Curtis Harrington, a perennial cult figure who made such atmospheric low-budget horror films as Night Tide, Queen of Blood, and Games, both stars in and directs this adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's short story The Fall of the House of Usher. Harrington plays Roderick Usher, a poet who lives in his family's decaying mansion along with his twin sister, Madeline. As a young writer comes to visit the aging poet, the close bond between Roderick and Madeline becomes obvious, and when the sister dies while celebrating her birthday, Roderick quickly has her buried. But is Madeline truly dead? And what has become of her brother? Usher marked the second time Harrington adapted Poe's tale for the screen, having directed an amateur film based on the story when he was a teenager.
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide