and
The Appropriate Tune: 'Buried Alive' by Venom
Nowadays the name of Edgar Allan Poe is so universal that it’s easy to forget just how influential he was to the world of literature. It was Poe that is credited for the very first detective novel, “The Murder at the Rue Morgue”, the foundation upon which thousands of novels, films and otherwise were built, from Sherlock Holmes to Monk. It was also Poe that helped to build America’s street cred in the literary world, which around this point was regarded as the boondocks of the written word. Not to mention his contributions to the development of horror fiction, as a writer and as an influence to other writers like H.P. Lovecraft. Mostly a name and a dour face in modern pop culture, I’m going to take the controversial position that Edgar Allan Poe was actually pretty good and deserves respect.
The same could be said about Roger Corman as well, although to a far, far, lesser extent. In terms of output Corman easily outclasses the gothic novelist, having a hand in the creation of hundreds of films as a producer, although the vast majority of those films were budget titles that ranged from decent to shit that would struggle to make a good MST3K episode. In terms of influence might be a more flattering comparison then, as Corman is often credited for giving that initial push to many future hall of fame film legends. James Cameron, Jack Nicholson, Ron Howard, and so on and on. A few years back I covered The Masque of the Red Death, a Poe adaptation directed by Corman which ended up being one of his most successful films critically and commercially, so as long as we’re on this book kick, why not take a look at another of Corman’s Poe adaptations? It’ll probably be more fun than that Poe movie starring John Cusack at the very least.
Released in 1960, House of Usher was written by Richard Matheson (the pen behind the excellent The Incredible Shrinking Man) and directed and produced by Roger Corman through Alta Vista Productions, based on “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe. Mark Damon stars as Philip Winthrop, a dandy from Boston who is visiting the family home of his fiance, Madeline Usher (Myrna Fahey). Calling it a home might be too great a compliment actually -- Rather it’s a crumbling derelict stuck in the middle of blighted bog, the only residents being Madeline, manservant Bristol (Harry Ellerbe), and Madeline’s brother Roderick Usher (Vincent Prince). Phil’s hope for a happy reunion is dashed however when he learns that Roderick is adamantly against the marriage. Madeline is seriously ill, suffering as her brother does from a severe hypersensitivity that makes even eating and sleeping difficult, but moreover she’s an Usher. The Usher bloodline is a tainted, evil one, Roderick says, and the only way to purge it from the world is to allow the last two members of the clan (Roderick and Madeline) to die, which would be hard to do if Madeline moved to Boston and started popping out kids. Bullshit, declares Phil, but as he tries to convince Madeline to leave with him even he cannot deny the choking miasma of doom and gloom that radiates from every corner of the manor. Is the Usher family really cursed, or is it a case of a self-fulfilling prophecy? Well it’s not called the Rise of the House of Usher is it?
The one thing that comes to mind about the other Corman/Poe film that I covered, Masque of the Red Death, was that visually it looked very impressive, and I feel the same way about House of Usher. Much like James Whale’s The Old Dark House a few years previous, the movie lives or dies on not fucking up the house. The house is not only the story’s setting but a physical representation of the cancerous legacy of the Ushers and the deleterious effects it has on the people connected to it. You need that house to look good, and maybe it’s because budget films were easier to make in the 60s or because Corman only had to pay for 4 actors, but he nailed it. From the outside it’s an enormous decaying gothic monstrosity, the kind of place Batman would send psychopathic clowns to, and on the inside it’s full of dimly lit corridors, cobwebs and faded luxury. You get one look at that house and you know exactly what you’re supposed to feel about it, and the subtle moves Corman makes to make the viewer wonder if Roderick is right and the house is really evil are well done. Amityville should take a lesson from Roger Corman.
Speaking of Roderick, we’ve got the return of Vincent Price to a Corman production, or the debut because I believe Masque came out later, which is a treat because Price and B horror movies go together like cheese and fine wine. Roderick Usher is also more of an interesting character than the one he played in Masque, which if I recall correctly was just a spooky Satanist. Roderick is the villain of the piece, and yet his actions don’t come from a place of malice, but of guilt. He loves his sister, but the Ushers have been such a miserable blight upon themselves and their fellow man that he believes he’s doing the world a service. Still creepy in that classic Price fashion, but there’s a tragic irony in Usher that I think he pulls out wonderfully. The other cast members are solid, but this is definitely a Vincent Price vehicle.
I brought up The Old Dark House, and upon further reflection I’d say that it’s an apt comparison beyond both films featuring an old dark house. The Old Dark House was a Universal horror film, directed by the man responsible for the best of the Universal horror films, and it is that series that Corman seems to be emulating. Aside from the dream sequence at the end which felt purposefully trippy and the use of blood, Usher carries itself and set things up just as you’d see in that era of genre films, only in color. In fact I like House of Usher as an unofficial Universal horror film more than I did Old Dark House, which for all its gloomy atmosphere never really had a good payoff, compared to the explosion of madness and horror that accompanies the end of House of Usher.
House of Usher gets the recommendation. A solidly made, solidly performed horror film, and proof that you don’t need multi-million dollar budgets to make great art. Fans of genre films who have already burned through the best of Universal and Hammer will find a kindred spirit here, and fans of Poe will get a nice 90 minute serving of Gothic horror and depressed aristocrats, just as the man intended. Get your bowels of gruel steaming hot and your family coffins cozy, and House of Usher will ensure a pleasant scary movie night.
