The Fall of the House of Usher main backdrop
The Fall of the House of Usher main poster

The Fall of the House of Usher

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5.1/10 • 13

1950-06-011h 10m

Horror

A traveler arrives at the Usher mansion to visit his old friend, Roderick Usher. Upon arriving, however, he discovers that Roderick and his sister, Madeline, have been afflicted with a mysterious malady: Roderick's senses have become painfully acute, while Madeline has become nearly catatonic. That evening, Roderick tells his guest of an old Usher family curse: any time there has been more than one Usher child, all of the siblings have gone insane and died horrible deaths. As the days wear on, the effects of the curse reach their terrifying climax.

Directors
Ivan Barnett
Writters
Dorothy Catt, Kenneth Thompson

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Gwen Watford

    Gwen Watford

    Lady Usher

  2. Kaye Tendeter

    Kaye Tendeter

    Lord Roderick Usher

  3. Irving Steen

    Irving Steen

    Jonathan

  4. Vernon Charles

    Vernon Charles

    Dr. Cordwall

  5. Connie Goodwin

    Connie Goodwin

    Louise

  6. Lucy Pavey

    Lucy Pavey

    The Hag

  7. Robert Woollard

    Robert Woollard

    Greville

  8. Keith Lorraine

    Keith Lorraine

    George

  9. Tony Powell-Bristow

    Tony Powell-Bristow

    Richard

Reviews1

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Dec 27, 2022

4/10

This is a bit wooden, to be honest... The budget was clearly stretched by the bar bill from the opening, introductory, sequence in the gentleman's club where one of the group starts to read this story from a compendium of Poe stories. We are quickly transferred to the sinister mansion in which the "Usher" siblings - "Lord Roderick" (Kaye Tendeter) and "Lady Madeleine" (Gwen Watford) abide. "Jonathan" (Irving Steen) arrives at the house to visit his friend and discovers that both have been afflicted by strange maladies that their doctor can only explain by suggesting "Jonathan" leave, and leave quickly... What ensues is not the best story Poe ever wrote, and this depiction is truly static. The staging is theatrical in the most third rate "rep" of fashions: lines are delivered as if being individually cued, the photography is almost as stilted and the overall pace of the film - though not entirely devoid of peril and aided well by eerie scenarios and a great storm sequence at the end, just flows like treacle. Like many stories from this author, there isn't a conclusion as such, just an ending - but in this case, sadly, it couldn't really come quick enough.

Media

  • The Fall of the House of Usher poster
  • The Fall of the House of Usher poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
cursegothic horrorold dark housesiblingpremature burialpoe