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24 out of 26 people found the following review useful: AN EXCELLENT START FOR ROGER CORMAN'S POE CYCLE, 30 May 2001 Author: Bill Treadway (treads22@hotmail.com) from Queens, New York
"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
19 out of 22 people found the following review useful: Corman makes Poe proud, 17 December 2004 Author: The_Void from Beverley Hills, England
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.
19 out of 22 people found the following review useful: A Masterpiece of Gothic Horror Cinema, 7 May 2004 Author: squeezebox from United States
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.
16 out of 18 people found the following review useful: Roger Corman's First Poe Movie Is One Of The Best Horror Films Of The 60s, 18 October 2005 Author: Hal-900 from WA, USA
Corman's first Edgar Allan Poe adaptation triggered one of the most successful (and beloved) series of movies in the history of the American cinema. Later on, Corman gained notoriety for discovering new talent and producing many low-budget movies, but we tend to forget that he is a talented filmmaker too. "House of Usher" is a small-scale, very low-budget production, inventively directed by Corman. The emphasis is on characterizations and atmosphere, not on plot devices. In fact, very little occurs during the course of the movie. Characters talk and talk, while the story unfolds at a snail's pace. Sure, the film is slow moving, but it is never boring. From a technical point of view, it is very satisfying. But great aesthetics is not the movie's only strong card. The acting is excellent too. Vincent Price became a horror star on the strength of "House of Wax," but I think this is the movie that really establishes him as a force to be reckon with. Price is wonderfully restrained in one of his best roles. I also liked Mark Damon's performance as the movie's hero. The script by the great Richard Matheson is rock-solid and Floyd Crosby's color cinematography is simply extraordinary. Corman made seven more films based on Poe's work, but this is still one of the best films of the well-regarded series.
12 out of 14 people found the following review useful: A Gothic classic and one of Roger Corman's best films., 12 May 2003 Author: capkronos (capkronos00@hotmail.com) from Ohio, USA
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.
10 out of 11 people found the following review useful: "I suggest you live, mr. Winthrop. No? Then perish with us"., 5 October 2003 Author: pablo-74 from Buenos Aires, Argentina
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.
9 out of 10 people found the following review useful: Vincent Price without his moustache..., 22 April 2006 Author: Lee Eisenberg (eisenberg.lee@gmail.com) from Portland, Oregon, USA
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.
10 out of 13 people found the following review useful: Spooky flick every step of the way., 26 August 2005 Author: spacemonkey_fg from Puerto Rico
Title: The Fall of the House of Usher (1960)Director: Roger CormanCast: Vincent Price, Mark Damon, Myrna FaheyReview: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
12 out of 17 people found the following review useful: Vincent Price and the Plague of Evil!!, 11 February 2004 Author: Coventry from the Draconian Swamp of Unholy Souls
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!
3 out of 4 people found the following review useful: Oh, yes., 17 November 2005 Author: oyason from Seattle
The reputation that Roger Corman's FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER has built for itself is well deserved. Easily the best of Corman's "bend til it almost breaks" Poe story lines, the film offers Vincent Price at the very top of his form, in a steady, measured performance that never loses steam. Price's daughter Victoria talks a lot about the man's insecurity around his talent in her biography of him. Well, all artists are entitled to that. But his work in HOUSE OF USHER stands out even when ranked with his work in any other film genre. The dude could act, and with a vengeance.The storyline itself takes liberties with Poe, but unlike many of Corman's other Poe films, this one succeeds in producing atmosphere that breeds a certain unsettledness in the viewer. Roderick Usher (Price) and his sister Madeline (Myrna Fahey) are here, of course, but Poe's narrator-a boyhood friend of Roderick in the original tale- is converted to a suitor Phillip Winthrop (Mark Damon)in order to add romantic intrigue to the opus. In Corman's USHER, this young man has come from Boston to wed Madeline, and take her back to the city, where she allegedly had an earlier life in upper class society. Standing in the way is Roderick, who insists that Madeline can go nowhere, as she possesses a genetic madness and evil in her bloodlines. She is dying, insists Roderick, and this is as it should be. All the Ushers need to die, so that the family evil- and the evil of the house itself- will live no longer. Winthrop, convinced that Roderick is merely projecting his own insanity onto Madeline and the house- which is in deep disrepair- makes every effort to take Madeline away the following day. But before he can do so, Madeline dies. Or so it seems. In actuality- and as in the Poe story-- she has fallen into a cataleptic trance. Roderick knows this, but hides the fact from Winthrop, and with loyal family butler Bristol(Harry Ellerbe), buries Madeline alive. Once Winthrop figures this out, he drives himself crazy trying to locate Madeline- who has awakened from her fit, and has now gone into a deep manic rage, stalking through byzantine secret passageways looking for people to murder. She finally succeeds in killing Roderick, herself, and Bristol, and the house- which, in Corman's view, actually is the source of all the grief in the story- falls in flames. The credits roll.Aiding this small cast are a number of other players portraying family ghosts. Some of what you'll see in this film is the progenitor of a formula that Corman would beat to death (bizarre, spectral dreams that haunt the hero) in later films, but here it all is, as it was fresh and new, when Roger Corman was first getting his chops. In a word, it's outstanding.
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