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Movies / Upcoming / The Fall of the House of Usher
The Fall of the House of Usher

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The Fall of the House of Usher (1960)

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85 %
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Reviews Counted:20

Fresh:17

Rotten:3

Average Rating:6.7/10

Runtime: 85 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

US Box Office: $0

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

[See More Credits]

Reviews for The Fall of the House of Usher

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
08/18/08
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Corman's filmmaking runs on unchanneled energy and apocalyptic emotions; his is an art without craft.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
09/25/07
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader

A superlative Corman/AIP effort and a great beginning to a varying but always interesting series of horror films.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
09/25/07
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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.'

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
06/30/07
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

No review available.

comment Comment
02/18/07
Jake Euker
Jake Euker
F5 (Wichita, KS)

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.

Full Review Source: DVDJournal.com | comment Comment
04/05/06
Mark Bourne
Mark Bourne
DVDJournal.com

The sickly decadence and claustrophobia of the Usher household is admirably evoked by Floyd Crosby's 'Scope photography and Daniel Haller's art direction.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out

It's one of the better Poe versions made by Corman, if not his best.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
01/18/06
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

No review available.

comment Comment
07/21/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

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.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/10/05
Eugene Archer
Eugene Archer
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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.

comment Comment
02/21/05
Pablo Villaca
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

No review available.

comment Comment
10/27/04
Matt Bailey
Matt Bailey
Not Coming to a Theater Near You

No review available.

comment Comment
08/16/04
Jonathan R. Perry
Jonathan R. Perry
Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas)

Corman's bid for respectability nearly works.

comment Comment
11/26/03
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

No review available.

comment Comment
09/05/03
Carol Cling
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal

The Poe-inspired source material occasionally rises above the Corman-fueled production.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
12/10/02
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

Quite possibly the finest combination of Corman, Price and Poe.

comment Comment
07/29/02
Scott Weinberg
Scott Weinberg
eFilmCritic.com

No review available.

comment Comment
07/29/02
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

A thoroughly engaging entry in the literary horror landscape.

Full Review Source: MovieMartyr.com | comment Comment
03/05/02
Jeremy Heilman
Jeremy Heilman
MovieMartyr.com

...not a gorefest, nor is it particularly suspenseful or terrifying, but it does create an effectively aggressive and disturbing tone.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
07/07/01
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
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