House of Usher Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

House of Usher Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 17, 2016

Roger Corman's "The Fall of the House of Usher" a.k.a. "Die Verfluchten" (1960) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Swiss label Explosive Media. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer; promotional materials; and an exclusive featurette with actor Mark Damon. In English or German, with optional English or German subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The Fall of the House of Usher was the first of eight films director Roger Corman shot using stories by the legendary writer Edgar Allen Poe. This film was also the director’s first collaboration with the great Vincent Price.

The young and handsome Philip Winthrop (Mark Damon, Black Sabbath, Dead Men Don't Count) arrives at the Ushers’ mansion to meet Madeline (Myrna Fahey, TV's Perry Mason, TV's 77 Sunset Strip), the woman he intends to marry. Much to his surprise, however, her brother Roderick (Vincent Price, Witchfinder General) informs him that she cannot possibly go back to Boston with him because she is seriously ill.

While waiting for Madeline to recover, Phillip is intrigued by the strange noises the mansion frequently produces. While discussing Madeline’s sickness with Roderick, Philip also comes to realize that his future brother-in-law might have more than a few good reasons to keep his sister inside the mansion. Visibly frustrated and confused by Roderick’s behavior, Phillip decides to find out why he is pushed away from Madeline.

Despite being shot with a very small budget The Fall of the House of Usher looks terrific. Cinematographer Floyd Crosby’s (High Noon, The Wonderful Country) careful framing and use of light and color give the film a wonderful Gothic flavor that makes it easy for the viewer to accept that the mansion is a central character in the story. The noises and the moving long shadows, in particular, are very effectively recorded and filmed to enhance the creepiest sequences in the film.

What gives the film its class and quality, however, is Price’s presence. He truly does look like a hopelessly delusional aristocrat who would do anything to prove that he is right, and his determination is indeed seriously unsettling. During the second half, when he delivers the important revelations about the Ushers the calmness in his voice is particularly chilling.

Unfortunately, Damon’s performance does not exude the same confidence. His actions often feel forced or simply too melodramatic while his lines are frequently delivered with a tone that makes select sequences look faintly risible. Obviously his character’s emotions are very different, but the artificiality in them is nevertheless too obvious.

Fahey looks appropriately disillusioned at first and later on terrified (with the different close-ups of her pale but very beautiful face effectively adding plenty to the Gothic flavor). Her reappearance is undoubtedly one of the big highlights in the film.

Ultimately, Corman’s The Fall of the House of Usher is a genre film that does not break any new boundaries -- the only notable exception probably being the fact that it was the first American horror film to be shot in Eastman Color and CinemaScope -- but what it manages to accomplish with very little is indeed impossible not to admire. The film has its own identity yet it retains the original quality of Poe’s story.

In 2005, The Fall of the House of Usher was selected for preservation and listed with the United States National Film Registry as being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

House of Usher Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Roger Corman's The Fall of the House of Usher arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Swiss label Explosive Media.

The release appears to have been sourced from the same MGM master that Arrow Video accessed for their release in 2013. Though it is easy to see that there is room for some substantial improvements, I think that the master is actually quite pleasing. Indeed, there are no traces of recent problematic digital corrections and this does make a difference. However, some inherited limitations remain. For example, some light black crush routinely pops up, while elsewhere there are sporadic contrast fluctuations. There are even a few shaky transitions. On this release, however, I also noticed some light compression artifacts sneaking in (see screencapture #4). Because the bulk of the film is quite dark most viewers are unlikely to see them, but the larger the screen is, the bigger the chances are that in some segments they will likely pop up. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

House of Usher Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are twp standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0 and German LPCM 2.0. Optional English and German subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The lossless English track is outstanding. It has a surprisingly good range of nuanced dynamics that helps the intended atmosphere very well. The dialog is very clean, stable, and always easy to follow. There are no audio dropouts, pops, background hiss, or digital distortions to report.

House of Usher Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Mark Damon: From Edgar Allan Poe to Stalingrad - presented here is e very good exclusive featurette in which actor Mark Damon (Philip Winthrop) recalls how he became involved with The Fall of the House of Usher, and discusses his contribution to the film, his interactions with Roger Corman, the special effects that were used throughout the film, Vincent Price and Myrna Fahey's performances, etc. The featurette was directed by Ulrich Bruckner for Explosive Media. In English, with optional English or German subtitles. (27 min).

• Trailer - original trailer for The Fall of the House of Usher. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Stills Gallery - a collection of original promotional materials for the film.

• Trailer Reel - a collection of trailers for other Explosive Media release.

• Booklet - illustrated booklet with writings on the film (in German) and promotional materials.

House of Usher Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This release has been sourced from the same MGM master that was accessed by other distributors in Europe and North America for local releases of Roger Corman's film. However, it has a good exclusive featurette with actor Mark Damon which could be of some interest to fans of the film. The release is Region-Free. RECOMMENDED.