The Fall of the House of Usher /The Pit and the Pendulum
by Roger Corman
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Actor: Antony Carbone, Barbara Steele, John Kerr, Luana Anders, Vincent PriceDirector: Roger Corman
Brand: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT
Cinematographer: Floyd Crosby
Producer: Roger Corman
Editor: Anthony Carras
Producer: James H. Nicholson
Producer: Samuel Z. Arkoff
Writer: Edgar Allan Poe
Writer: Richard Matheson
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language); French (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 160 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-02-15
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: American International Pictures (AIP)
DVD Reviews of The Fall of the House of Usher /The Pit and the Pendulum
DVD Review: A Great Item for a Great Price
Summary: 5 Stars
This was definitely a great for a great price. I didnt have to wait that long to receive the item and the price was excellent, better than I could get elsewhere. DVD Review: Two Of Vincent Price's Most Famous Poe Movies - Great Collection
Summary: 4 Stars
Another volume of MGM's 2-on-1 discs of classic horror brings us two of Vincent Price's most famous films this time around, 'The Fall Of The House Of Usher' (aka simply 'House Of Usher') and the 1961 version of 'The Pit And The Pendulum'. Both are based on Edgar Allan Poe short stories, both are adapted by Richard Matheson and both directed by Roger Corman. This particular clique brought out a lot of good horror mysteries in the 60s.
In Usher, a young man arrives at the vast manor of the Usher family looking for his missing fiancee, only to find her there very ill and in the care of her older brother Roderick (Price) and the family's servant. Roderick is mentally unwell, that's easy to see from the start, and his senses seem to have sharpened to a superhuman degree. Aware of the bloody history of some of the Usher family's more brutal ancestors, Roderick considers the entire Usher bloodline a bane upon the world, that'll go on to do even greater harm in the future unless it's eradicated, as the recently arrived suitor (Phillip, played by Mark Damon) of Madeline Usher (Myrna Fahey) realizes to his horror, and with the surviving members of the clan present, Phillip fears that Roderick is going to take it onto himself to do just that. This is one of Vincent's more sympathetic and tragic roles - Roderick isn't evil, just insane, and even through that insanity loves his family dearly, which makes what he's contemplating all the harder. 'House Of Usher' is very well done - certain technical aspects aren't as good as they would have been if done just a decade or so later (it was released in 1960), but the use of color, sound and atmosphere combine for good effect. The movie works on many levels, and on its own would get a four-star rating.
In 'The Pit And The Pendulum' - perhaps packaged with 'Usher' because of similar themes - Price is once again subject to paranoia and delusions, this time as Nicolas Medina, son of one of the most notorious and sadistic torturers of the Spanish Inquisition, the late Sebastian Medina. Price is terrified the cruelty and the madness of his father will pass down through the blood, and though Nicolas is a kindly family patriarch, he fears eventually becoming just like his father. New events in the family home are indeed threatening to drive Nicolas over the edge - his recently deceased wife (Barbara Steele) is appently haunting the place, blaming Nicolas for her untimely demise. Or is someone merely trying to make him think his bride has come back from the dead? Or is it all in poor Vincent's head? The movie is admittedly too slow-paced for at least the first half of its running time (not a bad first half, but definately could have been punched up a bit) but improves in its latter sections, with a brilliant final fifteen minutes or so that gives us perhaps Price's singlemost memorable moment on film (I believe you'll know it when you see it). On its own, I'd give Pit And The Pendulum 3-and-a-half stars. By the way, the 1991 version of The Pit And The Pendulum is so radically different from the Price/Corman one that it shouldn't even count as a remake. (The original short story was so short that, if filmed literally, it would have been maybe five to ten minutes long, so it was greatly embellished for its filmings, just in different ways). That version is also very good - totally different story and much bloodier. It's available in The Stuart Gordon Presents Box Set, along with 'Castle Freak' and 'Deathbed', for anyone who's interested in seeing both adaptations.
Great two-movie set; the similarity of the two to each other means one may want to watch each one with an alternate second title instead of watching both 'Usher' and 'Pendulum' in the same night; myself I'd recommend getting The Masque of the Red Death / The Premature Burial and/or Hammer Horror Series (Brides of Dracula / Curse of the Werewolf / Phantom of the Opera (1962) / Paranoiac / Kiss of the Vampire / Nightmare / Night Creatures / Evil of Frankenstein) and mixing and matching. If you like any one of these 3 sets you're likely to enjoy the others as well.
DVD Review: classic vincent price
Summary: 5 Stars
The Pit and the Pendulum brought back my early days of being creeped-out without all the excessive blood and guts. Vincents' eyebrows should have been submitted to the Smithsonian. REVODVD Review: Usher is better...
Summary: 4 Stars
I was searching for a film version of "The Fall of the House of Usher" for my classroom when I found this. My students (11th graders)absolutely loved it! I was so excited. Vincent Price is a master at that over-the-top psycho creepy guy. "Usher" is a great film rendition; however, I was very disappointed with "The Pit and the Pendulum." I love Poe's work, but this film version stuck very little to the story. It is a good movie in and of itself, but if one is looking for a film to show with the story, this isn't it. All together though, this is a great deal, and it's like getting two movies for the price of one!DVD Review: Two Of "Uncle Vinnie's" Best...
Summary: 5 Stars
I do own both movies, but not in this particular edition (it was a gift for someone else). I can't vouch for the DVD quality, but since I never heard any complaints, I have to assume it was okay. The reason to buy this disk, of course, is the MOVIES. Two of Vincent Price's best for THIS low price? If you've never had the shivery pleasure of watching either, you should grab this up now! I hope someday that someone will give these films the "full monty" treatment they deserve, complete with more commentaries, more interviews with surviving cast and crew members, more STUFF!!!
Description of The Fall of the House of Usher /The Pit and the Pendulum
THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER: Audio Commentary by Director Roger Corman Original Theatrical Trailer THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM: Rare PrologueGeneral DVDs
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