The Fall of the House of Usher

The Fall of the House of Usher

1928
Drama, Horror
1h 3m
Allan has a hard time finding the Usher's house, which is known to be cursed... But he is a personal friend of Roderick Usher... (imdb)
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The Fall of the House of Usher

1928
Drama, Horror
1h 3m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 62.48% from 294 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(293)
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Rated 02 Aug 2020
70
61st
With a hazy narrative and rich imagery, Epstein’s Poe adaptation is more about mood and visual poetry than storytelling, and it succeeds rather well at applying its own dreamy tone to the gothic source material. The experimental effects used are impressively creative, with Buñuel’s assistance and influence certainly being felt behind the scenes.
Rated 27 Jan 2009
25
17th
Even though it's ridiculously theatrical it's somewhat eerie and exciting. Visuals are pleasing. The script is pretty goddamn hilarious to be honest. "Take me to the house of Usher!" "Usher?" "Usher?!" "USHER!?" "Usher." What? Worth a watch, although it drags on.
Rated 09 May 2010
45
25th
I know it's supposed to be a classic, but I have to be honest. Compared to most films of this late silent-era, I found this dull and not stylistically daring or special. Hence the grade.
Rated 29 Mar 2011
48
20th
Better than Nosferatu, and deserves whatever "status" that film may have. Unfortunately it's only mildly interesting, and only worth a watch for film buffs, as it is pretty slow and unfortunately the nice imagery can't compensate fully for this. A neat touch is the focus on landscapes and "life" in general in comparison to "art" which is examined further than in the original story.
Rated 17 Oct 2011
63
14th
Creepy music and visuals only do so much for me, and while this is a very atmospheric film it just didn't engage me enough. It drags with a drawn out underdeveloped story.
Rated 18 Jan 2011
85
80th
85.375
Rated 09 Feb 2011
40
97th
"Through kaleidoscopic composition, Epstein affects Rorschach-like chiaroscuro, every image a dense, sludgy viscera, a looking glass held up to the audience and characters, daring us to pass through." - Ed Gonzalez
Rated 22 Feb 2012
8
76th
While not overly accurate to Poe's master piece, it still manages to capture its essence. Epstein's direction is outstanding. His use of symbolic imagery, camera movement and slow motion are highly poetic while being quite creative. Jean Debucourt sparks in his role of Usher. A surprising down-side are the poorly written cartons by Louis Bunuel. [This movie is in public domain and can be watched for free on archive.org]
Rated 10 Jul 2012
78
23rd
Interesting trick photography, nice scenery, but overall weak story. Usher is not one of Poe's best shorts, so the blame doesn't fall entirely on Bunuel. However the script was poor. Worth the watch, if you've had a few already
Rated 24 Oct 2012
60
17th
If there's one thing the French can't do it's horror films. The death and blind man provides more comic relief than tension to any given scene. I was convinced Mrs. Usher was a crossdresser; my sympathies to Mr. Gance. At one point they intercut a coffin being sealed with two frogs engaged in intercourse as if "getting nailed" were the punch line. Epstein was so gutless as to give it a happy ending when even Hollywood lets Poe get away with murder. A few pretty shots can't make up for this mess.
Rated 23 Mar 2014
88
95th
87.500
Rated 09 Oct 2015
7
61st
So slow and pondering I had trouble not nodding off, but it has the feeling of a nightmare, as time and space stretches, and the finale is haunting, classic-level stuff. The look and feel is just right.
Rated 07 Dec 2015
100
0th
"'We are SMART cinephiles!'" http://illusionpodcast.blogspot.com/2015/12/episode-82-cinema-masters-vol-xi.html
Rated 20 Oct 2016
4
70th
Like the era's best directors, Epstein stretches against the boundaries of silent film's inherent limitations in order to produce a work of incredibly sensuous beauty. In-camera effects work, bold and imaginative compositions and tracking movements, and eye-catching lighting turn a thin story into a masterpiece of gothic horror atmospherics.
Rated 05 Jun 2020
50
18th
I'm planning to revisit this one one day because the only version I could find with English title cards was on Youtube with an "improvised soundtrack" which consisted of people viciously abusing instruments for an hour. Next time I'll be sure to watch it muted.
Rated 23 Sep 2022
90
67th
Really creepy movie, gotta love black and white. Channels the story pretty well.
Rated 15 Sep 2023
72
48th
I didn't like this quite as much as the Corman version, but it might be more interesting. Some of the design and character motions, etc, reminded me a bit of Cocteau's version of Beauty and the Beast. Interesting technically and pretty enjoyable overall. My viewing experience was suboptimal as I was trying to keep a version with a good soundtrack synced with a version with a bad soundtrack but English subtitles and they were running at slightly different speeds.
Rated 29 Sep 2023
58
73rd
A really interesting and vanguardist (for the time) film.
Rated 19 Feb 2024
85
94th
While at times the edits are clunky and jarring the film is more than redeemed by a number of sequences where Epstein reveals his penchant for real cinema magic. Debucourt is an extraordinary presence, magnetic and hypnotic.

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