''Phantom of the Rue Morgue'' is a 1954 American mystery

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...

directed by

Roy Del Ruth Roy Del Ruth (October 18, 1893 – April 27, 1961) was an American filmmaker. Early career Beginning his Hollywood career as a writer for Mack Sennett in 1915, Del Ruth later directed his first short film ''Hungry Lions'' (1919) for the pr ...

and starring

Karl Malden Karl Malden (born Mladen George Sekulovich; March 22, 1912 – July 1, 2009) was an American stage, movie and television actor who first achieved acclaim in the original Broadway productions of Arthur Miller's '' All My Sons'' and Tennessee Will ...

, Claude Dauphin and

Patricia Medina Patricia Paz Maria Medina (19 July 1919 – 28 April 2012) was a British actress. She is perhaps best known for her roles in the films ''Phantom of the Rue Morgue'' (1954) and ''Mr. Arkadin'' (1955). Early life Medina was born on 19 July 1919 ...

. The film is an adaptation of

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...

's 1841 short story ''

The Murders in the Rue Morgue "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe published in ''Graham's Magazine'' in 1841. It has been described as the first modern detective fiction, detective story; Poe referred to it as one of his "tales of wikt:ratio ...

''.

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

released several 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 Frederick Martin MacMurray (August 30, 1908 – November 5, 1991) was an American actor. He appeared in more than one hundred films and a successful television series in a career that spanned nearly a half-century. His career as a major film le ...

, the studio attempted to repeat the success they had with '' House of Wax'' the previous year. This movie was based on the same story which had formed the basis of a 1932 horror film which stars

Bela Lugosi Blaskó Béla Ferenc Dezső (; October 20, 1882 – August 16, 1956), better known by the stage name Bela Lugosi ( ; ), was a Hungarian–American actor. He was best remembered for portraying Count Dracula in the horror film classic Dracula (19 ...

Plot

In 1870s France, a string of strange murders occur on the Rue Morgue, a fictional street in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. The authorities are baffled, but they do know of one man who may have the answers - a professor named Dupin. Dupin agrees to help the police. Soon a list of suspects is established. The roster includes a one-eyed sailor named Jacques. But there is also Professor Marais, who is involved in bizarre and unauthorized animal experiments.

Cast

as Dr. Marais * Claude Dauphin as Insp. Bonnard *

as Jeanette * Steve Forrest as Prof. Paul Dupin * Allyn Ann McLerie as Yvonne * Anthony Caruso as Jacques the One-Eyed * Veola Vonn as Arlette *

Dolores Dorn Dolores Dorn (March 3, 1934 – October 5, 2019) was an American film and television actress, who was the co-star of ''The Bounty Hunter (1954 film), The Bounty Hunter'' (1954), ''Uncle Vanya (1957 film), Uncle Vanya'' (1957), ''Underworld U.S. ...

as Camille *

Merv Griffin Mervyn Edward Griffin Jr. (July 6, 1925 – August 12, 2007) was an American television show host and media mogul. He began his career as a radio and big band singer, later appearing in film and on Broadway theatre, Broadway. From 1962 to 1986, G ...

as Georges Brevert * Paul Richards as Rene the Knife-thrower *

Rolfe Sedan Rolfe Sedan (born Edward Sedan; January 20, 1896 – September 15, 1982) was an American character actor, best known for appearing in bit parts, often uncredited, usually portraying clerks, train conductors, postmen, cooks, waiters, etc. Ea ...

as LeBon * Erin O'Brien-Moore as Wardrobe Woman *

Charles Gemora Carlos Cruz Gemora (June 15, 1903 – August 19, 1961), commonly known as Charles Gemora, was a Hollywood makeup artist renowned as "the King of the Gorilla Men" for his prolific appearances in many Hollywood films while wearing a gorilla suit. ...

as Sultan, The Gorilla * The Flying Zacchinis as Themselves * Tito Vuolo as Pignatelli * Marie Blake as Marie *

Henry Kulky Henry Kulky (born Henry Kulakowich; August 11, 1911 – February 12, 1965) was an American actor and professional wrestler from Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, probably best remembered as Chief Petty Officer Curly Jones from season 1 of '' Voyag ...

as Maurice, Sailor * Leonard Penn as Gendarme Dumas * Frank Lackteen as Gendarme Chavet *

George J. Lewis George J. Lewis (December 10, 1903December 8, 1995) was a Mexican-born actor who appeared in many films and eventually TV series from the 1920s through the 1960s, usually specializing in westerns. He is probably best known for playing Don Aleja ...

as Gendarme Duval *

Rico Alaniz Americo Zorilla "Rico" Alaniz (October 25, 1919 – March 9, 2015) was a Mexican-American actor. Early years Alaniz was born in Juárez, Mexico, and began riding when he was a child. Selected filmography * '' The Capture'' (1950) - Policema ...

as Gendarme *

Belle Mitchell Belle Mitchell (September 24, 1889 – February 12, 1979) was an American stage and film actress. She appeared in more than 100 films between 1915 and 1978. She was born in Croswell, Michigan and died in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles. Parti ...

as Concierge *

Creighton Hale Creighton Hale (born Patrick Wills Fitzgerald; May 24, 1882 – August 9, 1965) was an Irish-American theatre, film, and television actor whose career extended more than a half-century, from the early 1900s to the end of the 1950s. Career Hale ...

as Concierge's Husband

References

Bibliography

* Aitken, Stuart C. & Zonn, Leo E. ''Place, Power, Situation and Spectacle: A Geography of Film''. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 1994. * Palmer, Barton R. ''Nineteenth-Century American Fiction on Screen''. Cambridge University Press, 2007.

External links

* * {{The Murders in the Rue Morgue 1954 films 1954 3D films Films based on The Murders in the Rue Morgue Films directed by Roy Del Ruth Films scored by David Buttolph Films with screenplays by James R. Webb American serial killer films Warner Bros. films 1950s English-language films Films set in the 1870s Films set in Paris American mystery films 1950s mystery films American historical films 1950s historical films Remakes of American films 1950s American films English-language historical films English-language mystery films Historical mystery films