It's turn of the century Paris. Cesar Charron (Jason Robards) is directing the stage play of Edgar Allan Poe's "Murders in the Rue Morgue". Rene Marot (Herbert Lom) killed an actor and steals his part as the murderous ape. Cesar's wife Madeline Charron (Christine Kaufmann) is the star of the show. She is haunted by nightmares since her mother (Lilli Palmer) was killed by an ax. Marot is the killer and is supposed to be dead. He is seeking revenge upon some of the participants.
This is sort of a Poe play. This is sort of a horror. It's sort of thrilling. At the end of the day, it's not really any of these things. There are some good actors. The movie probably should be following Madeline more closely. She should be the sole protagonist. Her dreams need to be better. They're somewhat cheesy and what an old movie thinks a dream should be. In the end, there is not enough tension and only intermittently interesting.
This is sort of a Poe play. This is sort of a horror. It's sort of thrilling. At the end of the day, it's not really any of these things. There are some good actors. The movie probably should be following Madeline more closely. She should be the sole protagonist. Her dreams need to be better. They're somewhat cheesy and what an old movie thinks a dream should be. In the end, there is not enough tension and only intermittently interesting.