The Fall of the House of Usher (1979)

After a long journey, a traveller and his wife arrive at the Usher mansion. Upon arriving, however, they discover that the mansion's sibling inhabitants, Roderick and Madeline Usher, have ... See full summary »

Director:

James L. Conway

Writers:

Stephen Lord, Edgar Allan Poe (story)

Stars:

Martin Landau, Charlene Tilton, Ray Walston

Cast

Cast overview:
Martin Landau	...	Roderick Usher
Charlene Tilton	...	Jennifer Cresswell
Ray Walston	...	Thaddeus
Robert Hays	...	Jonathan Cresswell
Dimitra Arliss	...	Madeline Usher
Peggy Stewart	...	Barmaid
Michael Ruud
H.E.D. Redford

Storyline

After a long journey, a traveller and his wife arrive at the Usher mansion. Upon arriving, however, they discover that the mansion's sibling inhabitants, Roderick and Madeline Usher, have been afflicted with a mysterious malady: Roderick's senses have become painfully acute, while Madeline has become nearly catatonic. That evening, Roderick tells his guests of an old Usher family curse: any time there has been more than one Usher child, all of the siblings have gone insane and died horrible deaths. As the days wear on, the effects of the curse reach their terrifying climax.

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Plot Keywords:

curse | mansion | england | desolation | ghost | 

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Genres:

Drama | Horror

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 July 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

La caida de la casa Usher

Filming Locations:

Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sunn Classic Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is the last of the "Classics Illustrated" TV-movies produced by Sunn Classic Pictures.

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Connections

Version of Tales of Mystery and Imagination: The Fall of the House of Usher

User Reviews

Let me get this straight: an adaptation of an Edgar Allan Poe story stars the man from "Airplane!"?!

The early '60s version of Edgar Allan Poe's story starring Vincent Price was intentionally campy, and came out quite cool. THEY DID NOT NEED TO MAKE THIS HALF-FORMED VERSION!!!!!!! It's not just the stilted acting that's the problem; I'd say that the biggest problem lies in the casting. Martin Landau as Roderick Usher wasn't a bad choice, but did they really think it wise to cast Robert Hays, after everyone remembered him from "Airplane!"?! Or Ray Walston, after everyone remembered him from "My Favorite Martian" (not to mention "Fast Times at Ridgemont High")?! As for Charlene Tilton, I best remember her as one of Jodie Foster's friends in "Freaky Friday".

So there you have it, folks. "The Fall of the House of Usher" looks like a Mel Brooks-style joke. Edgar Allan Poe must spin in his grave every time that someone watches this.