The Fall of the House of Usher

(1928)

★ 7.1 IMDb · 147 votes

Genres: Horror

Year: 1928

Runtime: 63 мин

Country: France

Director: Jean Epstein

Cast: Jean Debucourt, Marguerite Gance, Charles Lamy, Fournez-Goffard, Luc Dartagnan, Abel Gance, Halma, Pierre Hot, Pierre Kefer

Plot

Convinced that his family is tainted by generations of evil, Roderick Usher is hellbent on stopping his sister Madeline’s wedding to prevent the cursed Usher bloodline from expanding. When her fiancé Allan arrives at the crumbling estate to claim his bride, Roderick goes to ruthless—even deadly—lengths to keep them apart.

Possessed by the irresistible urge to complete the portrait of his beloved, gravely ill wife Madeline, tortured aristocrat Roderick Usher begs his best and only friend Allan to come and visit him in his decrepit, rumour-ridden ruin of a mansion. But everything about the cold, empty manor screams despair and crushing melancholy, and as Roderick finds himself consumed with agonising fear that the love of his life will soon meet her fate, blind obsession takes over. However, Roderick's brush is like a magic wand, and at each bold stroke, the painted image becomes more and more alive while poor Madeline fades away. What cruel destiny awaits the doomed couple? Is death the final frontier? What can stop the fall of the House of Usher?