THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF
USHER-1949-Some stuffy English dudes discuss Edgar Allan Poe at their
club. One of them relates the title story.
Jonathan (Irving Steen) goes to visit
his friend Roderick Usher (Kay Tendeter) at his castle. Usher says he's
inherited a strange family disease. He also says his sister Madeleine
(Gwen Watford who later became famous for a British TV work)) has the
same disease. She plays the piano, drinks milk and wanders around the
castle. The weird family doctor (Vernon Charles) relates a story that
the disease is actually a curse placed on the family by a man their
father killed (he was having an affair with their mother). He also
tells Roderick about a “temple” hidden in the moors.
The three men go there and meet
Rodericks's mother, now a decrepit old hag who has her dead lover's
head! The doctor says that if they burn the head the curse will be
broken. They leave but come back with their gardener (I'm not sure
why they needed a gardener to burn a head) but Mrs. Usher overpowers
Roderick and kills the gardener. Then Madeleine has a run-in with mom
and is almost killed. Jonathan tries to cheer Rod up by painting and
reading until Rod suddenly announces that Madeleine is dead (he
tells how in a flashback). He puts her in a coffin, nails it shut and
places it in the family mausoleum. 8 days later Rod is brandishing a
gun at night because he hears strange noises (nails being hammered, a
ticking clock) and thinks sis is coming to get him. He shoots the
doctor (but Jonathan doesn't hear anything). It seems Madeleine was
buried alive and escaped her coffin (after 8 days?). He tries to
shoot her and fails and she tediously chases him to the roof where he
falls to his death and Madeleine disappears (all the time mom is
watching).
Where Jonathan was all this time isn't
explained but he shows up in time to escape the burning castle, set
on fire by lightening. Your guess is as good as mine...
Director Ivan Barnett did little else
but this strange quirky adaptation has it's moments.
Thanks for reading!
2 comments:
Been meaning to check this one out for some time. It was one of the only horror-themed movies made in 1949.
1949 was a slow year for horror films apparently. They really didn't kick back in until the mid '50's...
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