Cry of the Banshee / Murders in the Rue Morgue

Rating:
Summary: GOOD DOUBLE FEATURE....
Review: MGM has done it again with two good horror films for a low price. And both films are pristine in picture quality. 1.) "Cry of the Banshee" from 1970 stars Vincent price as sadistic witch-hunting Judge Whitman in 16th century England who runs afoul of witch Oona (30's actress Elisabeth Bergner) when he slaughters some of her followers---her "children"---and she curses Whitman and his dysfunctional family. She summons a demon to kill them all. The demon happens to be in the form of his daughter Maureen's (Hilary Dwyer) lover. Excellent period atmospshere and costumes with brutal scenes of young women being tortured for "witchcraft". The second feature is 1971's "Murders in the Rue Morgue" about a Grand Guignol theatrical group in 1800's Paris who do Poe's tale on stage. They are being stalked and killed with vitriolic acid by a mysterious man in black (Herbert Lom). Jason Robards is the play's star and the beautiful Christine Kaufman is Madeline, Robards' wife and the heroine of the play. She's having bizarre nightmares of a masked "axeman" stalking her. Her nightmares eventually foretell and explain the mystery surrounding the murders. Sometimes confusing story is played out well in gorgeous Gothic style. Vivid Parisian atmosphere is beautifully captured (although shot in Spain) and the costumes are sumptuous. Kaufman's ethereal and fragile beauty are perfect for her role as Madeline...a damsel in constant distress, on stage and off. In summary, these two films are a fun package and you can't beat the price. They're both beautiful to look at and enjoy for a macabre double treat on DVD .

Rating:
Summary: GOOD DOUBLE FEATURE....
Review: MGM has done it again with two good horror films for a low price. And both films are pristine in picture quality. 1.) "Cry of the Banshee" from 1970 stars Vincent price as sadistic witch-hunting Judge Whitman in 16th century England who runs afoul of witch Oona (30's actress Elisabeth Bergner) when he slaughters some of her followers---her "children"---and she curses Whitman and his dysfunctional family. She summons a demon to kill them all. The demon happens to be in the form of his daughter Maureen's (Hilary Dwyer) lover. Excellent period atmospshere and costumes with brutal scenes of young women being tortured for "witchcraft". The second feature is 1971's "Murders in the Rue Morgue" about a Grand Guignol theatrical group in 1800's Paris who do Poe's tale on stage. They are being stalked and killed with vitriolic acid by a mysterious man in black (Herbert Lom). Jason Robards is the play's star and the beautiful Christine Kaufman is Madeline, Robards' wife and the heroine of the play. She's having bizarre nightmares of a masked "axeman" stalking her. Her nightmares eventually foretell and explain the mystery surrounding the murders. Sometimes confusing story is played out well in gorgeous Gothic style. Vivid Parisian atmosphere is beautifully captured (although shot in Spain) and the costumes are sumptuous. Kaufman's ethereal and fragile beauty are perfect for her role as Madeline...a damsel in constant distress, on stage and off. In summary, these two films are a fun package and you can't beat the price. They're both beautiful to look at and enjoy for a macabre double treat on DVD .

Rating:
Summary: Fun sort of
Review: 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!

Rating:
Summary: "RUE MORGUE" DIRECTOR'S CUT A GREAT MIDNITE MOVIE!
Review: This is another great "MIDNITE MOVIES" double feature DVD from MGM. The crown jewel of this pair is the B-side feature "MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE" (1971) with Jason Robards and Herbert Lom. When originally released in the 70's, AIP cut 11 minutes from the film and tinted the dream sequences. Here, at last, is the original director's cut that played last year on cable. And, while not being a lost classic, it is a very good film. It is well directed by GORDON HESSLER and superbly acted by Herbert Lom, Michael Dunn and Lilli Palmer. Jason Robards isn't right for the part he's playing, but he's ok, too. The tranfer on the DVD is wonderful. Picture and sound are superb. As for the main feature, "CRY OF THE BANSHEE", it is a dull, plodding tale of witches and witchfinders. It seems every male horror star made at least one of these sort of films in the 70's including Christopher Lee ("NIGHT OF THE BLOOD MONSTER"), Peter Cushing ("TWINS OF EVIL"), and Herbert Lom ("MARK OF THE DEVIL"), while Price did two, this dog and the earlier (far superior) "WITCHFINDER GENERAL" (aka "THE CONQUEROR WORM"). Price is ok here, but its the supporting players I found more interesting, such as Essy Persson as Price's quiet wife Patricia who eventually goes mad; Hugh Griffith as a wondering goofball; and Elisabeth Bergner as the head of the witch's coven Oona. Too bad the screenplay wasn't more interesting, this could have been a better film. And its a good thing the title beastie is kept mainly in the shadows so we don't really see it clearly, in the publicity photos I've seen of the film it is a most risible creature. Again, the transfer is a good one with a nice clear picture and fine mono sound. Both sides feature an interview with director Gordon Hessler ("SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN", "GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD"), about 17 1/2 minutes for "BANSHEE" and 9 minutes for "MURDERS", and the original theatrical trailer. All in all, a very nice addition to the MIDNITE MOVIE line, although it is too bad they didn't release "MURDERS" on a disc all by itself, with perhaps the shorter, edited version as a bonus feature so we could compare the two. -George Bauch.