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House of Usher

Play trailer Poster for House of Usher Released Jun 22, 1960 1h 25m Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
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83% Tomatometer 52 Reviews 74% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Based on the classic story "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe and directed by legendary filmmaker Roger Corman, this thriller features Vincent Price as Roderick Usher, a man who believes his family to be cursed by incurable madness. So sure is he of his family's doom, that when his sister Madeline (Myrna Fahey) announces her engagement to Philip Winthrop (Mark Damon), Roderick will stop at nothing to prevent their marriage and keep the Usher bloodline from continuing.
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House of Usher

House of Usher

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Critics Consensus

Scary, strange, and maybe a little silly, House of Usher represents an early high mark for Vincent Price and a career triumph for director Roger Corman.

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Critics Reviews

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Betty Martin Los Angeles Times Roger Corman, who produced and directed the film for AIP, has handled the production well enough, managing a fair amount of suspense throughout. Sep 22, 2021 Full Review Helen Bower Detroit Free Press Price is no stranger to horror pictures. Here he has the chance for some impressive acting... On the side of sanity is dark-haired Mark Damon as Miss Fahey's fiancé. His performance Is unusually striking. Sep 22, 2021 Full Review Elston Brooks Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com Usher has its eerie moments but toward the end gets stewed in its own caldron of juices. Sep 22, 2021 Full Review Sharai Bohannon A Nightmare On Fierce Street Podcast Vincent Price is the reason this movie works on any level. He understood the assignment and gave us a reason to lean forward. Rated: 2.5/5 Dec 30, 2024 Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand 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. Aug 19, 2023 Full Review Frederick H. Guidry Christian Science Monitor The story by Edgar Allan Poe has been transferred to the screen with substantial changes... But alteration is a minor matter compared with the producer's frantic reliance on special effects which dismally fail to divert attention from a dull script. Aug 17, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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John C This adaptation of the Fall of the House of Usher is much better than I expected it to be, genuinely immersive and atmospheric despite some 1960s campiness and melodrama here and there. Vincent Price is on top form as the crafty and unhinged Rodrick Usher, and the rest of the cast put in reasonably good performances (Myrna Fahey's really comes alive towards the end), but the story itself and the gothic spookiness of the setting is what makes this so good. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/22/24 Full Review nick s Solid performances and nicely paced. It had a single set location and just a few actors, so not a grandiose movie. There was the ambience of a horror yet it wasn't what you'd call frightening. Worth watching for the quality directing and acting but not an exceptionally memorable work. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/16/24 Full Review Leaburn O A decent adaptation of Poe's classic horror tale. Starts well and gets a bit campy towards the end. Decent enough without being outstanding. Watched on Silent Movies. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/02/24 Full Review Tim M Short and devilishly sweet, House of Usher lives up to Edgar Allen Poe's haunting tale with gothic imagery and a persistent sense of foreboding. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/05/24 Full Review Dave S After a string of genuinely bad low-budget B-movies in the ‘50s, director Roger Corman used 1960's House of Usher to prove to his detractors that he could actually make a decent movie. Very loosely based on the Edgar Allan Poe short story, it tells the tale of a 19th century New England estate seemingly haunted by the generations of madness of the family who has inhabited it. The movie succeeds on the strength of Richard Matheson's script, some excellent sound effects, striking sets and costumes, and a stellar performance from the always reliable Vincent Price. Yes, it gets a bit hokey towards the end and yes, the visuals of the burning castle at the end are laughable, but the movie works due of the consistent atmosphere of dread created by Corman. This may be the best of his Poe adaptations. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/30/23 Full Review CodyZamboni Solid Roger Corman horror adaptation of Poe's story. Movie's MVP is Vincent Price, in a commanding performance. I liked the old school spooky look of the mansion, the eerie dank dungeon crypt sets, and unsettling blue tinted nightmare sequence. Towards the end, I was surprised how much gore the early 1960's censors allowed to be shown. Kudos also to Richard Matheson for his script. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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House of Usher

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Movie Info

Synopsis Based on the classic story "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe and directed by legendary filmmaker Roger Corman, this thriller features Vincent Price as Roderick Usher, a man who believes his family to be cursed by incurable madness. So sure is he of his family's doom, that when his sister Madeline (Myrna Fahey) announces her engagement to Philip Winthrop (Mark Damon), Roderick will stop at nothing to prevent their marriage and keep the Usher bloodline from continuing.
Director
Roger Corman
Producer
Roger Corman
Screenwriter
Richard Matheson, Edgar Allan Poe
Distributor
American International Pictures, Warner Home Vídeo, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp.
Production Co
American International Pictures (AIP), Alta Vista Productions
Genre
Horror
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 22, 1960, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 30, 2016
Runtime
1h 25m
Sound Mix
Mono
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