Revenge in the House of Usher (1983)

Apparently there are several versions of this Jess Franco directed project. This appears to be the French version, dubbed into English, and featuring 'The Living Dead Girl' herself, Françoise Blanchard (as Melissa). Amidst the candle-lit wailings, darkened, crumbling passages and overwhelming architecture are Franco veterans Lina Romay (the housekeeper, Maria) and Howard Vernon (Eric Vladimir Usher).Whilst clearly out of the hands of Franco, it has to be noted the dubbing for this is pretty appalling. Whether the voice artists are actors at all, is debatable – the exception is Usher's voice-over, which sounds like an impression of James Mason.The story, twisting and meandering and far too thin, involves Doctor Alan Harker (echoes of Dracula? There is also a Doctor Seward, who has in times gone by – played by a different actor – featured with Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster and fleetingly, a werewolf under Franco's direction) who visits the house/castle of his former Professor Usher. Usher is clearly insane and looked after by his housekeeper. His daughter (Blanchard) died years before, but can apparently be reanimated by the blood of prostitutes, who are kept imprisoned within the castle.Despite the effective (and beautifully shot) locale, this is clearly one of the less budgeted Franco productions. Whether an artistic decision or a financial one, there is a lot of stock-footage from the earlier, far more acclaimed 'The Awful Doctor Orloff (1962)'. There is far too much of this, although these flashbacks are far superior to the film they are supporting. Although it features a younger Vernon as Orloff/Usher, the actress playing Melissa is noticeably different. The story of Orloff has been changed to fit the narrative of 'Revenge in the House of Usher.' When this was released, audiences weren't as privy to recordings of earlier films as we are these days, so the use of such footage is possibly justified. Seen now though, it seems like a way of backing up a weak story and padding out the running time. As a result, this is a patchwork affair. It isn't, as has been suggested, Franco's worst production – the locations alone are incredibly atmospheric and really promotes Usher's magnificent isolation, as does the minimalist soundtrack. And yet whilst saturating the viewer in its macabre mood-scapes, it remains an often ponderous exercise, with Franco's two trademarks – sex and gore – almost entirely absent.

A traveler arrives at the Usher mansion to find that the sibling inhabitants are living under a mysterious family curse: The brother's senses have become painfully acute, while his sister has become nearly catatonic.Why has this film been given the new name of "Zombie 5"? I mean, sure, it is a stretch to say it is based on Poe's "House of Usher", but it is an even bigger stretch to try to say this somehow fits in the Italian "Zombie" franchise... not even close.People seem to hate this film, and I can see why. The effects are terrible: the poor use of a spotlight to simulate a hand-held light, the strange eyeball. One reviewer said they fell asleep twice in the first fifteen minutes. I did not find it nearly all that bad. Cheesy, sure, A bit weak on plot, certainly. But I have seen a lot worse than this, even from Jess Franco.

Most of the user comments which I concur with are based on the French version produced by Eurocine. This is a Spanish film written, photographed and directed by Franco that was re-edited for its French and English versions by Eurocine which included adding the footage from THE AWFUL DR. ORLOFF as well as the whole subplot with Usher's daughter and Morpho in the contemporary part of the film (Vernon and protagonist Antonio Mayans never share the screen with the two French actors). The Spanish version features Vernon recollecting or imagining murdering a number of women. I don't understand Spanish and there are no subtitles on the version I saw but its an atmospheric mood piece that is far easier to watch than the French/English version (though even that version plays better on DVD in French with English subtitles). I'm rating it a 5 because I don't know how well it will hold up with an English translation but it looks better made and conceived than the Eurocine cut. Even though it was made in 1983 (well after the other Franco's death) around the same time as some of his explicit Golden Films productions, there is no nudity and little on screen bloodshed but it shows that Lina Romay can definitely act when clothed.

I understand that director Jesús Franco has a strong cult following and that when his name is attached to a film, it is something many people will pay attention to. Unfortunately, I did and I paid good money to rent this awful film. The problems with "Revenge in the House of Usher" are too numerous to mention, but I will provide a sampling.First off, except for the name of Howard Vernon's character, this film has nothing, and I mean nothing, to do with the works of Edgar Allan Poe.Second, this is a slow-moving and intensely dull film, one which literally put me to sleep. I had to turn the film off and finish it several hours later. Sound familiar?Third, the acting is atrocious. Perhaps this has something to do with the pathetic screenplay. I don't know nor do I care.Fourth, a long, black and white portion in the middle of the film is taken directly from an earlier Franco film, also featuring Howard Vernon. I believe that it is from the original Dr. Orloff film, but I cannot confirm this since I have not yet viewed any of Franco's work that pre-dates 1970. This black and white section is provided as kind of a flashback from the point of view of Dr. Usher. Whatever.Save your money and especially, save your precious time. Avoid this like you would the ebola virus. The only way I was able to finish the darn thing was so that I could write this review and warn users of the IMDb database.