Synopsis:

The Fall of The House of Usher is another classic Edgar Allen Poe tale brought to cinematic life by veteran Director/Actor duo Roger Corman and Vincent Price. The story goes as follows, Roderick Usher (Price), is the last male heir of the line of Usher. His sister Madalyne lives with him in their gothic manse in the middle of nowhere. While away, Madalyne met and fell in love with a young man who too fell madly in love with her. Unexpectedly, he shows up on her doorstep and is given far less than a warm welcome by not only Roderick but the butler as well. Intent on marrying Madalyne and taking her away from Roderick, her fiancé' tries desperately to make his intentions known. Roderick however, will have no part of his plan. The Ushers were a long line of evil people whose evil was perpetuated from parent to child. In Roderick's mind, that evil now resides within himself, Madalyne and the house itself. Needless to say, Roderick will not allow his sister to wed, nor to leave the family manse. So determined is he to prevent this wedding, he buries his sister alive in the family tomb beneath the house and waits for her to die. All the while suffering in his own private hell as she screams and screams and screams. The Fall of the House of Usher is the first foray into the works of Poe by this team and it is indeed one of the best of the series. For gothic horror tales to chill you to your core, none can compare to American International Pictures' The Fall of the House of Usher.

Audio/Video:

The audio as presented is in a mono platform. The best part of the audio however is Corman's Commentary Track. For an hour and 20 minutes, Corman takes us back to 1960 and all that it took to get a film made. It's full of moviemaking info and would easily qualify as an accredited course on cinema given his wealth of knowledge. It's also very funny. In one scene, Corman is identifying how he purposely did not shoot any shots with Roderick Usher witnessing an intimate moment with his sister and her fiance'. No sooner than he gets the words out, in pops Roderick and Corman has to laugh and back peddle his way into explaining this particular inclusion. Needless to say, his track is great fun and chock full of information. The video is a beautifully rendered widescreen presentation that while suffering from hairs and scratches presents a brilliant image. The colors are all well saturated and the blacks are very deep and true.

Extras:

The extras on the disc are the film's trailer and a prologue shot to precede the trailer in theatrical settings.

Overall:

You'll not find a better gothic interpretation of Poe's works than those done by the collaborative effort of Corman, Price and American International Pictures. In the pantheon of great classic horror, these are required viewing. Highly Recommended