''The Fall of the House of Usher'' is a 1950 British

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

directed by Ivan Barnett and starring Gwen Watford in her film debut, Kaye Tendeter and Irving Steen. The screenplay was by Dorothy Catt and Kenneth Thompson, adapted from the 1839 short story of the same title by Edgar Allan Poe.

Plot

The film uses a framing device set in a gentlemen's club where one of the members reads to his friends from a copy of Poe's book. A century before, a young man visits a bleak-looking

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word '' manse'' originally defined a property l ...

in the English countryside where his friend Lord Roderick Usher lives with his sister Lady Madeline. They are both mysteriously ill and he discovers that they are suffering from a curse caused by their father which will lead to them both dying shortly, resulting in the downfall and end of the ancient family of Usher.

Cast

* Gwen Watford as Lady Madeline Usher (credited as Gwendoline Watford) * Kaye Tendeter as Lord Roderick Usher * Irving Steen as Jonathan * Vernon Charles as Dr. Cordwall * Connie Goodwin as Louise * Gavin Lee as the butler * Keith Lorraine as George * Lucy Pavey as the hag * Tony Powell-Bristow as Richard * Robert Woolard as Greville

Production and release

The film was made in Hastings by a low-budget company GIB Films. Ivan Barnett

produced Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

the film and also worked as director and

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...

. The film was made in 1948, but it was not released until 1950. It was issued an 'H' Certificate, a rarity at the time, by the British Board of Film Censors. Despite its limited budget the film proved surprisingly successful on its release as a second feature and even topped the bill in some cinemas. It was reissued in 1955 and again in 1961. It may have been an influence on the subsequent development of Hammer Horror.Chibnall & McFarlane p. 210

References

Bibliography

* Chibnall, Steve & McFarlane, Brian. ''The British 'B' Film''. Palgrave MacMillan, 2009. * Harper, Sue. ''Picturing the Past: The Rise and Fall of the British Costume Film''. British Film Institute, 1994.

External links

* * 1950 films British historical horror films 1950s historical horror films British black-and-white films 1950 horror films Films based on The Fall of the House of Usher Films shot in England Films set in England 1950s English-language films 1950s British films Films scored by William Trytel {{1950s-horror-film-stub