The Fall of Usher

This may not be a movie for everyone, as the previous and only other review clearly indicates. But, it truly is a work for fans of Poe's writing.

It is dark. It is unrelenting. And the atmosphere descends through black depths as the truths of the horror unfold.

Poe's writing is not scary in the modern horror-movie-fan sense, rather, it is dark, ominous, and unrelenting as the reader peels back layer after layer of the narrator's insanity to uncover the actual horror story.

The Fall of Usher is not a retelling or modernization of any specific works of Poe, but a re-weaving of many of the themes and atmospheres from multiple stories.

The movie opens with a classic Poe device of the main character talking directly to the audience (or perhaps just himself), and although that specific device does not return, the use of archaic Poe language, dialogue, narration and silent movie-esque cards, keeps the viewer grounded in Poe's era even while the setting remains modern day.

This is the definition of slow-burn done right--not boring, not plotted poorly, but rather the viewer is taken on a ride of reveal after reveal, a step-by-step uncovering the actual reality that is being hidden deep in the mind of the unreliable and insane narrator. Even the tiny cast and small set evoke the claustrophobia which lies at the core of several of Poe's stories.

Most "fans" of Poe, are not really fans of his actual writing--most find it overly complex and opaque, even if they love the soul of the horror story as told. The Fall of Usher definitely follows not only the "soul" of Poe's works, but the actual complex, opaque devices and dialogue, and because of that, it's true that its audience may be niche.

If you truly love to *read* the works of Poe, if you swoon over the complex language he uses to evoke his dark atmospheres, if you live for half-page-long sentences, stuffed with iterative atmospheric descriptions, then you will find SO much to love in this movie!

I'll agree with others that the start of the story was slow, but one you make it through the first 20 minutes, you find yourself wondering how all the bits are going to tie together and what's going to happen next. It's anybodies guess and the macabre of Poe, is really evident. The music show is fantastic and the acting and direction was well done when considering this is isn't a multi million dollar blockbuster budget. It was low budget and should be compared as such. It reminds me of when movies were made for the passion of art of the story, not as an investment opportunity. Definitely worth a watch.

This mimics the style of Poes tales so it's a psychological horror movie presented by an unreliable narrator. I'm not a fan of the typical slasher horror genre. This movie is not so easily classified. The set is confined to one house and is narrated by someone who seems to be on the brink of insanity. This movie held my attention and I found the focus on the main character dealing with extreme stress intriguing. It does have graphic violence but not to the excess of many horror movies. It's not for children and no typical slutty sex of some horror genres. It explores relationships so it's more for adults who appreciate such. I think it's worth watching.

This movie couldn't have possibly been any worse. They made a terrible choice casting the lead role. I would say that hair and costuming made him look terrible, but it's more likely he just showed up wearing whatever he wanted to. No care was put into this. The narration is poorly written and exponentially more grating than your common movie narration, which is a pretty weak device in the first place. I'm sure the filmmakers have never read the source material and probably don't even really like Poe's stories. They just needed an IP to attach to their weak efforts for increased visibility. The worst ever.

They tried to do Old English narration in a modern world. It was boring and looked cheap. Felt like college project. Acting was ok. It wasn't terrible, but needs improvement.probably don't watch it. Cuz will be waste of time.