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The Fall of the House of Usher | 
 enlarge | Director: Roger Corman
Actors: Vincent Price, Mark Damon, Myrna Fahey, Harry Ellerbe, Eleanor Lefaber
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $2.25
You Save: $12.70 (85%)
New (32) Used (22) Collectible (2) from $2.25
Rating:  37 reviews
Sales Rank: 15509
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Rating: Unrated
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 79
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
ISBN: 0792850033
UPC: 027616862877
EAN: 9780792850038
ASIN: B00005AUK0
Theatrical Release Date: June 22, 1960
Release Date: June 5, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW AND SEALED SHIPS FIRST CLASS MAIL NO EXTRA CHARGE
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Vincent Price brings a theatrical flourish to the role of Roderick Usher, a brooding nobleman haunted by the dry rot of madness in his family tree. This being Poe, there's a history of family madness and melancholia, a premature burial, and a sense of doom hanging over this gloomy, crumbling mansion. Roger Corman sold stingy AIP pictures on the concept by claiming "The house is the monster," or so goes the oft-told story. True or not, Corman (with the help of his brilliant art director Daniel Haller and legendary cinematographer Floyd Crosby) creates an exaggerated sense of isolation and claustrophobia with the sunless forest and funereal fog that holds the house and its inhabitants prisoner in a land of the dead. It doesn't quite look real (some of the effects are downright phony, notably the apocalyptic climax), and none of the costars can hold a candle to Price's elegant, haunted performance (often speaking in no more than a stage whisper), but it's a triumph of expressionism on a budget. Shot in rich, vivid color and CinemaScope, from a literate script by genre master Richard Matheson, this is stylish gothic horror in a melancholy key. It was such a success that Corman reunited his core group of collaborators for the follow-up The Pit and the Pendulum the very next year. Corman's "Poe Cycle" was born. MGM's widescreen disc also features commentary by director-producer Corman, his first-ever such contribution. --Sean Axmaker
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| Customer Reviews: Read 32 more reviews...
 Immortal Doom & Gloom December 25, 2007
Not a movie it's possible to criticize. We're all dying, but that's life: diseased, mad, servile and heading straight for the coffin and the crypt. Vincent was a filmic presence beyond price. That voice, that face, that manner: he wasn't acting, he just was. Poe was a true original, and one is left wondering what hell he dredged these visions up from. Corman knew what he was about, even if he didn't follow the story. Suspend everything when watching this. Don't be impatient. Read the other reviews if you need help. Now I know where Francis Bacon got his hideous picture painting portrait style from: Vincent Priceless!
A Great Atmospheric Film August 10, 2007
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
The atmosphere in this film is fantastic. The acting grand. While not scary by any means, its got a creepy vibe that grabs hold and brings you along for the ride. Vincent price shows you just why he is one of the elite horror icons. On another note the music is wonderful almost a character on its own.
 A rather boring movie/adaptation despite Vincent Price's brilliance. May 14, 2005
4 out of 11 found this review helpful
I simply thought that "The Fall of the House of Usher" was rather boring and I found myself dozing off. I thought that "The Pit and the Pendulum" was a much better flick and a much more interesting adaptation. In fact, I was quite disappointed with this adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's brilliant short story "Fall of the House of Usher". While the movie provides a grim atmosphere in accordance with the Poe's story, the movie drags and never really picks up enough steam to keep one's interest...however, I found the actual story written by Poe to be quite interesting and very entertaining...perhaps that is my problem with the movie as it is not nearly as good as the story itself. This movie "The Fall of the House of Usher" could have been much better. Notwithstanding the poor adaptation of Poe's classic story of despair, Vincent Price, as always, was terrific in his role...still, this is not enough to make this a good adaptation. I recommend watching the clearly superior "The Pit and the Pendulum" instead of this flick.
Home Improvement... February 23, 2005
2 out of 6 found this review helpful
Roderick Usher (Vincent Price) has a serious medical condition. He is stricken with a severe heightening of the senses which turns the slightest touch, sound, sight, taste, or smell into sheer agony. Roderick also believes that both he and his sister Madeline (Myrna Fahey) are doomed to impending insanity and death (it's a family curse). So, the Usher house is not a happy place! Enter Mark Damon as Madeline's fiance, bent on getting her out of this dreary atmosphere and you've got big trouble. Roderick insists on her staying put, to the point of burying her alive! Can her betrothed save her from this hideous fate? Well, not if old Rod can help it! Meanwhile, the very house itself is crumbling around them. THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER is a solid Roger Corman / Poe movie with lots of ghastly charm. One of Vincent's best performances...
Corman, Poe, Price and the American Drive In February 17, 2005
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
After all the years that have passed since the Corman/Price "Poe" series first ran, it is hard to explain just how breathtaking these films were, especially in the heartland. When they were new, those of us in the large patch in the middle of America, and were raised on drive-in movies, saturday kiddie shows, and afternoon TV "matinees" were frankly surprised by how good these films really were. The Corman/Price movies provided a welcome switch from summer films with plots built around sex-crazed cheerleaders, pulchritudinous stewardesses, over-heated summer school teachers, and hormonally-crazed student nurses. This is an interesting observation in the face of the reality that Corman was also notorious for making movies about those self-same nymphomaniacal cheerleaders, stewardesses, summer school teachers, etc, etc, etc,
The Poe series was smart, well costumed, often humorous, occasionally freaky, and generally unique in its day. These films were often so far ahead of their time that they probably went unnoticed by most of the Hollywood establishment (the best films still do). When they weren't uniquely fabulous, they were at least far enough over the top (as in "The Raven" where we have Vincent Price, Perer Lorre, Boris Karloff, and a very young Jack Nicholson loudly chewing the scenery) that we didn't care.
Of course, no one would have been more surprised by the plot twists that these films took than E. A. Poe himself. We frequently wondered if Corman had read the same stories we had, but in the end, it didn't really matter. Corman is a grand storyteller whose artistic vision remains true even in the face of what appears to be deep cynicism about the quality of his product and the intelligence (certainly the sophistication) of his viewing audience. Price was, of course, a magnificent and sophisticated actor who brought elegance and sympathy to every role he ever played. This first movie in the Corman/Poe series is the strongest and most faithful to the original source material. You will not find the best review for these movies here, though I wholeheartedly endorse them, the best praise these films will receive is from yourself when you find that they make for excellent repeated viewing.
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