This is one of my favorite entries from the Edgar Allen Poe cycle that director Roger Corman engaged in during the 1960’s. Granted some of the special effects appear a little two dimensional and there is the perfunctory dream/nightmare sequence experienced by one of the film players that is shot with color filters and diffusion to capture a horrific pre-waking stage but, in this instance, the effect is very strong and effective.
Vincent Price appears as Roderick Usher who inhabits a mansion on a gloomy stretch of land with his sister, Madeline. There is a malignancy that holds sway over the house, the family and the property. A history of corruption, madness and barbarism seems incorporated into the Usher bloodline. Roderick and his siter are merely carrying on this malaise through their rapidly advancing physical and mental ailments.
Madeline’s beau, Philip, appears at the Usher doorstep to escort his beloved away and off to married life. Roderick refuses to permit this as he fears his sister will succumb to her infirmities if “ushered” away, as it were. Therein lies a majority of the story’s conflict: a war of wills and sanity between the three central characters.
Very cool interior sets and a magnificent Price performance make this a worthy viewing experience even if the story doesn’t exactly conform to Poe’s short story.
