The Fall of the House of Usher (1949)

Genres - Mystery  |   Sub-Genres - Costume Horror, Gothic Film  |   Run Time - 70 min.  |   Countries - United Kingdom  |   MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Hal Erickson

Filmed in 1950, this British adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's Fall of the House of Usher made the U.S. art-house rounds in 1952. Essentially an amateur production (though its non-union participants received minimal salaries), Usher is nowhere near as stylish as Jean Epstein's 1929 version or Roger Corman's 1960 remake, though it does have its own austere charm. At 70 minutes, the film is able to tell the familiar story of the accursed Usher family with a minimum of waste footage. Director Ivan Barnett also produced and handled the camera, making up in enthusiasm what he lacks in technique. Gwendoline Watford, the film's ill-fated Lady Usher, later appeared on Broadway in Women of Twilight.

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Keywords

craziness, mental-illness, revenge, sister