The weird thing about this movie version of the classic story "Murders in the Rue Morgue" by Edgar Allan Poe, is that it really isn't the story of Murders in the Rue Morgue at all. Actually, this movie is a weird version of Phantom of the Opera in which the show being performed and sabatoged - instead of an Opera - is a play of "Murders in the Rue Morgue"! All the classic Phantom elements are here. The former great performer who once had his face destroyed by acid is thought dead by everyone, but actually is alive, and lurks about the building wearing a mask, obsessing over the show's lead actress, and occasionally murdering other actors surrounding her. The only difference here is, when he wants to kill people, this film's Phantom dons the gorilla costume from the "Rue Morgue" play. In other words, he pretends to be the actor playing the part of the gorilla and kills people for real. So... all of the classic "Rue Morgue" imagery from the original short story and the earlier Bela Lugosi film version is here: you do get to see a crazy-looking, murderous gorilla fondling and carrying around a sexy, dazed girl in a flimsy white dress. You do get to see a head chopped off and an axe buried in the evil monkey's back. Except... none of the "Rue Morgue" stuff is supposed to be "Real" within the context of the story, it's all supposed to be part of the play being performed. So you see it, but in a way there is a sense of disappointment to it. If the same over-the-top images in this film had been used to actually tell the story of "Rue Morgue", I would have loved this flick. But the way it is presented, I was left feeling like, "I just watched a movie in which nothing actually happened. The killer ape (the best part of the original story) wasn't real!" In some strange way this sucked all the fun out of it! The only "real" stuff that is supposed to be happening in this film are the Phantom murders. One of these, early in the film, is really great, when the Phantom pours acid on the face of a hot chick in black lingerie. But I have to admit, I was a little disappointed and consider the title of this movie to be a case of false advertising. I just think all horror fans need to be aware of this aspect of the film so they know what they are getting before they buy it!

Here's yet another one of those wonderful MGM double feature DVDs. The studio with the roaring lion has seen fit to release a bunch of low budget, obscure films in this format. For the cheese cinema lover, it's nice to see MGM doing something right for a change. How many times have you watched a MGM disc only to discover nothing more than a trailer as an extra? Sure, it's nice to get that nifty, crystal clear widescreen picture transfer, but where are the behind the scenes stuff or the commentary tracks? I can't say I would listen to or watch any of these extras if the movie tanks, but extras should appear nonetheless. MGM almost never includes extras on its discs, so the double feature is one way to overcome this mediocrity. But wait! For once MGM actually decided to throw a bone to the viewer! Included with "Cry of the Banshee" and "Murders in the Rue Morgue" are two interviews with director Gordon Hessler. I did a double take when the menu screen popped up; I initially thought my eyes deceived me when I saw MGM actually included an interesting extra. My subsequent experiences with MGM discs have turned up other films now boasting a few extra features. Perhaps a sea change is in the works?

First up is "Cry of the Banshee," a 1970 effort starring the indomitable Vincent Price in yet another Edgar Allan Poe inspired role. On this outing Price hams it up as Edward Whitman, the patriarch of a powerful aristocratic family in 16th century England. Price's character presides over the local population as its benevolent magistrate, which means he possesses the power to torture and murder anyone he deems guilty of witchcraft. We learn right away how the law works in this village as we see a young lady dragged through the muddy streets of the town on her way to the stocks. It seems the fear of witches weighs heavy on the village, as both the nobles and the rabble are always quick to condemn their fellow man or woman. Events come to a head when Whitman and his lascivious family-including college boy Harry (Carl Rigg), daughter Maureen (Hilary Dwyer), and other son Sean (Stephen Chase)-launch an all out assault on the local coven headed up by the mangy Oona (Elisabeth Bergner). Edward unfortunately allows this witch to live after he slaughters her flock, a decision never adequately explained, which leads to a retaliation of monstrous proportions. Expect to see cheesy set pieces, histrionic performances, bodice ripping, and occasional bloodshed in this immensely entertaining low budget schlockfest.

I also liked "Murders in the Rue Morgue," Hessler's 1971 follow up to "Cry of the Banshee." This very loose adaptation of Poe's classic story takes place in Paris at the Rue Morgue theater where owner Cesar Charron (Jason Robards) stages elaborate plays filled with gruesome carnage. The show really packs in the public despite a few niggling problems. For example, Charron's young wife Madeleine (Christine Kaufmann) keeps having these horrible dreams about a man falling out of the theater's scaffolding. Her visions usually precede a screaming fit, a few of which occur during the show. As the movie progresses we learn that Charron once had another wife, an actress (played by Lili Palmer) who passed away soon after a tragedy on stage claimed the life of another member of the troupe, the unbalanced Rene Marot (Herbert Lom). Now a maniac is knocking off people around Charron, and the police suspect the theater owner knows more about what is going on than he is willing to admit. Well, things aren't quite what they seem, obviously, and it's up to Charron and his friends to get to the bottom of the series of gruesome crimes. Best part of the movie? Describing a bottle of acid as "vitriol" during one of the troupe's grisly performances.

You simply cannot expect to find anything other than one cheesy scene after another with these two films. Both movies came from American International Pictures, a sort of Cannon of the early 1970s. Of the two films, I would say "Cry of the Banshee" is the better picture. Let's face it: any film starring Vincent Price always provides a couple of hours of high-grade entertainment and amusement. Even on an off day, Price runs rings around nearly anyone else in the horror biz. Heck, the guy made a career out of creepy, and no one ever overacted as effectively, or as consistently, as he did. I miss the guy. "Murders in the Rue Morgue" isn't as effective as "Banshee" because the script plods and the kills aren't as entertaining. Robards, usually a reliable actor, seems inexplicably aloof here. So does Herbert Lom in what is essentially a retread of his earlier performance as the Phantom of the Opera. And why so many dream sequences? The movie must have shown that guy falling out of the rafters a hundred times. Worse, we know right from the start who's responsible for the crimes unfolding in and around the theater. No suspenseful denouement in this picture. Oh, there's an attempt to startle, but it doesn't quite come off as it should.

The picture transfers of both movies simply stun the eye. Colors leap off the screen as though the movies were made in the last couple of years instead of three decades ago. I don't even recall seeing grain or scratches in the prints, which is amazing for two ancient, low budget pictures. Lovers of cheap cinema will want to check out what MGM has done for these two films. For those unaccustomed to schlocky movies, well, you may want to stay away. You have to work your way up to this type of film, you know; you might suffer mightily if you dive in unprepared!

Ahhh, American International Pictures, exploitation be thy name...here are two more tales, one with perennial AIP star Vincent Price, and the other without. Just a little background on these movies and others of their ilk...AIP would come up with an idea and a title for a movie, and then sell the concept before even one bit of film was shot, promising a specific release date. Once the idea sold, production was thrown into gear, and was required to be finished in a short amount of time, usually a few weeks. Throw in a well known star, i.e. Vincent Price, and the formula worked, even though the movies tended to be more or less cinematic pulp fiction (as director Hessler puts it), focusing on the more lurid and sensational aspects of the particular stories.

Cry of the Banshee (1970) certainly isn't one of the better films in the series of horror releases by AIP, but it did have its' merits. Having Vincent Price certainly made it watchable, despite a rather lame plot, in my opinion. One thing about Mr. Price is he always put forth a worthy effort, despite being saddled with less than desirable material and disliking being confined to a particular genre. Price is Lord Edward Whitman, a cruel and sadistic English magistrate whose main goal seems to be to root out witchery, even if there is none to be found. Once convicted a suspected witch would be paraded around town, while being tied to the back of a cart and flogged for the amusement of all. After this the woman would be locked in a stockade and pelted with various bits of rotten vegetables, dirt clods, and horse apples. Trouble begins when Lord Edward and his group find a real coven of witchery practicing the 'old religion', proceed to wipe out half the group, but neglecting to kill the main witch, and thus raising her ire and a curse being placed on the Whitman house. Soon, various members of the Whitman clan begin to fall prey to a monstrous beast, thought to be a mad dog, but instead being a more sinister creature. A hunt is put forth to destroy the mad dog plaguing the vicinity, and a beast is caught, but it does not stem the demise of the Whitmans. What is the true nature of the beast? Can it be stopped? As I said before, this isn't one of the better efforts, but it's not all bad. Price is usually always fun to watch, despite the story losing focus a few times, getting mired in muddy plot contrivances. It does find its' way, and we are provided with a pretty good ending. There is more nudity in this film than I would have though, but the gore is played less for quantity and more for subtle restrain, which was much appreciated.

The second film here, Murders on the Rue Morgue (1971) stars Jason Robards as Cesar Charron, owner of a performing company with a startling secret. Also in the film are German actress Christine Kaufmann as Cesar's young wife Madeleine, Herbert Lom, from the Pink Panther movies, as Rene Marot, and Adolfo Celi, the main villain Largo in the James Bond movie Thunderball (1965), as police Inspector Vidocq. The story involves a series of murders in Charron's performing company, murders caused by various members getting doused with vitriolic acid. Turns out all the people killed have a common denominator in their past, one which has recently re-surfaced, and is out for their blood. Will the past be uncovered before it kills again? What awful secret has came back to haunt the living? While watching this movie, one may wonder why Price wasn't in it, as it seemed like a role tailor made for him. I believe his contract with AIP had expired prior to the making of this movie, and I suspect he probably out priced himself on purpose in an effort to move away from the genre. Hence the appearance of Robards, who looks utterly bored and fairly disappointed to be starring in a film of this caliber. Christine Kaufmann spent most of the movie with a far away look on her face, as if one who was in a stupor, but given the excessive number of dream sequences her character, along with the audience, had to endure, I probably had the same look by the end of the film. There is no mystery as to who the killer is, but the secret of why is the meat of the story. This is revealed slowly, and didn't provide any great shockers when finally exposed to the audience. Without Price to buoy the film, it tends to sink under its' own weight into a morass of boredom and predictability. The following line from the film sticks out in my mind, Rene Marot: As I once begged for your kisses, now you will beg for your death. Begging? Yeah, I was begging the end of the film to come quickly...

I will say the prints used in this release look really sharp and clear. MGM, not especially known for there special features on their Midnight Movies series, shocked me by not only including trailers for the films, but also including a interview for each movie with director Gordon Hessler. The pieces, while short (about 18 minutes for Cry of the Banshee and 10 minutes for Murders in the Rue Morgue), are really interesting an informative, with Hessler talking about his experiences in films, how he got started, and speaking specifically about each of the two films here. He does well illuminating many aspects of making films for AIP, and almost giving one a different, more softer critical eye on the movies based on the information Hessler provides. He's not making excuses for the quality of the work, by any means, but does offer much we may not have been aware of before.

Cookieman108

Forget the exploitative Cry of the Banshee, Murders in the Rue Morgue is the gem in this package. Once again, the director/writer team of Hessler and Wicking explore the confusing boundaries of reality and the limitations of perception in a story that proceeds with a carefully controlled dream logic. More cohesive and less intentionally disjointed and jigsawish than the nightmarishly paranoid Scream and Scream Again, this is a fascinating, eerie, and classy horror film. Those who like it will want to check out Demons of the Mind, also written by Wicking for Hammer Films. Cry of the Banshee, a Hessler/Wicking collaboration from the previous year, is disappointing considering the artists involved.

I've never seen either of these films, but I would expect the titles for "Cry of the Banshee" to be pretty good since Terry Gilliam is the man who created them.

That's all I have to say about that.