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The Fall of the House of Usher (1960)
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Reviews Counted:20
Fresh:17
Rotten:3
Average Rating:6.7/10
Runtime: 85 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Synopsis: The great Vincent Price stars in this quintessential adaptation of the Edgar Allan Poe story. Hopeful Phillip (Mark Damon) rides up to the crumbling Usher estate to pick up his betrothed, Madeline... The great Vincent Price stars in this quintessential adaptation of the Edgar Allan Poe story. Hopeful Phillip (Mark Damon) rides up to the crumbling Usher estate to pick up his betrothed, Madeline (Myrna Fahey), and is coldly received by her brother, Roderick (Price). A most unwilling host, Roderick suffers from "morbid acuteness of the senses" and is convinced their family lineage--and the very house itself--is cursed by the evil deeds of their forebears. He is sworn to do everything in his power to keep his sister from leaving with Phillip--even burying her alive--to stop her from continuing their damned lineage. Roger "King of the Bs" Corman got permission from his producers to make this, his first film in color and with a recognizable star, for the same price as two of his usual black-and-white films. The result was a smash hit with critics and audiences, and Corman made seven more. This is still one of the best, with a comparatively restrained performance by Price, good set design and photography, and eerie music by the legendary Les Baxter. [More]
Starring: Vincent Price, Mark Damon, Myrna Fahey
Starring: Vincent Price, Mark Damon, Myrna Fahey
Director: Roger Corman
Director: Roger Corman
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Reviews for The Fall of the House of Usher
Corman's filmmaking runs on unchanneled energy and apocalyptic emotions; his is an art without craft.
A superlative Corman/AIP effort and a great beginning to a varying but always interesting series of horror films.
When Corman pitched the project to his superiors at American International Pictures, they asked, 'where's the monster?' Corman quickly replied, 'the house is the monster.'
Certainly some elements are dated now, and Price's fellow actors can't hold a candle to him, but Usher still holds up as an example of stately suspense that doesn't resort to gore, monsters, or overuse of shock effects.
The sickly decadence and claustrophobia of the Usher household is admirably evoked by Floyd Crosby's 'Scope photography and Daniel Haller's art direction.
Under the low-budget circumstances, Vincent Price and Myrna Fahey should not be blamed for portraying the decadent Ushers with arch affectation, nor Mark Damon held to account.
A primeira das oito parcerias entre Corman e Price funciona maravilhosamente bem até os quinze minutos finais, quando passa a depender de Fahey para assustar.
The Poe-inspired source material occasionally rises above the Corman-fueled production.
...not a gorefest, nor is it particularly suspenseful or terrifying, but it does create an effectively aggressive and disturbing tone.
Latest News for The Fall of the House of Usher
June 17, 2009:
Edinburgh 2009: The Tomato Report – Mendes takes Away We Go International
Another year, another Edinburgh Film Festival, and Rotten Tomatoes is firmly set up in the Scottish city for another fine celebration of film. Once again we're partnering with... More...
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