129 reviews
House of Usher is the first Edgar Allan Poe adaptation in a series (seven, to be exact) directed by Roger Corman, and probably my number one recommendation if you're looking for a good old-fashioned spooky tale. Corman merely lays the stress on the comedy-factor in his later efforts, but House of Usher still has the ability to frighten the bejezus out of you through a complex plot, a nightmarish atmosphere and horrific decors. The screenplay is very loyal to Poe's tale of the Ushers
Two remaining siblings, cursed and constantly punished for the evil of their criminal ancestors. Price is brilliant as usual in his role of the over-concerned Roderick Usher, convinced that his fade is sealed and his remaining days are doomed. Multiple memorable highlights in this film, like for example a ghoulish dream-sequence, a breath taking decent in the family vault and a truly petrifying act of vengeance! Classic and successful combination of mysterious Gothic and stylish horror, not to be missed if you're a fan!
You can almost see popular culture shift by watching the work of Roger Corman. He starts the 60s making films like this, and by the end of the decade was making films like "Bloody Mama".
But this film was part of his early 60s formula - get a bankable horror star - in this case Vincent Price, make the film a period piece and borrow at least the theme from Poe, have at least one beautiful lady who has an affliction or is in danger or both, and have some handsome knight in shining armor show up who feels he just has to save the girl. This film has only a loose association with the Poe story - siblings Madeleine and Roderick (Price), their strange physical afflictions of an unnamed origin, and their decaying house.
Price is always fun to watch in these late 50s early 60s horror films. His character Roderick Usher has menace, but he is just so interesting it is impossible to dislike him. Even though these Corman films have a low budget, they always seem to deliver plenty of atmosphere. I'd recommend it.
But this film was part of his early 60s formula - get a bankable horror star - in this case Vincent Price, make the film a period piece and borrow at least the theme from Poe, have at least one beautiful lady who has an affliction or is in danger or both, and have some handsome knight in shining armor show up who feels he just has to save the girl. This film has only a loose association with the Poe story - siblings Madeleine and Roderick (Price), their strange physical afflictions of an unnamed origin, and their decaying house.
Price is always fun to watch in these late 50s early 60s horror films. His character Roderick Usher has menace, but he is just so interesting it is impossible to dislike him. Even though these Corman films have a low budget, they always seem to deliver plenty of atmosphere. I'd recommend it.
Director Roger Corman does his thing with a classic piece from Edgar Allan Poe. A visually fantastic production. A tense and moody horror tale of a young Bostonian (Mark Damon)traveling to the Usher family mansion to collect his beautiful bride-to-be(Myrna Fahey). The eager suitor is told by her brother(Vincent Price)that the family's blood has been cursed and he should rethink a marriage.
The mansion, surroundings and atmosphere bring a chill. The evasive Price is very convincing in his role as doting brother and master of the house. Great spooky movie to watch on a rainy night.
The mansion, surroundings and atmosphere bring a chill. The evasive Price is very convincing in his role as doting brother and master of the house. Great spooky movie to watch on a rainy night.
- michaelRokeefe
- Feb 9, 2001
- Permalink
Roger Corman's brilliant adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's chilling tale is one of the greatest achievements in cinematic horror. It's hard to pick one of Corman's Poe adaptations as the best, but this, the first, might be it.
The movie is fairly faithful to the story, but extremely faithful to the tone of Poe's writing. No one but the team of Corman and writer Richard Matheson could pull it off like this. Poe's deranged sense of dread and sardonic humor are all here, in every shot.
Vincent Price turns in one of his finest performances as Roderick Usher, a man who is glad that he and his sister, Madeline (the wonderful Myrna Fahey) are the last of their bloodline, as he believes the family is doomed to all eventually go mad. He also suffers from hyper-sensitivity, and must have quiet, dim light, soft clothing and bland food, otherwise he suffers extreme pain. Whether this is a physical or psychological anomaly is never confirmed.
Madeline's fiance Philip (Mark Damon) comes to the house to claim Madeline as his wife. Roderick forbids it, believing he and his sister should die together, thus ending the Usher line of insanity. But it may be too late, as Madeline is already showing signs of flipping out, and Roderick has some pretty twisted ideas of how to stop that from happening.
The movie leads up to a spine-tingling finale that's as intense and scary a climax as anything I've seen. HOUSE OF USHER is a great horror movie, and perhaps the most faithful adaptation of Poe, both in content and style, ever filmed.
The movie is fairly faithful to the story, but extremely faithful to the tone of Poe's writing. No one but the team of Corman and writer Richard Matheson could pull it off like this. Poe's deranged sense of dread and sardonic humor are all here, in every shot.
Vincent Price turns in one of his finest performances as Roderick Usher, a man who is glad that he and his sister, Madeline (the wonderful Myrna Fahey) are the last of their bloodline, as he believes the family is doomed to all eventually go mad. He also suffers from hyper-sensitivity, and must have quiet, dim light, soft clothing and bland food, otherwise he suffers extreme pain. Whether this is a physical or psychological anomaly is never confirmed.
Madeline's fiance Philip (Mark Damon) comes to the house to claim Madeline as his wife. Roderick forbids it, believing he and his sister should die together, thus ending the Usher line of insanity. But it may be too late, as Madeline is already showing signs of flipping out, and Roderick has some pretty twisted ideas of how to stop that from happening.
The movie leads up to a spine-tingling finale that's as intense and scary a climax as anything I've seen. HOUSE OF USHER is a great horror movie, and perhaps the most faithful adaptation of Poe, both in content and style, ever filmed.
- squeezebox
- May 6, 2004
- Permalink
- ironhorse_iv
- Nov 25, 2012
- Permalink
Philip Winthrop (Mark Damon) arrives from Boston to the House of Usher to see his fiancée Madeline Usher (Myrna Fahey). Madeline's brother Roderick (Vincent Price) opposes the union and forbids Philip's entry. Philip insists and commands the butler Bristol to announce his arrival.
This is based on an Edgar Allan Poe short story directed by Roger Corman. It's an odd combination but one must consider that Poe stories have been done into B-movies loads of times. Both B-movie production house American International Pictures and Corman tried to up their prestige by taking a bold step. It became a critical and box office hit. Certainly, I can see the step up being taken. The production is more ambitious. They are definitely trying. There is a good mood being set up and it's got Vincent Price. It's not scary as that sort of horror. It's nothing a modern movie viewer would fear. It's a moody piece and that's it.
This is based on an Edgar Allan Poe short story directed by Roger Corman. It's an odd combination but one must consider that Poe stories have been done into B-movies loads of times. Both B-movie production house American International Pictures and Corman tried to up their prestige by taking a bold step. It became a critical and box office hit. Certainly, I can see the step up being taken. The production is more ambitious. They are definitely trying. There is a good mood being set up and it's got Vincent Price. It's not scary as that sort of horror. It's nothing a modern movie viewer would fear. It's a moody piece and that's it.
- SnoopyStyle
- Sep 7, 2019
- Permalink
This film is, basically, a very light and uncompromising adaptation of the Edgar Alan Poe short story of the same name. It's not an extraordinary film: it's full of the usual cinema clichés of its time (we need to understand this well) and sometimes it looks a lot like a play in the way the actors act, which also seems to me to be fits reasonably into the cinematographic style of that time. Still, it's an enjoyable film, has a good cast, good sets and costumes, a pleasantly dense, Victorian atmosphere, and a story that has coherence and elegance.
I won't go into the script too much, I think the skeleton of the tale is very present even though there is a good deal of invention mixed up. As the house is a character in the tale and a symbol of decay, moral and mental, of the family that inhabits it, it played a very important role in the plot, although it is evident throughout the film that its inhabitants are the real villains.
Vincent Price is a good actor and brings us here another excellent work, where he embodies a crazy villain, but very dignified and chivalrous, with ademands of old aristocracy. I liked his work, but as I mentioned, I felt the actor was, at times, overly theatrical. It's an option that I understand, however, and it seems to me to be coherent with the style of the film, as a whole. Mark Damon is decent for the role of "knight in shining armor" the script reserves for him, and does a satisfying job. Myrna Fahey is also a good choice to play the "damsel in distress", with the right to fainting and occasional hysteria.
On a technical level, it seems to me to be a contained film, perhaps because of a limited budget and a conscious commitment to creating an interesting story, based on the work of the cast. The cinematography is not particularly remarkable, but it has good colors and light, a good filming job, and the editing was also well done, with the film dragging in places, but without this making us really tired. The house, an additional character to the story, is very elegant and suitably dreary, with settings denoting elegance. I liked the detail that the family portraits are basically modernist works where the face is distorted. With an excellent work of environment, the film works very well for fans of gothic suspense.
I won't go into the script too much, I think the skeleton of the tale is very present even though there is a good deal of invention mixed up. As the house is a character in the tale and a symbol of decay, moral and mental, of the family that inhabits it, it played a very important role in the plot, although it is evident throughout the film that its inhabitants are the real villains.
Vincent Price is a good actor and brings us here another excellent work, where he embodies a crazy villain, but very dignified and chivalrous, with ademands of old aristocracy. I liked his work, but as I mentioned, I felt the actor was, at times, overly theatrical. It's an option that I understand, however, and it seems to me to be coherent with the style of the film, as a whole. Mark Damon is decent for the role of "knight in shining armor" the script reserves for him, and does a satisfying job. Myrna Fahey is also a good choice to play the "damsel in distress", with the right to fainting and occasional hysteria.
On a technical level, it seems to me to be a contained film, perhaps because of a limited budget and a conscious commitment to creating an interesting story, based on the work of the cast. The cinematography is not particularly remarkable, but it has good colors and light, a good filming job, and the editing was also well done, with the film dragging in places, but without this making us really tired. The house, an additional character to the story, is very elegant and suitably dreary, with settings denoting elegance. I liked the detail that the family portraits are basically modernist works where the face is distorted. With an excellent work of environment, the film works very well for fans of gothic suspense.
- filipemanuelneto
- Nov 1, 2021
- Permalink
The first of Roger Corman's adaptations of Edgar Allen Poe stories stars Vincent Price as the head of the Usher house; Roderick Usher. Roderick Usher believes that there is an evil curse on his family, a curse that is also the reason for his and his sister's affliction. Because of this curse of evil, he doesn't want the Usher family line to continue and so he has decided to do all in his power to stop it. However, his sister, Madeline's fiancé has come to the Usher house to take her back with him, but Roderick knows that this will mean that the Usher family line will continue and he cannot allow the evil to spread across the world....
Roger Corman is often seen as a 'cheap' director because of the vast amount of films that he has made. Although this is certainly somewhat true as a few of them aren't particularly good; if you take a look at his Poe films, this couldn't be further from then truth. Here, Corman creates a constantly morbid and foreboding atmosphere; not with shocks or other cheap methods, but by simple things such as smoke, an old house and it's creepy inhabitants that utter the most malevolent of lines, some of which are truly bone chilling. Of course, this movie benefits implicitly from the presence of a man that is maybe horror's purest actor; Vincent Price. Price was born to play roles like Roderick Usher, and anyone that sees this film wont find it hard to see why. Vincent Price delivers his lines with just the right tone in order to make him obviously evil, but yet pathetic at the same time; just how the character should be played. When it comes to the 'greatest actor of all time' awards, Vincent Price never gets mentioned, but this is a great injustice; as anyone who has seen a number of films will know.
Corman also succeeds in creating a constant sense of intrigue, and the audience is left hanging on every moment, as we can't wait to see what happens next. Of course, Edgar Allen Poe can take much of the credit for this as the great man did write the story that it was based on, but Corman comes off looking good as well as it is his direction that makes the story so consistently thrilling. The movie also benefits from some very lavish sets, which gives the movie it's upper class dinosaur feel. The house itself is a great piece of horror imagery; it is responsible for most of the atmosphere that is present in the movie.
Roger Corman is often seen as a 'cheap' director because of the vast amount of films that he has made. Although this is certainly somewhat true as a few of them aren't particularly good; if you take a look at his Poe films, this couldn't be further from then truth. Here, Corman creates a constantly morbid and foreboding atmosphere; not with shocks or other cheap methods, but by simple things such as smoke, an old house and it's creepy inhabitants that utter the most malevolent of lines, some of which are truly bone chilling. Of course, this movie benefits implicitly from the presence of a man that is maybe horror's purest actor; Vincent Price. Price was born to play roles like Roderick Usher, and anyone that sees this film wont find it hard to see why. Vincent Price delivers his lines with just the right tone in order to make him obviously evil, but yet pathetic at the same time; just how the character should be played. When it comes to the 'greatest actor of all time' awards, Vincent Price never gets mentioned, but this is a great injustice; as anyone who has seen a number of films will know.
Corman also succeeds in creating a constant sense of intrigue, and the audience is left hanging on every moment, as we can't wait to see what happens next. Of course, Edgar Allen Poe can take much of the credit for this as the great man did write the story that it was based on, but Corman comes off looking good as well as it is his direction that makes the story so consistently thrilling. The movie also benefits from some very lavish sets, which gives the movie it's upper class dinosaur feel. The house itself is a great piece of horror imagery; it is responsible for most of the atmosphere that is present in the movie.
- JamesHitchcock
- Sep 27, 2012
- Permalink
Overtime the horror genre has really grown on me, and Vincent Price, one of my favourite actors has been a big part of why. The Fall of the House of Usher was the film that spawned a series of Edgar Allan Poe adaptations, and is up there with the best of them like The Pit and the Pendulum and The Raven. Whether it is completely faithful to Poe's writing I am not entirely sure, whatever way it makes little difference to me. All that matters for a film is how good it is on its own merits, and The Fall of The House of Usher in my mind is more than good, it's great. The settings, costumes and the way the film are shot is both Gothic and gorgeous to look at in their lavishness, and the music is suitably spooky. The script is very literate and quite intelligent, while the story is always compelling and delivers its spooky scares with not an ounce of predictability or hamminess. The ending really convinces in its creepiness and in its tragic undercurrent, making it moving as well. The acting is fine, Mark Damon gets better throughout the film and by the end he really comes to life but to start with I did find him a little too wooden for my tastes. Myrna Fahey and Harry Ellerbe characterise splendidly, but the film belongs to Roger Corman's lively direction and especially to Vincent Price, who is always great but gives one of his best ever performances here, with his ever commanding presence, his distinctive voice, Skakespearean-like line delivery, droll sense of humour and a sense of melancholy, every single of those are here and make for one memorable performance indeed. In conclusion, a great film worth seeing for Price alone though the production values, the atmosphere and how intelligently it's written also are fine attributes. 9/10 Bethany Cox
- TheLittleSongbird
- Aug 4, 2012
- Permalink
(There are Spoilers) Traveling all the way from Boston to see his future wife, whom he met and fell in love with back in Beantnown, the beautiful Madeline Usher, Myrna Fahey, Philip Wintdrop, Mark Damon, is struck by how unnerving the place, The House of Usher, that Medeline lives in is. Meeting the butler Bristol, Harry Ellerbe, at the door Philip is told to get as far away from Madeline and the House of Usher if he knows what's good for him.
Refusing not to leave without taking Madeline with him Philip is then confronted by her pasty faced brother, some 20 years Madelines senior, the anemic-looking and accident prone Roderick, Vincent Price. Roderick trying to be as civil as possible tells an outraged Philip that Madeine as well as himself are not long for this world together with the house that they live in "The House of Usher". The film then turns out to be a struggle between Philip and Roderick over Madeline. Philip want's Madeline to leave for Boston with him and Rodrick want her to stay with him in the mansion.
It takes a while for the lovesick Philip to realize what's really behind Roberick's obsession in keeping Madeline from leaving him and thus suffer, by being a lost and tortured soul in the outside world, a fate worse then death itself and it has to do with the Usher descendants, which Roderick and Madeline are the only two left. The Usher clan over the last two centuries was made up, for the most part, of scalawags pirates and murders with a few slave dealers thrown in for good measure. The crimes that the Ushers committed against mankind are now about to be avenged and there's nothing that anyone, including Philip Wintrop, can do to stop it.
Spectacular final, with cartoon-like 1960 special effects,has the House of Usher go up in flames when the evil that it represents is put to the torch and plowed underground from above and beyond. Philip blinded by his love for Madeline was just too bind to see what was all around him in the evil House of Usher and it was that revelation, at the very end to the movie, that brought him back to his senses.
"House of Usher" is the movie that really established Roger Corman as a major director of highly successful low-budget films and thus opened the door for him and actor Vincent Price to collaborated in some half dozen low budget horror classics over the next five years. The movie also revived the publics interest in the writings of 19th century American author Edgar Allen Poe. It fact most, if not all, of the films that Roger Corman did together with Vincent Price were in one way or another based on Edgar Allen Poe short stories.
Refusing not to leave without taking Madeline with him Philip is then confronted by her pasty faced brother, some 20 years Madelines senior, the anemic-looking and accident prone Roderick, Vincent Price. Roderick trying to be as civil as possible tells an outraged Philip that Madeine as well as himself are not long for this world together with the house that they live in "The House of Usher". The film then turns out to be a struggle between Philip and Roderick over Madeline. Philip want's Madeline to leave for Boston with him and Rodrick want her to stay with him in the mansion.
It takes a while for the lovesick Philip to realize what's really behind Roberick's obsession in keeping Madeline from leaving him and thus suffer, by being a lost and tortured soul in the outside world, a fate worse then death itself and it has to do with the Usher descendants, which Roderick and Madeline are the only two left. The Usher clan over the last two centuries was made up, for the most part, of scalawags pirates and murders with a few slave dealers thrown in for good measure. The crimes that the Ushers committed against mankind are now about to be avenged and there's nothing that anyone, including Philip Wintrop, can do to stop it.
Spectacular final, with cartoon-like 1960 special effects,has the House of Usher go up in flames when the evil that it represents is put to the torch and plowed underground from above and beyond. Philip blinded by his love for Madeline was just too bind to see what was all around him in the evil House of Usher and it was that revelation, at the very end to the movie, that brought him back to his senses.
"House of Usher" is the movie that really established Roger Corman as a major director of highly successful low-budget films and thus opened the door for him and actor Vincent Price to collaborated in some half dozen low budget horror classics over the next five years. The movie also revived the publics interest in the writings of 19th century American author Edgar Allen Poe. It fact most, if not all, of the films that Roger Corman did together with Vincent Price were in one way or another based on Edgar Allen Poe short stories.
Corman's first Poe film (out of eight) is one of the best adaptations of the familiar story (rivaled only by French director Jean Epstein's superb, yet completely different, 1928 version) and was a critical and commercial success in its day on a meager $125,000 budget. Vincent Price is superb as Roderick Usher, an eternally tortured soul who lives in a crumbling castle with his sister Madeline (Myrna Fahey) and faithful butler Bristol (nicely etched by Harry Ellerbe). When Philip Winthrop (bland Mark Damon) shows up to take Madeline away, Roderick's incestuous feelings come to surface and the terror begins. Highlights include Damon's colorful nightmare sequence and Price's explanation of the Usher family history.
HOUSE OF USHER is intelligent, subtle and effective, with good sets and costumes and excellent work from scripter Richard Matheson, composer Les Baxter, cameraman Floyd Crosby and art director Daniel Haller--all united by Corman's smart, stylish, fluent direction. Truly deserving of it's reputation as horror classic.
HOUSE OF USHER is intelligent, subtle and effective, with good sets and costumes and excellent work from scripter Richard Matheson, composer Les Baxter, cameraman Floyd Crosby and art director Daniel Haller--all united by Corman's smart, stylish, fluent direction. Truly deserving of it's reputation as horror classic.
The scares are too familiar to do their job now, but the film remains strangely immersive to watch, with a quality feel and some engaging performances.
- THE-BEACON-OF-MOVIES-RAFA
- Jan 31, 2020
- Permalink
The first of Roger Corman's Edgar Allan Poe adaptations from American International Pictures, The House of Usher opens as Philip Winthrop (Mark Damon) arrives at the Usher ancestral home—a crumbling pile in an arid, foggy landscape—looking for his bride-to-be, Madeline Usher (the lovely Myrna Fahey). He is greeted there by Madeline's brother Roderick (Vincent Price), who asks him to leave. Not one to take no for an answer, Philip remains, staying for the night, determined to take Madeline away with him the next day. Roderick, however, is resolved to keeping his sister at home whatever it takes, believing his family to be under a curse that causes strange maladies, evil ways, and premature death.
House of Usher is about as Gothic as it gets, featuring a foggy landscape, an old dark house full of cobweb-strewn secret passageways, an elderly butler who knows more than he is letting on, a dusty old crypt, and a raging thunderstorm; but as atmospheric as the setting is, I didn't find myself all that engrossed in the mystery that unfolds. Instead, I found it all rather boring, Roderick's repetitious insistence that his family is cursed and Winthrop's steadfast refusal to believe what he is told becoming rather tiresome. Admittedly, the production is sumptuously mounted, with impressive sets and lovely colour cinematography (used particularly effectively during a hypnotic dream sequence), but on the whole I was left rather unimpressed by this much-loved horror 'classic'.
House of Usher is about as Gothic as it gets, featuring a foggy landscape, an old dark house full of cobweb-strewn secret passageways, an elderly butler who knows more than he is letting on, a dusty old crypt, and a raging thunderstorm; but as atmospheric as the setting is, I didn't find myself all that engrossed in the mystery that unfolds. Instead, I found it all rather boring, Roderick's repetitious insistence that his family is cursed and Winthrop's steadfast refusal to believe what he is told becoming rather tiresome. Admittedly, the production is sumptuously mounted, with impressive sets and lovely colour cinematography (used particularly effectively during a hypnotic dream sequence), but on the whole I was left rather unimpressed by this much-loved horror 'classic'.
- BA_Harrison
- Jul 24, 2015
- Permalink
This is Roger Corman´s first Edgar Allan Poe-based movie and probably the best of them all in terms of direction, acting and script. It´s certainly the best adapted one, because it manages to build a larger story around the events of the tale without borrowing material from other tales and without making it seem obvious, unlike the sequels. Anyway, probably my favorite is still "Masque of the red death" which is also my favorite Poe tale. The rest deserves a look, of course, but it doesn´t get any better.
Vincent Price stars as Roderick Usher, a man obsessed with the tragic history of the Usher clan, filled with psychopats, murderers of all kinds and people who die of incurable illnesses. He forces his sister Madeline (Myrna Fahey) to stay in the house waiting for death to spare the world the horrors of the Usher family in years to come and even builds two separate coffins for them. Madeline´s fiancee (Mark Damon) goes looking for her to the house and is received by the obedient butler Bristol (Harry Ellerbe). From there on this four characters will go through a lot of arguing, running around the House (which, like in the Poe tale, is a character itself, one of a really menacing nature) and digging on ancient secrets. Any Corman or Poe afficionado can figure out the rest of the story by himself, but it´s a joy to watch it evolve here.
The star of the show is Vincent Price, of course. He puts in a black robe or a red silk suit and speaks in a low, soft, modulated voice, throwing his overwrought dialogue while the others just stare at him with surprise and fear. He has a special weakness of the hearing (I have the same problem, BTW, although not to this extent) and in one scene the fiancee screams at him hard enough to make him twitch in pain. In that scene you realize just what a genius he is. The set decoration is also to be noted (you won´t forget easily the paintings of the Usher family members by Burt Schonberg), as is the music and practically everything that sets the unbelievable mood this movie has.
Vincent Price stars as Roderick Usher, a man obsessed with the tragic history of the Usher clan, filled with psychopats, murderers of all kinds and people who die of incurable illnesses. He forces his sister Madeline (Myrna Fahey) to stay in the house waiting for death to spare the world the horrors of the Usher family in years to come and even builds two separate coffins for them. Madeline´s fiancee (Mark Damon) goes looking for her to the house and is received by the obedient butler Bristol (Harry Ellerbe). From there on this four characters will go through a lot of arguing, running around the House (which, like in the Poe tale, is a character itself, one of a really menacing nature) and digging on ancient secrets. Any Corman or Poe afficionado can figure out the rest of the story by himself, but it´s a joy to watch it evolve here.
The star of the show is Vincent Price, of course. He puts in a black robe or a red silk suit and speaks in a low, soft, modulated voice, throwing his overwrought dialogue while the others just stare at him with surprise and fear. He has a special weakness of the hearing (I have the same problem, BTW, although not to this extent) and in one scene the fiancee screams at him hard enough to make him twitch in pain. In that scene you realize just what a genius he is. The set decoration is also to be noted (you won´t forget easily the paintings of the Usher family members by Burt Schonberg), as is the music and practically everything that sets the unbelievable mood this movie has.
- Grouchy2003
- Oct 4, 2003
- Permalink
It feels a little unfair to find faults with a movie made 50 years ago, especially as one knows that this movie was highly thought of in its time. On the other hand - there are many movies which are even older than this one, that do not come out as dated as this one...
_Everything_ was of a quality that simply should not have been accepted today: the make-up of the actors, the props, the cobwebs, the skeletons, the walls of the castle... It was all so plastic - so obviously painted and fake. This destroyed the illusion. And the "ghostly wailing" was ridiculous beyond belief...
Still, Vincent Price is always Vincent Price - he was always so good as these creepy and mystical, but still aristocratic and attractive, characters... The young man ought to have been played by some bigger, stronger and more forceful man, though, and Madeline by someone more soulful and innocent-looking...
The Poe story in itself is very good of course, and it makes up for many of the silly blunderings in this movie, as the movie is still quite faithful to it.
_Everything_ was of a quality that simply should not have been accepted today: the make-up of the actors, the props, the cobwebs, the skeletons, the walls of the castle... It was all so plastic - so obviously painted and fake. This destroyed the illusion. And the "ghostly wailing" was ridiculous beyond belief...
Still, Vincent Price is always Vincent Price - he was always so good as these creepy and mystical, but still aristocratic and attractive, characters... The young man ought to have been played by some bigger, stronger and more forceful man, though, and Madeline by someone more soulful and innocent-looking...
The Poe story in itself is very good of course, and it makes up for many of the silly blunderings in this movie, as the movie is still quite faithful to it.
- Catharina_Sweden
- Jan 10, 2011
- Permalink
HOUSE OF USHER is probably the best of all the Edgar Allen Poe stories that VINCENT PRICE did under Roger Corman's direction. It's an elaborate looking production, handsomely photographed and looks far more expensive than the actual budget allowed. Especially good is the climactic fire scene showing fierce destruction of the house.
As Roderick Usher, Price brings his regal bearing and distinguished presence to an interesting role and gets good support from MYRNA FAHEY as Madeline Usher and MARK DAMON. As others have pointed out, filmed before and since--but never as effectively as Corman does here.
Filmed in widescreen CinemaScope, it loses something if you see it in the pan and scan version on TV. This was at a time when Corman was doing a lot of inexpensive B&W horror films without the benefit of color and expensive trappings. He made the most of a plum assignment.
The story has a young man arriving at the Usher Victorian mansion to announce that he wants to marry Madeline, Usher's sister who, it seems, is too ill to see him at the moment. Usher resists the idea that the man will ever marry his sister--indicating that the family is tainted with madness. The young man is determined to stay and suffer whatever consequences there are. As a dedicated servant, Bristol, HARRY ELLERBE gives a convincing performance as a man conflicted by his loyalties.
And, of course, there are plenty of consequences when Roderick makes it clear that the man will not leave with his sister for a life in Boston. As is clear from Roderick's explanation of the pall of evil that hangs over the house, it's inevitable that the story reaches a climax that destroys all of the evil before it can spread like a plague.
It's Gothic Victorian melodrama in the grand manner--played to the hilt by Price and some good supporting performances. Well done, for this kind of thing.
As Roderick Usher, Price brings his regal bearing and distinguished presence to an interesting role and gets good support from MYRNA FAHEY as Madeline Usher and MARK DAMON. As others have pointed out, filmed before and since--but never as effectively as Corman does here.
Filmed in widescreen CinemaScope, it loses something if you see it in the pan and scan version on TV. This was at a time when Corman was doing a lot of inexpensive B&W horror films without the benefit of color and expensive trappings. He made the most of a plum assignment.
The story has a young man arriving at the Usher Victorian mansion to announce that he wants to marry Madeline, Usher's sister who, it seems, is too ill to see him at the moment. Usher resists the idea that the man will ever marry his sister--indicating that the family is tainted with madness. The young man is determined to stay and suffer whatever consequences there are. As a dedicated servant, Bristol, HARRY ELLERBE gives a convincing performance as a man conflicted by his loyalties.
And, of course, there are plenty of consequences when Roderick makes it clear that the man will not leave with his sister for a life in Boston. As is clear from Roderick's explanation of the pall of evil that hangs over the house, it's inevitable that the story reaches a climax that destroys all of the evil before it can spread like a plague.
It's Gothic Victorian melodrama in the grand manner--played to the hilt by Price and some good supporting performances. Well done, for this kind of thing.
The first of Roger Corman's low-budget adaptations of Edgar Allen Poe's Gothic tales of horror sets a convincing template to which the producer/director would return time and again.
Created with an eye for period detail and utilising the charisma of Vincent Price to intrigue and occasionally scare the viewer, the story moves slowly but surely, like a descent to madness, to its fiery conclusion. With only four players and, not unnaturally, given the prominent part the house itself plays in the narrative, the movie is very set-bound, with eerie music turned up whenever a scary scene looms, the claustrophobic stifling atmosphere is in keeping with the conclusion of the story.
Price is excellent, as the doomed, ghoulish brother Usher of his pretty but sheltered sister, the aptly-named Madeline. There's also a faithful butler on tow, to help move the action along and reveal key background facts, but I can exclusively reveal that he didn't do it. Mark Damon swoons and raves as Maddy's ardent but thwarted lover to compete the cast.
Shot in lurid colour, with highly atmospheric background music, it would be easy to mock the heightened acting which occasionally borders on the wrong side of camp, but Price's presence and Corman's skill with cinematography and story-telling deliver a fitting tribute to Poe's work.
Created with an eye for period detail and utilising the charisma of Vincent Price to intrigue and occasionally scare the viewer, the story moves slowly but surely, like a descent to madness, to its fiery conclusion. With only four players and, not unnaturally, given the prominent part the house itself plays in the narrative, the movie is very set-bound, with eerie music turned up whenever a scary scene looms, the claustrophobic stifling atmosphere is in keeping with the conclusion of the story.
Price is excellent, as the doomed, ghoulish brother Usher of his pretty but sheltered sister, the aptly-named Madeline. There's also a faithful butler on tow, to help move the action along and reveal key background facts, but I can exclusively reveal that he didn't do it. Mark Damon swoons and raves as Maddy's ardent but thwarted lover to compete the cast.
Shot in lurid colour, with highly atmospheric background music, it would be easy to mock the heightened acting which occasionally borders on the wrong side of camp, but Price's presence and Corman's skill with cinematography and story-telling deliver a fitting tribute to Poe's work.
"House of Usher" is an excellent start for Roger Corman's cycle of films based on the work of Edgar Allan Poe. There have been many remakes, but the Corman films remain the definitive statement. Corman was able to capture the feel of Poe's work and that's something that the remakes couldn't even touch. It also provides a tour de force for Vincent Price and establishes him as a great actor.
The film was shot on a budget of $270,000 and it looks GREAT. "House of Usher" is a fabulous calling card for American International Pictures, the distributor. Mostly known for making grade Z schlock, Corman's films gave AIP real class. This is also Corman's first film in CinemaScope and he makes the most of the widescreen here. It earns him a distinction of mine as a "Master of the Widescreen", or filmmakers who create complex and worthwhile compositions in the widescreen frame. The only problem is that the Poe films die on TV, due to the horrific "pan-and-scan" process. Luckily for us, American Movie Classics show these Poe films often in letterbox and MGM is releasing the cycle on letterboxed DVDs.
For a film that runs 85 minutes, "House of Usher" packs a lot into its' narrative. It is the most faithful of the Poe adaptations, although screenwriter Richard Matheson does take some liberties with the source material, as any great adaptation should. Floyd Crosby's CinemaScope photography is excellent as usual and Daniel Haller's elaborate sets make this look more expensive than it really is. Vincent Price's performance as Usher sets the tone for his future appearances in other Poe films. It neatly combines calm and frenzy together and I can't think of anyone else who would have done a better job. He should have received an Oscar nomination and maybe even the Oscar itself.
Note: "House of Usher" introduces the infamous "Burning Rafters" sequence. If you watch these Poe films back-to-back, you'll see this same sequence repeat itself over and over in several of the films (Tomb of Ligeia and The Raven come to mind). It is a mild criticism, but it is such a great sequence and it is so effectively shot that I didn't mind seeing it again and again.
**** out of 4 stars
The film was shot on a budget of $270,000 and it looks GREAT. "House of Usher" is a fabulous calling card for American International Pictures, the distributor. Mostly known for making grade Z schlock, Corman's films gave AIP real class. This is also Corman's first film in CinemaScope and he makes the most of the widescreen here. It earns him a distinction of mine as a "Master of the Widescreen", or filmmakers who create complex and worthwhile compositions in the widescreen frame. The only problem is that the Poe films die on TV, due to the horrific "pan-and-scan" process. Luckily for us, American Movie Classics show these Poe films often in letterbox and MGM is releasing the cycle on letterboxed DVDs.
For a film that runs 85 minutes, "House of Usher" packs a lot into its' narrative. It is the most faithful of the Poe adaptations, although screenwriter Richard Matheson does take some liberties with the source material, as any great adaptation should. Floyd Crosby's CinemaScope photography is excellent as usual and Daniel Haller's elaborate sets make this look more expensive than it really is. Vincent Price's performance as Usher sets the tone for his future appearances in other Poe films. It neatly combines calm and frenzy together and I can't think of anyone else who would have done a better job. He should have received an Oscar nomination and maybe even the Oscar itself.
Note: "House of Usher" introduces the infamous "Burning Rafters" sequence. If you watch these Poe films back-to-back, you'll see this same sequence repeat itself over and over in several of the films (Tomb of Ligeia and The Raven come to mind). It is a mild criticism, but it is such a great sequence and it is so effectively shot that I didn't mind seeing it again and again.
**** out of 4 stars
Good-looking and atmospheric but slow and talky. Although of key importance in Roger Corman's move up-market it's happily not a patch on the films that followed since the series just kept on getting better and better.
- richardchatten
- Jan 4, 2019
- Permalink
In one of the many classic adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe tales, Vincent Price creepily shines yet again. When Philip Winthrop (Mark Damon) goes to an estate to pick up his fiancée Madeleine Usher (Myrna Fahey), he learns from her brother Roderick (Price) that she and he both suffer from a degenerative disease that gives them both acute senses. Sure enough, it turns out that all is not quite what it seems.
Probably the most noticeable thing about this movie is that Vincent Price lacks his famously eerie moustache. But in a way, that almost makes him more mysterious. Roger Corman scored another triumph here. You're sure to love it.
Probably the most noticeable thing about this movie is that Vincent Price lacks his famously eerie moustache. But in a way, that almost makes him more mysterious. Roger Corman scored another triumph here. You're sure to love it.
- lee_eisenberg
- Apr 21, 2006
- Permalink
- VikingBurialService
- Jun 30, 2023
- Permalink
Title: The Fall of the House of Usher (1960)
Director: Roger Corman
Cast: Vincent Price, Mark Damon, Myrna Fahey
Review:
Vincent price is one of those actors everyone knows about, almost everyone is aware of his horror legacy, and if anything they know him as that creepy voice in Michael Jacksons "Thriller". And maybe some of us also recognized him as Edwards creator in Tim Burtons "Edward Scissorhands" or as the narrator in Burtons stop motion animated short film "Vincent". Recently I decided to venture into Vincent Prices horror legacy. I decided to start watching all of his films, after all the man has got a huuuge library of horror films all waiting to be slowly digested by yours truly...boy was I in for a treat!
The story is about Roderick and Madeline Usher. The last two remains of the Usher family. A family that according to Roderick is cursed forever, and he is very decided to end the family line with him and Madeline. So naturally when a young strapping man by the name of Phillip Winthrop comes in and has all the intentions of marrying Madeline Usher, well Mr. Roderick completely opposes and tries to stop the wedding from ever occurring at all costs.
This movie has many good things going for it. First off: The House of Usher is based on Edgar Allan Poes "The Fall of the House of Usher" so its no surprise that the story is poetic in nature and beautifully written. It also helps that the screenplay for this story was written by non other then another one of horrordoms greatest writers. I'm speaking of course of Richard Matheson. And on top of all those bonuses, the film has Vincent Price in the lead role as Roderick Usher, the man who lives a tormented life, thinking that his family is cursed. Combine Edgar Allan Poes story, with Richard Mathesons screenplay and Vincent Price acting, and my friends you have got yourselves a bonafide horror classic.
Having Roger Corman, the producer and director of hundreds of low budget b-movies had me worried for a second. I mean he has got some really bad films under his belt, but in between those there's some really good ones as well. But of course I am only familiar with some of the schlock that he has produced as of recently (like the Carnosour films for example) but I wasn't fully aware of the high quality directing that he had done in his past and I fully intend on continuing my exploration of his Vincent Price/Poe films.
Now let me put this to you straight. This is the type of film that you watch on a dark stormy night with all the lights out and nothing to disturb you. The films atmosphere can be cut with a knife, you get your spooky castle in the middle of nowhere, the fog rolling in like there's no tomorrow, the wind blowing the curtains, the fullmoon, ghosts...you get the whole enchilada my friends. I had Tim Burtons Sleepy Hollow as my all time spookiest movie ever made, but I have to say that this one takes its place, well if anything, its definitely a heavy contender. This movie had both the look and feel of a slightly more expensive Hammer film.
The films story is its great asset. The mystery of the Usher family curse pulls you in. You want to know if something is really up with this strange family or if its just Mr. Roderick Usher that has a boner for his own sister...is it all in their minds? Or is there really a curse? What will happen to the poor bastard who wants to marry Madeline? These questions pull you in and finally when you get all the answers, well, you will be nothing short of being blown away.
In short, if you want one of those old fashion spooky films where the winds always blowing, the full moon is always at its peek and the thunder and lightning is always rumbling...well go rent/buy this flick right now, you wont be disappointed.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Director: Roger Corman
Cast: Vincent Price, Mark Damon, Myrna Fahey
Review:
Vincent price is one of those actors everyone knows about, almost everyone is aware of his horror legacy, and if anything they know him as that creepy voice in Michael Jacksons "Thriller". And maybe some of us also recognized him as Edwards creator in Tim Burtons "Edward Scissorhands" or as the narrator in Burtons stop motion animated short film "Vincent". Recently I decided to venture into Vincent Prices horror legacy. I decided to start watching all of his films, after all the man has got a huuuge library of horror films all waiting to be slowly digested by yours truly...boy was I in for a treat!
The story is about Roderick and Madeline Usher. The last two remains of the Usher family. A family that according to Roderick is cursed forever, and he is very decided to end the family line with him and Madeline. So naturally when a young strapping man by the name of Phillip Winthrop comes in and has all the intentions of marrying Madeline Usher, well Mr. Roderick completely opposes and tries to stop the wedding from ever occurring at all costs.
This movie has many good things going for it. First off: The House of Usher is based on Edgar Allan Poes "The Fall of the House of Usher" so its no surprise that the story is poetic in nature and beautifully written. It also helps that the screenplay for this story was written by non other then another one of horrordoms greatest writers. I'm speaking of course of Richard Matheson. And on top of all those bonuses, the film has Vincent Price in the lead role as Roderick Usher, the man who lives a tormented life, thinking that his family is cursed. Combine Edgar Allan Poes story, with Richard Mathesons screenplay and Vincent Price acting, and my friends you have got yourselves a bonafide horror classic.
Having Roger Corman, the producer and director of hundreds of low budget b-movies had me worried for a second. I mean he has got some really bad films under his belt, but in between those there's some really good ones as well. But of course I am only familiar with some of the schlock that he has produced as of recently (like the Carnosour films for example) but I wasn't fully aware of the high quality directing that he had done in his past and I fully intend on continuing my exploration of his Vincent Price/Poe films.
Now let me put this to you straight. This is the type of film that you watch on a dark stormy night with all the lights out and nothing to disturb you. The films atmosphere can be cut with a knife, you get your spooky castle in the middle of nowhere, the fog rolling in like there's no tomorrow, the wind blowing the curtains, the fullmoon, ghosts...you get the whole enchilada my friends. I had Tim Burtons Sleepy Hollow as my all time spookiest movie ever made, but I have to say that this one takes its place, well if anything, its definitely a heavy contender. This movie had both the look and feel of a slightly more expensive Hammer film.
The films story is its great asset. The mystery of the Usher family curse pulls you in. You want to know if something is really up with this strange family or if its just Mr. Roderick Usher that has a boner for his own sister...is it all in their minds? Or is there really a curse? What will happen to the poor bastard who wants to marry Madeline? These questions pull you in and finally when you get all the answers, well, you will be nothing short of being blown away.
In short, if you want one of those old fashion spooky films where the winds always blowing, the full moon is always at its peek and the thunder and lightning is always rumbling...well go rent/buy this flick right now, you wont be disappointed.
Rating: 5 out of 5
- spacemonkey_fg
- Aug 25, 2005
- Permalink
"House of Usher" has the reputation as being maybe the best Roger Corman adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe. I assume that this is probably because the movie is well made. It looks like a movie is supposed to look; you can't generally see the seams showing. And, of course, it has Vincent Price, though "The Haunted Palace" had him as well as Lon Chaney Jr. and Elisha Cook Jr. (he must have fans, right?)
You know, I think the real reason why this is considered Corman's best (some think it is the best movie he directed, regardless of material) is because the movies main flaws are nothing to do with the b-movie legend himself. After all, "The Fall of the House of Usher" isn't really feature film material - even if it is scripted by famed horror writer Richard Matheson.
It has been remade several times, but I have never heard anything about any of the other film versions. And perhaps not without good reason: there is very little physical action in the story, and that is what film is mostly about.
This version makes a heroic try for the best possible cinematic realisation of Poe's story. It introduces the hero, the stagecoach, the village, the mansion's exterior and interior, and then Price as Usher, with striking white hair and ankle length red robes making us immediately think of Gary Oldman's Dracula.
This is not enough for a feature length movie. "House of Usher" does add some details that were not present in the original story, but seems understandably less certain about these aspects of the story.
What we're left with, then, may actually be the best possible adaptation of Poe's story. Whether that's a good thing or not is up to the viewer.
You know, I think the real reason why this is considered Corman's best (some think it is the best movie he directed, regardless of material) is because the movies main flaws are nothing to do with the b-movie legend himself. After all, "The Fall of the House of Usher" isn't really feature film material - even if it is scripted by famed horror writer Richard Matheson.
It has been remade several times, but I have never heard anything about any of the other film versions. And perhaps not without good reason: there is very little physical action in the story, and that is what film is mostly about.
This version makes a heroic try for the best possible cinematic realisation of Poe's story. It introduces the hero, the stagecoach, the village, the mansion's exterior and interior, and then Price as Usher, with striking white hair and ankle length red robes making us immediately think of Gary Oldman's Dracula.
This is not enough for a feature length movie. "House of Usher" does add some details that were not present in the original story, but seems understandably less certain about these aspects of the story.
What we're left with, then, may actually be the best possible adaptation of Poe's story. Whether that's a good thing or not is up to the viewer.
Phillip Winthrop (Mark Damon) arrives at the Usher mansion seeking his fiancé, Madeline (Myrna Fahey). Instead, he's met by Madeline's brother, Roderick (Vincent Price). Roderick informs him that Madeline cannot leave the house as she is suffering from a mysterious affliction related to an Usher family curse. Phillip has trouble believing that explanation and fears that Roderick is either keeping his beloved imprisoned or, even worse, trying to murder her.
I have internet "friends" who adore House of Usher. I, however, do not share their enthusiasm. As far as the Corman-Poe films are concerned, I much prefer Pit and the Pendulum, The Masque of the Red Death, or even The Raven. The problem I have with House of Usher is pacing. I enjoy a good slow-burn horror as much as the next person, but I find the first 2/3 of this movie all but sleep inducing. The story moves at a snail's pace. By the time the terrific third act kicks in, it's too late for me. And that's a shame because the film's finale is very entertaining and goes a long way to redeeming the whole thing in my eyes.
I will also give House of Usher some credit on two other fronts. First, most of the acting is quite good. Price gives an incredible performance - perhaps one of his best. He's amazing. And once Mark Damon warms up, the rest of the cast is almost as strong. Second, House of Usher looks better than it has any right to. Corman's budget for the entire production is listed on IMDb at $200,000. Visually, he certainly got a lot of bang for his buck.
5/10
I have internet "friends" who adore House of Usher. I, however, do not share their enthusiasm. As far as the Corman-Poe films are concerned, I much prefer Pit and the Pendulum, The Masque of the Red Death, or even The Raven. The problem I have with House of Usher is pacing. I enjoy a good slow-burn horror as much as the next person, but I find the first 2/3 of this movie all but sleep inducing. The story moves at a snail's pace. By the time the terrific third act kicks in, it's too late for me. And that's a shame because the film's finale is very entertaining and goes a long way to redeeming the whole thing in my eyes.
I will also give House of Usher some credit on two other fronts. First, most of the acting is quite good. Price gives an incredible performance - perhaps one of his best. He's amazing. And once Mark Damon warms up, the rest of the cast is almost as strong. Second, House of Usher looks better than it has any right to. Corman's budget for the entire production is listed on IMDb at $200,000. Visually, he certainly got a lot of bang for his buck.
5/10
- bensonmum2
- Sep 12, 2019
- Permalink