Pretty Good

Absolutely Fantastic

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

"Revenge in the House of Usher" is said to be one of Jess Franco's worst film. However, this happens to be one of my favorite works of the celebrated director (well, depending on the cut, that is), and while it will not appeal to everyone, fans of European haunted house films like "Lisa and the Devil" and Franco's own "A Virgin Among the Living Dead" will find plenty to enjoy here. Incidentally, one of the reasons why people hate it so much (or so I think), also plagued the other two films, as the most common version is in fact a butchered recut. Originally released in Spain as "El Hundimiento de la Casa Usher", the film flopped and only resurfaced when Eurocine got it's hands on it, removing some of the original's most startling sequences and substituting them with an new subplot to cash in on the success of Franco's "Dr. Orloff" films, and even adding scenes from "The Awful Dr. Orloff" poorly edited into the mix as flashbacks. To it's credit, this new cut actually does a good job with the new footage, as they are quite atmospheric and interesting, and one can see they actually made an effort for it to look like it belongs to the same film but get tend dull and repetitive after a while. Now, back to "El Hundimiento...", Franco doesn't go for a straight adaptation of the story even though it does have a similar premise and climax. It's faithfulness lies at recreating the themes and mood of Poe's work, taking elements from more than one of his stories ("Ligeia" in particular is referenced throughout) to create something more unique. For my money, this film – along with Jean Epstein's superb 1928 take on the same story – is the one that actually comes closest to achieve that decadent atmosphere of morbid romance. The Spanish deserts may not be one's ideal location for the house, but here it actually works a lot, and remains close to Poe's description of it although in a rather unconventional matter. The never-ending daylight, a Franco trademark, is used to great effect too, creating a suffocating, feverish atmosphere throughout (also giving the idea that Usher's delusions may have something to do with that oppressive sun). The castle itself is absolutely stunning and is beautifully photographed. The use of shadows and natural light during the interior sequences is excellent, proving once again that Franco always has a great eye for shooting on locations. There are plenty of gorgeous, darkly Gothic compositions throughout, with the architecture always playing an important part. One of the most compelling aspects of this production is that Franco is aiming for a kind of 20's/30's Gothic . Compared to genre works of the same kind made during that period, it may feel helplessly outdated, but that's part of the charm. Unlike what some have grown to expect from him, there is no on screen sex and nudity, with most of the "dirty" stuff implied, which I personally feel is a wise move and works in a Val Lewton kind of way. Everything from the script and particularly Daniel White's non-stop melodramatic score just screams old-school, expressionistic horror. Although these scenes were added in under producer's insistence, some of the film's most interesting additions is that Usher may or may not be be a vampire serial killer. It isn't clear whether these killings actually took place, but they are truly powerful moments. The build-up for the first death scene is particularly incredible, with great use of expressionistic lighting, and the conversation between prey and attacker. The most downright disturbing murder is that of a little girl. The scene itself is already creepy with it's open suggestion of pedophilia, but having him actually kill her and feast on her blood on screen makes it quite difficult to watch. Howard Vernon's totally demented performance also helps in making this bit particularly convincing, as he really does seem to enjoy doing it. Speaking of Vernon, I must say this is his most impressive performance under Franco's direction. He is mostly lonely, introspective and melancholy, occasionally turning (sometimes in the same scene) gleefully over-the-top and hysterical; and also quite monstrous and downright scary. Although Mayans is sadly unimpressive and dull as the narrator/protagonist Harker; Lina Romay more than makes up for it as the servant Helen. Despite the absence of her usual masturbatory fits, Romay's acting is actually one of her all time best, serving as a kind of dead ringer for Helena Boham Carter in Tim Burton's "Sweeney Todd". In fact, I find her even more sexy with her clothes on, playfully seducing on the members of the household and oozing a sleazy, "femme-fatale" like charm. She also delivers some of the best lines, as well as the film's few moments of dark humor. Although I can't find her name in the credits list, the actress who plays the ghostly Edmunda deserves special mention as well. From her frightening introduction in a "Kill Baby Kill" inspired scene, she has a strong, ethereal quality on her. As for flaws, the film moves at a very slow pace (it worked for me, but I can definitely see why some can call it boring), and with a rather stiff protagonist. Also, this is a very low budget production, and it shows. The climax in particular suffers from the poor production values, with a very unconvincing "fall". The scene is made up basically from shaky camera angles and falling furniture. Still, this happens right after one of the film's most memorable sequence: Usher's encounter with his victims' vengeful ghosts, which may just be the most powerful moment in the film, akin to the powerful, haunting finale of "A Virgin Among the Living Dead". As a whole, "House of Usher" may not convince Franco bashers of the man's talents, but for more seasoned fans of the director and low-budget Eurohorror in general it is essential viewing.

I really have to give up on Jess Franco movies. This film was a total ripoff for anybody expecting a gory version of a Poe adaption. It had very little to do with Poe's famous story and much to do with Franco's previous Dr. Orloff film. A good chunk of this mess is scenes from Orloff and looks like what it is: padding. The box art for the version I saw has a woman being menaced with a power drill: no such scene exists in this movie. What does remain of Poe is a badly done retread of earlier efforts concerning the fall of the house of Usher: all done better by the 1960 film by Roger Corman. Nothing to recommend. I have heard there is a Spanish version that is completely different and much better but at this point who cares?! Avoid!

"Revenge in the House of Usher" is a highly disappointing effort.**SPOILERS**Receiving word that his ex-professor and mentor needs to see him, Dr. Alan Harker, (Antonio Mayans) is mysteriously summoned to the castle of Dr. Eric Usher, (Howard Vernon) and find he has gone completely mad. Upon his arrival, the old man confesses his years of misdeeds, admitting to kidnapping young women with the hope of curing his daughter Melissa, (Francoise Blanchard) of her catatonic condition by giving her their blood. His blind assistant Morpho, (Oliver Mato) aids in his twisted quest, involving embryonic stem cells in his techniques. He begins to suffer a series of strange delusions of sorts, including several of the women he has seduced and killed. Convinced that his comatose daughter has been targeted by the apparitions, he hurriedly rushes to get them under control with all the help he can get before they stop him and take over the family.The Good News: This isn't all that terrible. The most striking fact is this looks incredible, with the access to a real castle being a major plus, and full use is made of it, shooting numerous scenes up on the battlements for no good reason other than they look good. Much of the film's photography is quite attractive, giving it a wonderful look that evokes a great Gothic vibe and atmosphere. At times, it does seem to belong to some other movie. There are times that it is a throwback to the expressionist style, and it almost works on that level. The dense hues, such as the blinding yellows, deep reds and disturbing oranges, seem to be what the most interesting feature of the film. This has a pretty decent pace to it, with lots of creepy visions of the hallucinations troubling the man. They're quite creepy and actually have a nice quality to them. It's hard not to say them without spoiling how great they were, so they can't be revealed but each one was quite impressive to see transpired. Other than that, there wasn't much else in it.The Bad News: This is a sadly disappointing film for several reasons. The fact that most of the plot is so familiar is because the film owes much more to the Orloff verse than to Poe. The ill daughter Melissa, as well as the blind assistant Morpho and the use of inserts are fixtures that hark back to the earlier films. The inserts themselves are the biggest problem, since it pads out the running time with obviously inserted footage just so that the film time could be padded out. It's a series of weird inclusions that don't go well. Yet there are inclusions here that don't quite fit well either, such as the introduction of characters from the Dracula story, including Harker and Dr. Seward. The result is rather on the incoherent side, lacking in logic or driving story, and successfully evoking a disturbing fever dream. Those expecting gore and sex in a Franco title will be sorely disappointed, as the usual inserts of blood and breasts are absent here. With only one moment of anything more than implied blood, and with that being cut back to a mere shot of a bloody knife, is almost unbelievable and really hurts this film. It's almost a shame to say that the film needed to be sleazier. There are a number of scenes here that look quite terrible and not at all good, most notable in the climactic fall, which is accomplishes by jiggling the camera, throwing a handful of dust, and using a squishing sound. The scene is less than successful. This ultimately is a disappointing film.The Final Verdict: This was a strangely disappointing Franco entry that just seems so rushed and haphazardly put together that it robs it of most of the virtues going for it. It's mostly interesting as a Franco exercise, but most of those interested will be put off by what's wrong, so only the most loyal, apologetic Franco fans should get this.Rated R: Violence and some Language

When I first tried to watch this film I fell asleep THREE times inside the first 15 minutes! Now this was late at night so I tried again during daylight and, with the aid of a large bag of chewy caramels, managed to make my way to the end. At that point I wondered just how much of a masochist I am.Apart from the sections "borrowed" from an earlier film by the same director(which was enjoyable in a camp so-bad-it's-good kind of way)there is absolutely nothing of any entertainment value here. Bad is too good a word to use to describe it.If anyone wants to run a course on how not to make a movie I would recommend this as the main text. Otherwise avoid like the plague!