28 March 2024
The Fall of the House of Usher (1960)
79 min.
Directed by Roger Corman.
With Vincent Price, Mark Damon, Myrna Fahey, Harry Ellerbe.
Exceptional Roger Corman-Vincent Price horror.

Roderick Usher (Price) and his sister Madeline (Fahey) are the last of the "death wish" Ushers, an evil family plagued by a long legacy of crime and dark sins.

When Philip Winthrop (the unbelievably handsome Damon) comes to claim his betrothed Madeline, Roderick warns Philip of the horrible history of the family, telling him many of the Usher ancestors suffered from insanity, depravity and psychological abnormalities of all kinds.

Hey, full disclosure, right?

Unfortunately, Roderick proves to be more than just a fount of information.

He's also going to be a very real obstacle to Philip and Madeline's happiness. When Roderick tries to keep Madeline from leaving, she suffers a seizure and dies!

But Philip can't accept that Madeline is really dead. Why is her tomb empty? Could she still be alive? If so, where is she?

Beautiful cinematography and gorgeous color photography highlight this AIP entry based in Poe.

There's a nice, hypnotic sequence with Madeline taking inventory in the Usher crypt, and the fiery finale is legitimately creepy.

Price rules the roost in this surprise hit for Roger Corman and American International Pictures.

But somebody, please, fix that huge fissure in the house!

Also known simply as House of Usher.

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