The Fall of the House of Usher /The Pit and the Pendulum

The Fall of the House of Usher /The Pit and the Pendulum
by Roger Corman

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DVD Cover Information

Actor: Eleanor LeFaber, Harry Ellerbe, Mark Damon, Myrna Fahey, Vincent Price
Director: Roger Corman
Brand: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT
Cinematographer: Floyd Crosby
Editor: Anthony Carras
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); French (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 160 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-02-15
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: American International Pictures (AIP)

Movie Reviews of The Fall of the House of Usher /The Pit and the Pendulum

Movie Review: The Very Afflicted Mr. Usher
Summary: 4 Stars

[This review is part of my 31 days of Halloween series.]

I am focusing on HOUSE OF USHER in this review because PIT & THE PENDULUM is not a big favorite of mine, but it's ok for kids--as is HOUSE OF USHER.

THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER is one of the very best productions of the Roger Gorman-Vincent Price horror series. It is based on Edgar Allen Poe's masterpiece, very Lovecraftian & one of my personal favorites.

There are only 4 characters (which was certainly a plus for the budget) & the 4 actors & director Gorman are up to the challenge of making a well-acted & suspenseful film.

The central theme of both the book & the movie is that of a degenerate family line who physically & spiritually poisons not only their own ancestral home, but their very presence also pollutes the environment around them. The current residents are a brother and sister who, although not evil in themselves, are the end of the family line. The sister is prone to attacks of catalepsy & the brother suffers from a really killer case of neurasthenia. Both of these medical conditions were sort of "in vogue" near the end of the 19th century.

In its most extreme manifestation, catalepsy can cause a victim to actually appear dead. Fear of premature burial had some people so upset that elaborate precautions were made to prevent such a horrible fate--including above ground burial & a bell alarm system above ground that could be triggered from within the coffin, etc.

Neurasthenia was more of a "rich person's ailment" that could be the result of alcoholism, stress, etc. One cure involved electro-shock therapy. In Brother Usher's case it is obviously attributed to family inbreeding & psychosis. He can literally hear a pin fall & it drives him absolutely crazy--as if he wasn't already crazy enough! Vincent Price is in top form as the very afflicted Mr. Usher.

The entire condition of the family has degenerated to such a degree that the house itself is literally falling apart & sinking at the same time. The image of this at the film's conclusion is convincingly portrayed in a stark, expressionist style--as is the weird painting gallery depicting the evil Usher ancestors.

There is a very interesting dream sequence (as in MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH next on my list) that is still very cool to watch.

This is a movie kids can enjoy too.

Transylvania
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Entire Tales & Poems of Edgar Allan Poe: Photographic & Annotated Edition

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Summary of The Fall of the House of Usher /The Pit and the Pendulum

The Fall of the House of UsherLegendary scare-masters Vincent Price and Roger Corman serve up a diabolical nightmare from screenwriter Richard Matheson that drips with "brooding evil and sinister suspense" (The Film Daily)! Based on Edgar Allan Poe's chilling tale about a family driven to savage bloodlust by a power beyond their wildest fears this terrifying story of "murder madness and necrophilia" (Cue) proves that there's no place like home for horror!Running Time 70 MinThe Pit and the PendulumHappily-ever-after goes under the knife in this "eerie [and] excellent" (The Hollywood Reporter) saga of murder madness and forbidden desire. Starring Vincent Price as a man teetering on the brink of insanity (while his wife plots to push him over it) this "spine-tingling thriller" (Redbook) is a "lush elegant and bloody" (Cue) tale of razor-sharp terror!Running Time 70 MinSystem Requirements: Running Time 140 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre:?HORROR Rating:?NR UPC:?027616910875 Manufacturer No:?1006946

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