The Murders in the Rue Morgue *** (1986, George C Scott, Rebecca De Mornay, Ian McShane, Neil Dickson, Val Kilmer) – Classic Movie Review 2,683

George C Scott stars as detective Auguste Dupin, who comes out of retirement to help his daughter Claire (Rebecca De Mornay)’s fiancé Phillipe Huron (Val Kilmer) prove that he did not commit a series of grisly murders.

The fifth film of Edgar Allan Poe’s gory 1841 horror short story is once again set in 19th century Paris. The made-for-TV mystery movie The Murders in the Rue Morgue is tautly and imaginatively handled by director Jeannot Szwarc in 1986, and benefits from being actually shot in Paris and elsewhere in France.

And it is greatly enlivened by an exuberant turn from a well-cast George C Scott as detective Auguste Dupin, who comes out of retirement to help his daughter Claire (Rebecca De Mornay)’s fiancé Phillipe Huron (Val Kilmer) prove that he did not commit a series of grisly murders.

There is an incisive, coherent script by David Epstein, and colourful photography by cinematographer Bruno de Keyser.

The good cast also includes Rebecca De Mornay as Claire, Val Kilmer as Phillipe Huron, Ian McShane as the Prefect of Police, and Neil Dickson as Adolphe Le Bon.

Paris locations include Notre Dame Cathedral, the Place de l’Opéra and in Buttes-Chaumont (standing in for the Bois de Boulogne), while about a third of the film is shot elsewhere in France, including the prison scenes shot in Corbeil, Marne.

It premiered at 8pm on December 7, 1986 in the US on CBS.

It follows Robert Florey’s 1932 Murders in the Rue Morgue with Bela Lugosi, the 1954 Phantom of the Rue Morgue, with Karl Malden, and the 1971 Murders in the Rue Morgue with Jason Robards.

The cast

The cast are George C Scott as Auguste Dupin, Rebecca De Mornay as Claire Dupin, Val Kilmer as Phillipe Huron, Ian McShane as Prefect of Police, Neil Dickson as Adolphe Le Bon, Mak Wilson as Ape, and Sebastian Roché as Henri.

Val Kilmer (December 31, 1959 – April 1, 2025)

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2,683

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