Happy Father's Day!

 

 (imdb)

FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER-1928-A man named Alan (Charles Lamy) is summoned to the home of his friend Roderick Usher (Jean Debucourt), who lives in seclusion with his wife Madeline (Marguerite Gance). Rod-erick is obsessed with a portrait of his wife. When he thinks she has died he accidentally buries her alive. She breaks free of her tomb and comes back to haunt hubby. 

This adaptation of the classic Edgar Allan Poe story is very experimental in nature with many eerie and nightmarish scenes. Luis Bunuel is credited with the adaptation, a year before he and Salvador Dali made UN CHIEN ANDALOU, although it's unclear how much he contributed to the final film as he and director-producer Jean Epstein had an argument during the production and Bunuel left, leaving the director to make several changes in the story. Lead actress Gance was married to director Abel Gance (who appears as a bar patron) at the time and had appeared in his NAPOLEON the year before. This French production runs about 13 minutes. Another version was produced in the US in 1929.

Thanks for reading!

Poe One

 

 (imdb)

THE HOUSE OF USHER-1960-Philip Winthrop (Mark Damon who died in May 2024) comes to the Usher home to visit his fiancée' Madeline (Myrna Fahey). Brother Roderick (Vincent Price) says he must leave because Madeline is confined to her bed. Rod says that Philip can never marry her because both siblings suffer from an inherited disease that he calls a curse. Philip is told by Bristol, the butler (Harry Ellerbe) that Madeline walks in her sleep. Philip is determined to take his future wife away but Roderick forbids it. He shows Philip portraits of his ancestors who all came to bad ends. After a fight with her brother, Madeline dies. When she is put in the family tomb, Roderick admits he buried sis alive! After Philip has a nightmarish dream, Roderick seems to lose his mind believing Madeline is coming for revenge. However, it appears he's right! 

A great fiery climax caps this the first Edgar Allan Poe adaptation by Roger Corman and Richard Matheson (and Vincent Price). It may just be me but at times Damon's voice sounds like Derek (David Love) from TEENAGERS FROM OUTER SPACE!

Thanks for reading!

Lewton/Karloff

 

 (TCM)

ISLE OF THE DEAD-1945-Another great Lewton/Karloff collaboration directed by Mark Robson. 

Hard-nosed and dedicated to his country Gen. Pherides (Karloff; also in THE BODY SNATCHER th same year)) and US reporter Oliver Davis (Mark Cramer) unintentionally visit the home of Swiss doctor Albercht (Jason Robards) who has a strange superstitious housekeeper (Helene Thimig) and some guests: diplomat St. Aubyn (future TV Batman butler Alan Napier), his wife Mary (Katherine Emery; later in THE MAZE (1953)), salesman Andrew Robbins (uncredited Skelton Knaggs) and the enigmatic Thea (Ellen Drew). Everything is ok until Robbins dies, and a doctor (Ernst Duetsch) says he has the plague. Pherides decides everyone must stay. The doctor says it should pass in a few days but Albrecht says it might be a wolf spirit disguised as a human. He and Pherides) make a wager, Albrecht will pray to Hermes for a cure and Pherides can put his faith in science.

 After St. Aubyn dies, his wife confesses to the doctor that she has a morbid obsession with being buried alive. He says he will do everything to make sure this will never happen. But then he dies. Somehow Davis and Thea fall in love. When Mary seems to die, Pherides blames Thea. They put Mary in a crate like coffin and of course she's not dead. Then the general falls ill. Mary escapes her tomb and now mad goes looking for people to kill. Her first victim is the housekeeper. Pherides thinks the killer is Thea. Mary stabs the general, then falls off a cliff. Pherides dies believing the evil spirit has been destroyed. 

Haunting thriller with Karloff leading a good cast. Ellen Drew later starred with Vincent Price in Sam Fuller's THE BARON OF ARIZONA (1950). Jason Robards was in BEDLAM with Karloff the next year.

Thanks for reading!

Von Stroheim

 

 (imdb)

THE CRIME OF DR. CRESPI-1935-Teutonic, grouchy, self-assured Dr. Crespi (Erich Von Stroheim; 2 years before GRAND ILLUSION) agrees to operate on his former lover's husband Stephen Ross (John Bohn), a highly decorated doctor who used to be Crespi's assistant. The operation is a success but Ross dies anyway. Or does he? It seems Crespi is a mad scientist who injected Ross with a drug that makes him appear dead when in fact he can see and hear everything. Crespi wants him buried alive and even gloats about it to Ross' prone body. Ross is buried but is inadvertently saved when Dr. Thomas (Dwight Frye; in BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN the same year) exhumes the body believing Crespi poisoned Ross. Hungarian born John H. Auer directed this creaky melodramatic sort of horror tale with the credit “suggested” by Edgar Allan Poe's “The Premature Burial”.

Thanks for reading!

Castle!

 

 (imdb)

MACABRE-1958-Most people in town don't like Dr. Rodney Barrett (George Prince) because they believe he's indirectly responsible for the death of a blind woman Nancy. Sleazy police chief Tyloe (Jim Backus) tells him to leave town. Only his nurse Polly (Jacqueline Scott), his girlfriend Sylvia (Susan Morrow) and his housekeeper Miss Kushins (Ellen Corby) seem to like him. Then someone kidnaps his daughter and says she's been buried alive. Mr. Wetherby (Phillip Tonge), Nancy's ailing father joins them in the hunt. Flashbacks reveal that Nancy (Christine White) was kind of a slut who got pregnant from an affair with the sheriff or her chauffeur (unbilled Robert Colbert). But Dr. Barrett is hiding a secret too. 

Not half bad, if strange, murder mystery directed by the one and only William Castle.

Thanks for reading!

The Last Usher

 

USHER-2000-A would be poet Truman Jones (Sean Napita) visits reclusive poet Roderick Usher (Curtis Harrington who wrote and directed this) at his home where he lives with his French servant (Fabrice Uzan), his dog Lucifer and his dying sister Madeline (also played by Harrington with a dubbed voice). They talk poetry and Usher gives a masquerade party. At the party Madeline dies. Later she comes back and accuses her bro of burying her alive. ("We both have the same soul") She hugs him and he dies. Truman leaves. 

This bizarre short is the last film work of the under appreciated Harrington (NIGHT TIDE, QUEEN OF BLOOD) and was filmed in his actual home. Gary Graver (who died in 2006) was the cinematographer. Harrington financed the film himself. He passed in 2007.

Thanks for reading!

Bela on TV

  (imdb)

SUSPENSE-THE AUTO-LITE THEATER-1949- "The Cask of Amontillado"-In Nazi Germany an arrogant drunkard General Fortunato (Bela Lugosi in a rare dramatic TV role) visits a once prominent citizen Count Montressor (Romney Brent; later a series regular on TV's “Zorro”) intent on killing him and stealing his faithless wife. At first the count accepts his enviable fate and inviting the general (who once worked for the count and married and murdered his sister) in for a drink but then resolving to kill his nemesis by burying him alive. The only other actors to appear are Ray Walston and Frank Marth, both in uncredited roles. Rex Marshall is the announcer. Robert Stevens directed this rare unusual version of the Edgar Allan Poe classic short story.

Thanks for reading!

Mexican Trio

PANICO-1970-Three short tales from Mexico. In the first a young woman in her nightgown is pursued  by a crazy woman with a knife. Some guys seem to be hanging around but do nothing. She has a flashback to when he was assaulted by a group of men. After running some more she tangles with the crazy woman and kills her. But things are not what they seem.

In the second story, two men Carlos and Abel try to escape the jungle and an attack of yellow fever. Both have memories of Abel’s dead wife. Due to fatigue they crash their canoe and are stranded in the jungle swamp. Abel seems to take it in stride but Carlos is a mess on the verge of losing it completely but it's more likely guilt than fear that's driving Carlos batty.  In a fit he reveals he had an affair with his friend’s wife! Raging Abel tries to kill Carlos who stabs Abel to death. He buries Abel but he rises from the grave several times (perhaps all in Carlos’ mind) and Carlos loses it completely.

In the third a scientist creates narcotic drug for use in surgery. It mimics death but the patient is still conscious and can see. I'm not sure what makes this a great drug but I believe this segment is actually a comedy. His cat knocks over a beaker of the solution and it spills in to the scientist's coffee. Not realizing what's happened he drinks it and falls into a narcoleptic coma. His wife calls a doctor who pronounces him dead. He hears and sees everything but no one can hear his pleas. His wife's cousin has an inkling he’s not dead but to no avail. He’s buried just as he regains consciousness. His cat who also drank some of the drug and looked dead revives. The wife and the doctor have feelings for each other. Somehow at the end he’s reborn as a maggot but doesn't survive too long. This is very reminiscent of an episode of TV’s Alfred Hitchcock Presents with Joseph Cotten in a similar situation.

PANICO is a well made psychological horror film but basically the stories aren't that good. The last two go on too long and don't really provide that much suspense (although the last segment tries hard).

Thanks for reading!