Surprisingly Bloody, this was made after House of Wax (1953), also in 3-D, was Such a Hit. This one Holds Up pretty Well with the Vincent Price Movie, although Karl Malden seems Out of Place.The Attraction of this Film is the Gruesomeness of the Violence. There are some Attractive Indoor Scenes. But when the Movie Ventures Outdoors it is Stilted and Stage Bound. There is some Tension as the Brutal Murders continue and when the Evil Doctor Locks the Heroine in the Barred Room (cage) it is quite Terrifying.Overall, a Man in an Ape Suit is Rarely Effective, although done somewhat Believable Here. The Movie is just about as Good as one would expect Considering the Limitations of the 3-D Format and 1950's Sensibilities, in Fact, maybe a Bit Better. The Downside is the Aggravating Police Department and there are a lot of Scenes where Folks just Stand around and Jabber.

If you've read the Edgar Allen Poe story THE MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE, be prepared to be wildly disappointed in this unexciting, awkwardly produced film version. Roy Del Ruth directs with such inertia it's impossible to recommend anything here. Poe's story of some sort of beast roaming the streets of Paris killing young women is transferred to the screen with all the excitement of a soggy croissant. In casting that is silly rather than intriguing, Karl Malden has the lead role and Steve Forrest is a professor who cracks the case. B-movie goddess Patricia Medina (later Mrs. Joseph Cotten in real life) and French acting legend Claude Dauphin add very little. Merv Griffin is in cast list but good luck spotting him. Creepy Anthony Caruso plays creepy Jacques, Malden's cycloptic assistant. The obvious music score is by David Buttolph and the cinematography is by J. Peverell Marley, who shot the much better HOUSE OF WAX a year earlier. Director Del Ruth followed this with the equally unscary horror film THE ALLIGATOR PEOPLE.

This version of "Phantom of the Rue Morgue" is far superior to the earlier Bela Lugosi version in virtually every respect! Firstly, the music score by David Buttolph adds a sinister spine tingling note that heightens the element of fright. The cast members, all of them, led by Karl Malden and the underestimated Claude Dauphin as the Inspector, move the plot along and ably hold the audience's attention as the story unfolds. The mood, the period, the locale of turn-of-the-century Paris are all re-created very well by Director Roy Del Ruth. The garish hues of Warner Color, too, heighten the imagery. Having first seen this flick more than half a century ago as a young boy, I was terrified then. Given some of what makes it to the screen these days, "Phantom" is, indeed, quite tame by comparison! Nonetheless, it is a very entertaining horror flick of the period

Although not in the same league with Warner's HOUSE OF WAX, at least this version of the Edgar Allen Poe story has some interesting ingredients that make it passable entertainment. First and foremost, the always dependable KARL MALDEN as a sinister man terrifying Paris with his ape and a pleasant supporting cast that includes CLAUDE DAUPHIN, PATRICIA MEDINA and a very young and slim MERV GRIFFIN.David Buttolph's music adds some flavor to the improbable Poe story and the sets and costumes provide additional quality. But the basic story is so silly that none of it seems quite credible. You just have to suspend your disbelief long enough to enjoy the tale, expanded a bit from Poe's original short story with only modest returns.STEVE FORREST, as a man wrongly accused, gives the film's most earnest performance but it's KARL MALDEN and his ape companion that you're most likely to remember.At any rate, a vast improvement over the stilted '32 version directed by Robert Florey with a very young Leon Ames as the romantic lead and Bela Lugosi providing the only thrills.