The Vincent Price Movie Review

Released in 1960
Directed by Roger Corman
Written by Richard Matheson

“and the deep and dank tarn closed silently over the fragments of the House of Usher.”

The House of Usher starring Vincent Price is the first movie in the decade-long cycle of Poe adaptations by Roger Corman and AIP. These movies are not strict interpretations of the Poe short stories because they are not generally suited to being converted into full length motion pictures as is; the movies feature expanded storylines that are usually in the spirit of the Poe’s original work. (towards the end of the cycle AIP started labeling movies with Poe titles even though the script and the short stories shared little in common) The House of Usher was a breakout success at the time of its release, and is still considered a gothic horror classic today.

The film begins when Philip Winthrop(Mark Damon) journeys to the dilapidated Usher mansion which is isolated in a desolate landscape. Winthrop has traveled there to call on his fiancée, Madeline Usher(Myrna Fahey), and return to Boston with her. Upon arrival, he is denied admittance to the residence by the butler on the standing order of Roderick Usher(Vincent Price). After demanding to see Madeline, Winthrop is confronted by the eerie, brooding Roderick, who suffers from a “morbid acuteness of the senses.” The story slowly unfolds as Winthrop learns more about the treacherous history of the Usher family and the curse of the mansion. Tension builds as Roderick forbids Madeline to leave with Winthrop, and the conflict causes the delicate Madeline to fall ill. To the dismay of Winthrop, Madeline suddenly dies and is interred in the family crypt almost immediately by a relieved Roderick. Winthrop seems resigned to Madeline’s death and makes plans to return to Boston until the butler carelessly slips and reveals that Madeline suffers from frequent episodes of catalepsy. The climax comes soon afterwards as the horrified Winthrop learns Madeline’s fate, which is shared by Roderick and the house itself.

I have watched this movie countless times, and upon each viewing I still find myself gripped by Vincent Price’s performance, which is subdued yet chilling. He manages to seem both effete and menacing, with the assistance of the superb costume and makeup. I can say without reservation that his performance in the House of Usher ranks among the best of his career.

The supporting cast is excellent as well. Mark Damon has the difficult task of portraying Winthrop, which demands him to tread the fine line between being emotional yet strong willed. He must also shoulder the sympathy of the viewer in the process, which he does effectively.

The only criticism of the movie that I have deals with the quality of some of the scenes in the climax. Some of the shots seem a little cheesy, which are undoubtedly due to the limited budget and constraints of the special effects. This doesn’t impact the movie’s overall success, however.

The House of Usher is certified Vincent Price gold, and easily makes it into the top 10 best movies of his career.

Tags: edgar allan poe, gothic horror, richard matheson, vincent price

This entry was posted on Friday, May 8th, 2009 at 2:59 pm and is filed under 1960's - American International Years. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.