Perhaps my best recommendation for this film would be the truly creepy and atmospheric sets used to simulate the Gothic House of Usher; one might consider it the 'Psycho' house on steroids. Beyond that however, the premise of this Edgar Allan Poe tale is executed rather poorly, made somewhat difficult to follow with poor sound quality, especially when the setting transitions to the 'temple' basement where the acoustics really take a hit. The makings of a good story are readily apparent, but the actors perform in a rather stagy manner, and ancillary characters like the family servants pop up and disappear in random fashion. Particularly puzzling was the gentleman named Richard (Tony-Powell Bristow) who showed up long enough to get his foot caught in a bear trap; we never do find out what happened to him. I suppose one is to assume that Lady Madeline (Gwendoline Watford) was a ghost even though some interpretations claim she was 'buried' alive. Brother Roderick's (Kat Tendeter) gunshots apparently had no effect on her, either that or they missed all together. Especially curious to me was why the Usher Mansion burst into flames to close out the tragedy; after all it was made of stone. Curiosity seekers may find this film interesting in some aspects, but don't look for any credibility to the story. The old hag (Lucy Pavey) was a nice touch, but you have to take it on faith that she was the mother of Sir Roderick and Lady Madeline. Apparently they didn't know she was alive and well (in a manner of speaking) in the chamber of horrors known as the temple.
Review of The Fall of the House of Usher
