''The Fall of the Louse of Usher'' is a 2002 British

arthouse An art film (or arthouse film) is typically an independent film, aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made primarily ...

horror comedy film Comedy horror, also known as horror comedy, is a literary, television, and film genre that combines elements of comedy and horror fiction. Comedy horror has been described as able to be categorized under three types: "black comedy, parody and sp ...

written and directed by Ken Russell. The film is loosely based on several

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wid ...

stories, notably the 1839 short story "

The Fall of the House of Usher "The Fall of the House of Usher" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1839 in ''Burton's Gentleman's Magazine'', then included in the collection ''Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque'' in 1840. The short story ...

Plot

Rock star Roddy Usher (played by James Johnston) is confined to an

insane asylum The lunatic asylum (or insane asylum) was an early precursor of the modern psychiatric hospital. The fall of the lunatic asylum and its eventual replacement by modern psychiatric hospitals explains the rise of organized, institutional psychiatry ...

after murdering his wife. During his time there he is given various

shock treatment ''Shock Treatment'' is a 1981 American musical comedy film directed by Jim Sharman, and co-written by Sharman and Richard O'Brien. It is a follow-up to the 1975 film ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show''. While not an outright sequel, the film do ...

s by Nurse Smith ( Marie Findley) and Dr Calahari ( Ken Russell), resulting in a series of bizarre and nightmarish adventures.

Style

''The Fall of the Louse of Usher'' features many of Russell's trademarks including sexuality (often taken to extremes such as the showing of an inflatable doll

orgy In modern usage, an orgy is a sex party consisting of at least five members where guests freely engage in open and unrestrained sexual activity or group sex. Swingers' parties do not always conform to this designation, because at many swin ...

sequence), musical sequences and over-the-top acting. The film incorporates musical and comedy elements, with scenes exaggerating the cheapness of the props, despite primarily being a horror film.

Reception

Critics generally agreed that the film was not as polished as Russell's earlier work. For example, Paul Higson of ''The Zone'' website called the production design "kindergarten level".

References

External links

* * * British comedy horror films 2002 films Films based on horror novels Films based on The Fall of the House of Usher Films directed by Ken Russell 2002 comedy horror films Films set in psychiatric hospitals 2002 comedy films 2000s English-language films 2000s British films {{comedy-horror-film-stub