That was the title given to a British collection of Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories that was published in 1902 and it has been with us ever since. It is also a perfect phrase for describing Roger Corman’s 8 movie adaptations of Poe that he did in the early 1960s for American International Pictures. The films are full of mystery and you have to use your imagination in accepting the highly stylised visualizations that these movies are full of. Part of this artistic as opposed to realistic approach is due to the budgetary limitations (the early films were shot in 2 weeks for around $300,000 according to Corman on his excellent DVD commentary). However much of it is deliberate as the director is trying to evoke the spirit of Poe not just render him authentically. Nowhere is this more evident than in the first two Poe films that are featured on this DVD.
HOUSE OF USHER (not preceded by THE FALL OF…) is about 80% artistic and 20% realistic. The nightmarish shots of the house (which resemble 19th century engravings) give way to claustrophobic interiors that are lit in a very theatrical manner. Then there’s the artwork itself, very un-19th century paintings of the Usher family which are much more like expressionistic psychological portraits (they were commissioned for the film). Add the distorted lens dream sequences and the intense use of color filters and you have a very different cinematic experience from the CGI and shaky camera affairs that are the norm today for supernatural fare.
Vincent Price, in the first of his 7 legitimate Poe appearances, gives one of his signature performances as Roderick Usher, aristocratic, tormented, but also cruel and cunning. Myrna Fahey makes for a healthier Madeline than Poe intended but she’s very believable. Mark Damon does a good job portraying the romantic lead as he does more than look the part. Rounding out the quartet of characters is Harry Ellerbe (in old age make-up) as the family servant. The hallucinatory imagery of Poe’s prose is well captured and this is before the use of LSD became common. Considering the limitations everyone was working under it was and still is a remarkable achievement.
THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM benefits from a larger budget, additional characters, and a different slightly more realistic approach although the concluding sequence with the pendulum is pretty mind bending. There is also the presence of horror icon Barbara Steele. While she doesn’t do that much, she lends credibility to the proceedings just because of who she is. And then there’s that great final shot. PENDULUM is considered by many critics to be the best of the series. Unlike the Hammer Gothic horrors whose success these films were attempting to duplicate, Roger Corman’s Poe adaptations have yet to receive the deluxe treatment the Hammer movies have (this DVD transfer dates from 2001). A new release, preferably on Blu-Ray, would help to bring these movies back before the public in a way that they can be appreciated once again.
The Capsule Critic 