The House of Usher (1989)
An updated version of the classic horror tale by Edgar Allen Poe. Ryan and his girlfriend Molly are going to visit Ryan's uncle, Roderick Usher, at his mansion. They find, however, that Roderick's brother Walter has gone insane, and Roderick himself isn't far behind. Can Ryan and Molly escape from the doomed mansion before the curse of Usher claims them as well?
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Captivating movie !
Best movie ever!
Admirable film.
It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny
Ryan Usher (Rufus Swart) and his girlfriend Molly (Romy Windsor) head to his uncle's isolated estate after receiving a letter from him. Before arriving they crash their car when they see two ghost children on the road. Molly makes it to the home and is told Ryan has already been picked up and is being cared for. She then meets uncle Roderick (Oliver Reed), who assures her all is fine despite his reluctance to let her visit Ryan and the fact he won't let her leave. Yup, ol' Roderick is a perv and, after burying the still-alive Ryan, forces himself onto Molly to carry on the family line. Also, in a nod to THE OLD DARK HOUSE, a crazy brother named Walter (Donald Pleasence) lives up in the attic. As you can see, this barely has any connection to the Poe short story outside of a few events and character names. Filmed in South Africa, producer Towers at least got his monies worth with some nice looking sets. And leads Reed and Pleasence are total pros, although I suspect Reed enjoyed his moments feeling up the attractive Windsor (who was already accustomed to primordial beasts as she just survived HOWLING IV). Director Alan Birkinshaw can't be bothered with things like suspense or terror though. He does throw in a few gore scenes for good measure. Towers' two other Poe "adaptations" were MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH (1989; with Frank Stallone and Herbert Lom!) and BURIED ALIVE (1990).
This depiction of Edgar Allen Poe's classic tale is a big joke. I never bash movies but this film had unrealistic acting and came off to me a just plain humorous. Retro 80's music is great, but fails to tell a valid story without seeming comical. Tries to maintain seriousness but ultimately fails. All of Oliver Reed's reaction scenes towards smells are too funny. Possible conception of the house "settling" and falling apart may symbolize how Usher's decomposition in health is apparent. The only reason you should consider viewing this film is the great Donald Pleasence plays Usher's brother. Terrible looking fake sets combined with boring visuals leaves this film to be a yawner. Unnecessary ending...Viewer beware!
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.
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.