The House of Usher

Lifeless version of the Poe classic. Roderick: Oliver Reed. Walter: Donald Pleasence. Molly: Romy Windsor. Ryan: Rufus Swart. Derrick: Norman Coombes. Mrs. Derrick: Anne Stradi. Gwen: Carole Farquhar. Dr. Bailey: Philip Godewa. Directed by Alan Birkinshaw., Without a doubt the weirdest adaptation of an Edgar Allan Poe tale in recent memory, this lurid production features a raging, leering Oliver Reed as Roderick Usher, who treats his nephew (Rufus Swart) and the man’s bride-to-be (Romy Windsor) to some genuine family hospitality by raping her and burying him alive. It seems Roderick intends to sire a child with the poor girl in order to continue the Usher bloodline — apparently oblivious to the fact that her marriage to his nephew would have accomplished the same thing. As if Reed’s lecherous advances weren’t enough, we are presented with a one-armed Donald Pleasence, who likes to threaten our heroine with a power drill attached to his stump! This film is not only an abomination to the memory of the great author, but a sick joke by comparison with Roger Corman’s excellent 1960 adaptation.