Murders in the Rue Morgue (1971)
An unusual take on Poe's tale in that the gorilla murders only take place in a Grand Guignol theatre production run by Jason Robards rather than actually being part of the plot narrative.
The story itself is a little to close to Hammer's Phantom of the Opera in that we have a masked Herbert Lom skulking round the Paris theatre district offing members of Robards cast. There are flashbacks galore and sometimes flashbacks within flashbacks, yet for all the general oddness it's quite compellingly done with a couple of gory acid murders thrown in.
Although Robards is okay, it's a pity AIP had finished with Vincent Price by this point as this film sorely misses him. It also lacks any tension whatsoever so in this respect is very akin to Hammer's Phantom. As with all AIP productions the sets and costumes are gorgeous, yet as a whole this film ultimately turns out to be a little on the boring side.
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