The House of Usher

My review was written in January 1991 after watching the film on RCA/Columbia video cassette.

A lackluster remake of the Poe tale, "The House of Usher" was shot in South Africa in 1988 as one of four Harry Alan Towers Poe films, all going direct to video Stateside.

Fond memories of the Jean Epstein silent version or Roger Corman's vehicle for Vincent Price (which set off the Poe cycle in 1960) do not prepare one for this boring entry, perhaps closer to a forgotten 1949 British programmer version.

Oliver Reed huffs and puffs his way through the central role of Roderick Usher, decaying last representative of the House of Usher who is determined to impregnate young Romy Windsor to carry on his diseased, inbred line.

She's the girlfriend of his nephew Rufus Swart, latter dispatched in the opening as she's made a prisoner in the Usher mansion. Upstairs lives kindly uncle Donald Pleasenxe, but it will take a very slow-witted audience member not to spoth him as an incipient bd guy Other than some interesting sets that recall the Robert Fuest-helmed "Doctor Phibes" pictures of two decades ago, this remake offers no suspense and a very weak cast. Windsor, who previously went to South Africa to film "Howling IV", is unscintillating as the oppressed heroine, and little sympathy is generated for the family of servants who see to Reed's needs.

Unnecessarily sleazy in several scenes of torture, pic does not reward the patient viewer since the ending is a fakearoo that undermines all that's come before. Tech credits, with South Africa doubling for a British setting, are minor.

There are only a few parts in the movie I liked. the rest wasn't even scary at all. The acting was good but I really didn't care for this story to be updated. I guess the gore was OK. The music was ok. It was to 80's. Over all I don't really recommend this movie to anyone cause it just wasn't worth watching. It really didn't catch my attention at all. Maybe if your board watch it but thats it.

Judge a movie on its own merits I say. Yes there is a couple of bad acting moments but there is nothing wrong with this movie per se. The movie has good production values, story and music. Oliver Reed doesn't disappoint and neither does Donald, those guys are very reliable actors.

You know the story, couple crash car and girl ends up in mansion by herself being prepped for her reproduction values by some evil inbred wealthy peeps. It's really nothing new to horror fans. Maybe the movie is a little drawn out and maybe some of the characters don't seem 100% all the time. I think a lot of people were not expecting its weirdness though, weird horror is not everyone's cup of tea. I liked it and at anything less than 5/10 its under-rated imo.

A couple of obvious continuity problems caught my eye, but I won't get into it. I did not care for the ghosts and they were never explained. All viewers will feel extremely cheated by the ending.

It's set in a visual interesting House of Usher decorated mainly with flowing drapes and robed statues. That held my attention, but then I got angry about the last scene.

Harry ALan Towers' produced this, another remake of Poe's classic tale. Oliver Reed does a lot of whispering and Donald Pleasence runs around a lot with his chainsaw. Not really a very good film but worth a look for it's two stars, who are again lumbered with a none too bright script.The youngsters Rufus Swart and Romy Windsor are positively dire, but scenes like a hungry rat being placed on a man's privates are quite fun to watch.