Edgar Allan Poe's House of Usher

David DeCoteau

R1 DVD

Regent Entertainment

Web: http://www.regententertainment.com

The movie is loosely based on the Edgar Allan Poe classic short story, The Fall of the House of Usher but with a very decidedly homoerotic twist. DeCoteau has taken a traditional tale of mystery and horror and filled it with stunning physiques, lust and love and a very classic gothic look. On what is clearly a low budget, he has been able to create a real sense of the macabre. The look of the house, the moody music score, the carefully placed camera angles, all create a sense that the house is much more than it seems. Even the dolls and toys in the children’s room give a shiver up the spine. It features a superb voice over which gives it a truly classic gothic feel.

The classic tale has been adapted to a gay sensibility with very hot gay love scenes, a sexy butler, gay ghosts and lots of men running around in their undies – this is high camp horror which is both rather fun and seductive ! DeCoteau is well known for his camp film sensibilities and sense of play and this film embodies everything about this unique approach to cinema.

Victor Reynolds, a rather attractive young man (Michael Cardelle) receives a desperate letter from his childhood friend and first love, Roderick Usher (Frank Mentier). He arrives to find that Roderick has become a recluse and not left the mansion in many years. His parents died many years before and his sister is unstable and behaves erratically. Roderick seems in a very bad way and obviously needs Victor’s special affection to return to health, but Victor is not as yet willing to re-commit to a relationship which occurred so long ago and is the only gay relationship of his life.

There seems to be an air of mystery about the house, three of the workman who undertook repairs on it (all very good looking, of course), died under strange circumstances and the butler seems to be hiding a secret. Slowly strange and bizarre events begin to haunt Victor including visions of the death workmen running around in their underwear and then naked. Frightening visions perhaps but certainly also erotic. It seems his very life essence is being drawn away and he must fight for his very survival. Slowly, Victor realizes that both his friend and the house have a dark past that no one has lived to uncover.

As the film reaches its climax, we find Victor in a mental institution which looks very much like the House of Usher with the various characters from the tale as its staff. Was it all a nightmare ? We are left wondering....

This review will appear in Volume 2:1 (2009) of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.

If you came to this page directly (and missed our menu), click here to go to the Synergy Magazine front page. (http://www.synergy-magazine.com)