House of Usher

Roger Corman
1960

For cheapie studio American International Pictures, Roger Corman's take on the writing of Edgar Allan Poe (which would birth a cycle), is huge in budget with it's semi-lavish sets and real name actor in the form of Vincent Price. The great Richard Matheson pens an adequate feature-length screenplay from the short story, successfully incorporating new elements and ideas that gel with the original's spirit. Yet it remains fundamentally flawed with it's lack of action and proper atmosphere. Price has an undeniable screen presence, but his intendedly villainous Roderick Usher comes off as little more than a invalid sissy, and brylcreemed alpha male Mark Damon shows the charisma and acting chops of a lawn jockey. This leaves Myrna Fahey to put in the best turn with her wide-eyed bloody-clawed madness. Finally, the physicality of the slowly crumbling foundation is a powerful visual tool, but the lion's share of the effects budget clearly went into photographing the Usher mansion consumed in flames. It's an impressive ending to a mostly mediocre picture.