Click to order
The Fall of the House of Usher /The Pit and the
Pendulum
(1960)
The Very Afflicted Mr.
Usher,
October 20, 2008
[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
Transylvania
The
Masque of the Red Death / The Premature Burial
Entire
Tales & Poems of Edgar Allan Poe: Photographic & Annotated Edition
Review: JEFarrow
Updated 10/08