MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE / Universal Pictures - 1932

It's Friday Fright Halloween Countdown 2012 with Tabonga, here at The Dungeon!.. We gots a wild an' wooly big ape movie that stars Bela Lugosi as the mysterious Dr. Mirakle, from a story by Edgar Allen Poe, cinematography by Karl Freund and produced by Carl Laemmle. You can catch this classic playing occassionally on TCM, that's where this copy came from...

Eegah!! sent over a special soundclip from the flick, sooooo, what the heck, you might as well push the big red 'GO' button there next to the escape hatch, NOW, Rufus The Gnat! Here's our audio offering for... MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE!

It's 1845 in Paris, where the maniacal Dr. Mirakle is abducting young women and injecting them with ape blood, trying to prove his theory of ape-human kinship. Every attempt to do so is a failure, ending with the death of the victims. A medical student discovers what the mad doctor is up to, but, he's too late to prevent the abduction of his girlfriend by Mirakle's ape.

What better way to get a show started than to bring in the sexy dancing girls? Duh!.. In the sixties, we had our Go-Go Girls!!

Dr. Mirakle shows off his prize ape, Erik. He argues that man was descended from apes, which causes a lot of discomfort with the audience.

Used as a gimmick I guess, but, using a real ape for close-ups doesn't work because it just doesn't match with the look of the ape costume.

A few of the audience members are intrigued by the doctor's theories, a medical student, his girlfriend and his roommate. Mirakle offers more insight into his ideas. Pretty Sidney Fox gets top billing as Mlle. Camille L'Espanaye.

Mirakle goes out into the night to capture another woman he can experiment on, this one is played by Arlene Francis. The doc shoots her up with ape blood, then curses her just before she dies!

Medical students Pierre and Paul are played by Leon Ames and Bert Roach. Here they are in their flat, Pierre studies and Paul cooks.

Pierre goes to see Mirakle at his show but is given the cold shoulder.

Then, while analyzing a blood sample aquired at the morgue from one of the dead women, Pierre puts the puzzle together... Mirakle is injecting the women with ape blood!

In the meantime, the doc sends out Erik to grab Camille in her bed and take her back to the lab for some fun!..

Pierre goes to the police and convinces them to go to Mirakle's home, before it's too late for Camille! I love the doc's place, I'd like to have one of 'em for my own... Atmospheric!

Mirakle totally effs up and Erik grabs him, flinging him around like a rag doll, and, puts an end to all the weird experiments.

Everyone watches in horror as Erik carries Camille along while maneuvering across the steep roofline.

Pierre knows what he has to do, but, what will happen to Camille when he shoots the big ape while he's holding her?.. Watch this classic flick to find out whut happens!