The Fall of the House of Usher

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Editorial Reviews:

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Vincent Price brings a theatrical flourish to the role of Roderick Usher, a brooding nobleman haunted by the dry rot of madness in his family tree. This being Poe, there's a history of family madness and melancholia, a premature burial, and a sense of doom hanging over this gloomy, crumbling mansion. Roger Corman sold stingy AIP pictures on the concept by claiming "The house is the monster," or so goes the oft-told story. True or not, Corman (with the help of his brilliant art director Daniel Haller and legendary cinematographer Floyd Crosby) creates an exaggerated sense of isolation and claustrophobia with the sunless forest and funereal fog that holds the house and its inhabitants prisoner in a land of the dead. It doesn't quite look real (some of the effects are downright phony, notably the apocalyptic climax), and none of the costars can hold a candle to Price's elegant, haunted performance (often speaking in no more than a stage whisper), but it's a triumph of expressionism on a budget. Shot in rich, vivid color and CinemaScope, from a literate script by genre master Richard Matheson, this is stylish gothic horror in a melancholy key. It was such a success that Corman reunited his core group of collaborators for the follow-up The Pit and the Pendulum the very next year. Corman's "Poe Cycle" was born. MGM's widescreen disc also features commentary by director-producer Corman, his first-ever such contribution. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews: Read 32 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

This is the movie that made Vincent Price my idol! February 8, 2002
15 out of 15 found this review helpful

In the 1960's, when I was a kid, the NUMBER ONE horror star was definitely Vincent Price! True, he started scaring us out of our shorts in the 50's, what with HOUSE OF WAX, THE FLY, THE TINGLER, and (best of all, in my humble), HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL. But it wasn't until he joined forces with American International Pictures and Director/Producer Roger Corman that Vinnie carved his niche as a true American horror icon! THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER started it all, the first in what's come to be known as "the Poe cycle." Released on tape in the mid 1980's (an inferior transfer), HOUSE OF USHER (its title, once the credits roll) has never looked better than on this gorgeous DVD. Colors are rich, sound is crystal clear, really, it's like seeing the film in a movie theater! And Vinnie, oh, Vinnie, he's in fine form here as the tragic Roderick Usher. Plagued by an over-heightening of the senses, he can't bear to hear loud noises or smell anything stronger than the most delicate perfume (yet, it doesn't prevent him from strumming a few off key notes on his mandolin!), Roderick is a tragic figure indeed. And what an imposing sight! Breathtaking, even! This is Vincent Price's most startling and compelling characterization--snow white hair, blue eyes, pale complexion, and that oh-so-very proper way of speaking and acting. I loved Hammer Films, with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, but Vincent Price was somebody we could call our our own, a true national treasure! Corman's direction is solid, and he makes the most of his limited cast (only 4 people) and budget--but everything looks so luxurious and expensive! You've got to remember that AIP was notorious for cranking out cheapjack black and white quickies for the juvie market--so HOUSE OF USHER was an utterly drastic change of pace for them. And it paid off, big-time! PIT AND THE PENDULUM (also available)soon followed, with TALES OF TERROR, THE RAVEN, and MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH, et al,waiting in the wings! Can't wait for them to all hit DVD--and if MGM's Midnite Movies claims them, we can expect quality, quality, quality! Oh! I should mention that Corman does an interesting and humorous commentary! Attractively packaged, moderately "PRICED," THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER gives you MUCHO bang for your buck! Vincent, you may have departed our mortal world in 1992, but your legacy is alive and well! We'll never see the likes of you again, sad to say!

4 out of 5 stars

"I heard her first feeble movements in the coffin..." April 26, 2004
14 out of 17 found this review helpful

Director Roger Corman and AIP had great success relating the tales of Edgar Allan Poe to the screen, and it all started here with The Fall of the House of Usher (1960). While not always exactly faithful to the source material (how many are?), the films sure are fun to watch. House of Usher stars Vincent Price as Roderick Usher, Myrna Fahey (who once dated Joe DiMaggio and received a death threat because a deranged fan couldn't stand to see DiMaggio with anyone other than Marilyn Monroe) as his sister Madeline Usher, Mark Damon as her fiance Philip Winthrop, and Harry Ellerbe as Bristol, the butler. Scripted by famed horror/fantasy/sci-fi writer Richard Matheson, who also worked on the later Corman/Poe/AIP films like Pit and the Pendulum (1961), Tales of Terror (1962), and The Raven (1963), The Fall of the House of Usher marked new ground for AIP and Corman. Previously, the studio was content in putting out two black and white films at the same time for minimal cost, Corman convinced the studio heads to take the money to make two of those films and let him use it to make one film in color, and the result, this film, turned out to be a huge box office draw in 1960.

Anyway, the film starts off with Philip riding up to a massive, dark, and as we find out later, crumbly house of Usher. The grounds around the house show no signs of life, but only death and decay. The house actually looks a lot like the creepy house you always see that the beginning of those old Scooby Doo cartoons. Seems he's come to see about his fiancee Madeline, as they had met in Boston where they both lived, and she has since returned home. This is when we meet Roderick Usher, a handsome, yet odd sort of fellow, who we learn has a painfully acute sensitivity of all the senses, preferring the dimmest of light, the blandest of food, the softest of clothing, the mildest of odor, and the quietest of sounds. We also learn, from Roderick, that Madeline is sick, and no one is allowed to see her. Philip, not understanding what's going on, refuses to leave until he can see Madeline, and Roderick finally acquiesces. She seems all right, but later we learn what the sickness is...one, not so much of body, but of a madness supposedly passed down through the Usher lineage. You see, the house and the grounds were once fertile, and full of life, but evil overtook the Usher line, displayed in the many crimes perpetrated by the various ancestors, poisoning the family and the estate, or so says Roderick. The presence of malignance is so oppressive, it's causing the centuries old house to crumble under its' own weight. I personally think it's due to lack of upkeep, but what do I know? Anyway, Philip pushes to take Madeline away from the house, but Roderick is intent on keeping her there until such time as she and he pass, effectively ending the Usher family line. His fear is that she should leave and procreate, extending the evil that has survived so long. The question of evil and its' ability to be passed down is brought up, along with the idea of evil being not so much limited to an abstract idea but a real, almost tangible quality that infects and destroys people and objects. Where does evil live? In the mind? The soul? Can it be transferred? Can a place, with a history of evil acts performed within, actually become so seeped in evil that it becomes evil itself? Well, soon Madeline suffers a heart attack and passes, due to all the excitement that Philip has brought, so says Roderick. Madeline is put into the family crypt in the basement (that's convenient), but is she really dead? Maybe not...seems there's a history of narcolepsy, a disorder characterized by sudden and uncontrollable, though often brief, attacks of deep sleep, sometimes accompanied by paralysis and hallucinations and would sometimes make the sufferer to appear dead, in the Usher family. Did Madeline suffer from such a malady? If so, then I'd hate to be her when she wakes....

The film moves along nicely, except for maybe the dream sequence. Corman always seemed to like throwing in crazy dream sequences in his Poe productions, and sometimes they helped add to the film, sometimes they sort of ground the proceedings to a halt, in my opinion. Never being really a big fan of the cinematic dream sequence anyway, this one, at least, was short. Price and his costars all do a wonderful job, and I especially liked Fahey near the end. Price seems to envelope the role of Roderick Usher, fitting into character perfectly. If I ever read the actual Poe story, I know I'll always have a picture in my mind of Price as Roderick. What an interesting visage she provides...very scary, even for the hardened horror fan. The music, by the accomplished composer Les Baxter, really complements the visuals in creepy fashion, filling out the overall effect provided by really excellent sets.

The wide screen print here looks really good, but there are occasions where speckling and print damage were noticeable. It's very slight, and did little to lessen my enjoyment of the film. Special features include a theatrical trailer for the film, and a separate commentary track by Corman himself. I have to say, I think this is not only one of the best Corman/Poe films of the eight that were made, but one of Corman's best films period.

Cookieman108

4 out of 5 stars

A first rate gothic horror thriller March 25, 2000
12 out of 14 found this review helpful

By far the best of all Vincent Price / Roger Corman adaptions of the works of Edgar Allan Poe, this is really a horror film that should be regarded as equal to the 30`s classic horror movies like Dracula or Frankenstein (it certainly is scarier than watching Karloff wander around in front of painted backdrops). In fact, "House Of Usher" is not only a straight thriller, it is also a very poetic movie, it has a good script, a haunting score (especially in the crypt sequence) and a very well crafted set design (just watch Corman`s opulent use of colors). If the climax is somewhat hurried it is more than made up by the frightening atmosphere of the film. When I watched it as a child in the early eighties, it was one of the few old chillers that really scared me to death ..... and it will certainly entertain everyone who enjoys to watch really good vintage horror thrillers (Vincent Price`s morbid characterization of Roderick Usher is worth a few shocks alone).

3 out of 5 stars

Vincent Price & The House of Usher November 28, 2002
10 out of 13 found this review helpful

THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER, actually just called THE HOUSE OF USHER originally, was the 28th film for Roger Corman to make. He produced and directed it. Such was quite an achievent for a man not yet 38 years of age. It was Corman's most expensive picture to date, costing some $200,000. $50,000 went to the star, Vincent Price. Price bleached his hair, thinking that it better fit his character than the black hair originally intended.

A lot of filler had to be used to stretch Poe's story into a feature film of 1 hour and 20 minutes. Corman's films often ran short and he regularly used extended camera shots and other tricks to make them long enough for European release. This film did quite well, ranking at number 5 at the box office in 1960.

Roderick Usher (Price) tries to convince the fiancee to his sister, Madeline, that he must leave the house and give up all hope of marriage. The young man refuses. After Roderick has had an argument with his sister, she goes into a catatonic shock and is presumed dead. Roderick knows the truth but decides to bury her alive.

While the house itself might be considered the real murderer and monster, this is really a psychological thriller. Has Roderick convinced his sister that she is sick and is going to die? Are his senses really so developed that he can hear the most meager sounds or is it an aspect of his own delusion?

The sins of the Usher line are blamed for the death and decay that have poisoned the grounds and made living in the house hazardous to health-- there are a lot of accidents. Despite a private chapel with crucifix, the Ushers seem convinced that there is no hope for them, just more misery and pain, even after death. Roderick believes that the sins of his ancestors have stained his own life and soul, and that there is no escape.

Taken from a scientific perspective, the fissure that has undermined the house's foundation may have released a gas that destroyed the grounds and poisoned their minds and bodies. Nothing is said about this in the film, but there are similar cases where such things and not spiritual evil have been the real culprits.

Taken in a theological sense, the lack of hope (despair) and the refusal to repent brings one to a fiery judgment. The film has the house erupt in flame and the fissure, literally a pit, consumes the house. Madeline's suitor escapes and stands safely on the other side of the property's gates. He tried to battle with optimism the darkness that had possessed the house and the minds of its inhabitants. Roderick insisted that he did not understand-- what?-- that Madeline was insane? Or did he make her so by burying her alive?

>No vulgar words.
>No nudity or sexual situations.
>Minor plot violence.

Richard Matheson, of Twilight Zone fame, wrote the screenplay.

The film is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen.

Audio is two-channel mono, and is okay. Extras are a theatrical trailer and a commentary track by Roger Corman.

3 out of 5 stars House of Usher DVD Transfer - A Visual Disappointment July 20, 2001
9 out of 12 found this review helpful

I recently compared the DVD of House of Usher to the earlier Orion laserdisc release. I hooked up both my DVD and laserdisc players through a Videonics MX-Pro video mixer using S-video cords. As I toggled back and forth between the two versions, the results were startling and my initial suspicions were confirmed - the laserdisc image is dramatically superior to the DVD. The people responsible for the DVD transfer chose to overemphasize color saturation at the expense of clarity. Whereas the laserdisc image is sharp and detailed, the DVD is blurred and indistinct. The colors in the DVD are so exaggerated as to appear unrealistic (note Roderick's candy-red robe at the beginning of the film). The laserdisc colors are rich, but real. Generally speaking, the laserdisc image is brighter than the DVD. When I first sat through the DVD, I thought the darker tones looked too dark. They are, and again, detail is lost. If a person with a mild stigmatism were to watch the laserdisc version through a pair of sunglasses, they would come close to what the DVD image looks like. In conclusion, if you already have the Orion laserdisc, hang on to it, for it is far and away the best print of the film available. Those of you who missed the laserdisc (and have a player) should try to snag one on ebay. The DVD transfer is, unfortunately, a sloppy job, attempting to please us with "eye candy" rather than a well-defined image. And just to show you that I'm not prejudiced against DVD's, the DVD release of Pit and the Pendulum is indeed superior to the Orion laserdisc release.

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