. Michael Dunn is the sniveling dwarf who simply rants and raves to provide more creepiness.

There's little motivation don't you see what you've provided for any of the goings-on here, and the result is a completely disappointing Gothic horror that no more resembles the Bela Lugosi 1932 classic than any of the other American International films celebrating the works of Poe did their original source. But those at least were enjoyable and decently made, and while this has the style, what it doesn't have is the story.

American International at the time was focusing on shocks through gruesome visuals mixed yes with psychedelic nonsense that instantly dates the film's. While some of them (particularly the Dr. Phibes series) come off better, others (like this and "de Sade") are complete misfires. Lom seems to be basically repeating his "Phantom of the Opera" role, yet that at least had the Hammer touch. The Poe touch here has all the bad luck of a black cat attached, so this is one that is easy to scratch off your list.