Sadly Over-hyped

Don't Believe the Hype

Better Late Then Never

A Masterpiece!

The first adaptation of the Edgar Allen Poe movies was already an enjoyable experience. It's more about atmosphere and some creepy sequences than story. I guess Legend of Hell House must have gotten its ideas from this one. Even though not as good as other haunted house movies it's one that I'm pondering over to have in my collection. And Vincent Price gives as usual a great performance. What makes this movie strong is the setting of the mansion. We have the paintings of the gruesome ancestors on the walls, the coffins in the basement and the mansion itself bathing in a big cloud of mist to just name a few things. Usually I think black and white creates the right atmosphere but here it was actually the color that added to the experience. A few creepy scenes such as chandelier falling and almost dropping on a visitor, coffin falling open to reveal a skeleton and the visitor having a dream about the ancestors of the Ushers in the form of ghosts. That the back story of the Ushers was eventually more interesting than the story displayed in the movie didn't take away the overall enjoyable experience for me. And Myrna Fahey was really beautiful as Madeline, could easily compete with Barbara Steele.

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'.

I wouldn't call this a strict horror film, although it has some small elements of horror, but the atmosphere alone, plus the performance of the great Vincent Price(Roderick Usher)is worthy enough to recommend this film. You know the story by now, and even though it takes a little time to progress, it's worth the wait, and you don't need to be a horror fan to enjoy. My personal highlight is the performance of Harry Ellerbe, who portrayed Bristol the butler, as he tried his best to appease all the parties involved, and was very proper and respectful, and it's easy "root" for him, so to speak. The color schemes worked very well, as it was also a fine movie to look at visually, even though the exterior of the castle's many shots were obviously fake, and even some of Price's lines were pretentious, but still charming. Mark Damon(Philip Winthrop)and Myrna Fahey(Madeline Usher)were both solid in their prospective roles, even though at times their dialog was a tad mushy. The conclusion of this film was better than I remembered it being, and that adds to what is a solid film which boasts the talents of one Vincent Price.

Hmmm, odd that I have never seen this movie before now in 2013, especially since I enjoy horror movies as much as I do. And I do realize that having missed out on watching this movie, I have indeed missed out on a classic. I think initially my reason for not having seen it prior to now has been because it is so old. But again, I was dead wrong, because this movie is ageless it seems - even in 2013 it is very enjoyable and entertaining.Right, well I am not going to go into the layout of the storyline, as this is a classic and most people should be up to speed with it by now - unless they, like me, shrugged it off given its age.The movie was really directed quite nicely by Roger Corman, and he has indeed managed to put together nothing short of a classic masterpiece.And the movie is really well acted, by the four people that were in it. I was a bit surprised that there were only four people to the cast list, so they had a lot riding on their shoulders. But they all delivered really well; good performances, believable performances and the characters were nicely detailed and fleshed out. There is sort of a thespian-feel to the acting-style in the movie, sort of something that transcends ordinary movie acting.There was a really nice Gothic feel to the entire movie, and the details of the house, the decor and decorating was just mind-numbingly beautiful. There were so many details that I believe the movie deserves a second watching, just to take in all of these.The story in "The Fall of the House of Usher" is timeless and it have enough weight and contents to support more than a single viewing.If you, like me, have been putting off watching this movie, then I strongly suggest you wait no longer. "The Fall of the House of Usher" is a classic and a masterpiece that belongs on the DVD collection of any movie fanatic and fan of the horror genre.