Review #12: The Fall of the House of Usher (1928) - Short film

This artistic short barely resembles the Poe story it takes it's name from, but unlike The Tell-Tale Heart, this really doesn't harm my review or reception in any sense. It's clear to me that this film was trying something new, something akin to the German expressionism movement years earlier. While not good in the traditional sense, one cannot deny that this short is unique.

Source: YouTube

Length: 13 minutes

Number of Ratings from IMDb: 753

Country of Origin: USA

Director: James Sibley Watson [The Fall of the House of Usher] & Melville Webber [The Fall of the House of Usher]

This film is often described as avant-garde and an example of American expressionism (think The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari). As such, the short doesn't really follow the story whatsoever - oh, if you're familiar with the story, you can make some connections, but overall, there's not much of a plot to speak of.

Unlike Where Evil Dwells, a short I previously reviewed, the film is not harmed due to the lack of plot. This is for a few reasons - firstly, this is about half as short, and thus is far more palatable. Secondly, unlike the 1985 short, this film has many unique shots (as one can expect from an expressionist film), and as disjointed as it may be, it's still sort of fun to watch. Below are a few images that stood out to me.

The last two images interest me especially. It spells out "crack", and the second one spells out "cracked" while the word is, as you can see, literally being cracked apart. I don't know the meaning over it whatsoever, but visually, it is interesting.

In fact, most of this film, if not all, is visually interesting. What it lacks in story and plot, it makes up for with that. I don't love it, but I felt no strong feels of dislike toward it while I was watching. In fact, I'm rather impressed by how this came out - sure, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari came out eight years earlier, so I shouldn't be surprised - but even so, the visuals strike me as damn cool.

On a side-note, while I realize, and have said of such, that this short really does not resemble the original Poe story, I'll link the original story here anyway, as it's really worth reading.

Also, I watched this short with the soundtrack by C.Z. Robertson, who added sort of a dark electronic feeling to the film, which I felt really helped it along. I admit, I have some doubts at first, but this film should probably be viewed - it's just that aesthetically appealing.

My rating: 7/10

IMDb Page

- Michael

Review #7: Where Evil Dwells (1985) - Short film

I am almost lost for words. This won't be a terribly long or detailed post, because I'm still not really sure what to say about what I just witnessed. This short had no distinguishable plot from what I could tell, though perhaps there is good reason for that. Confused? Join the club.

Source: YouTube

Length: 29 minutes

Number of Ratings from IMDb: 8

Country of Origin: USA

Director: Tommy Turner [Where Evil Dwells] & David Wojnarowicz [Where Evil Dwells]

Where Evil Dwells is what is known as a transgression/no-wave movie, meaning it's rather low quality, and made underground. I won't pretend to be an expert, so if you so desire, you can read more here and here.

Basically, it's a very experimental, artsy style of film-making. I've never been a fan of the more avant-garde type films. Movies like Antichrist (2009) and Eraserhead (1977) annoyed me to no end. The problem is simple: I just don't get it. Art films, and really, even some of the more tame experimental films (such as select works by David Cronenberg) bother me. I don't much care for them, and I have a generally tedious time trying to get through them.

I say this to give you a little understanding of my issues with these types of films. I understand, or at least think I do, why art films would appeal to some directors and audiences, but it's beyond me how to enjoy them. How can one watch a 30-minute film without any semblance of a plot and be expected to enjoy it?

Part of my problem may be a misunderstanding of artistic films, though; maybe the audience is not meant to enjoy it. Maybe we're just meant to think about the concepts the film attempted to display. Whether or not that is accurate, however, doesn't make a difference to me. This film was still unenjoyable, and I couldn't imagine trying to watch it again, even in a group setting.

At first, I thought this film was going to be a short anthology of sorts, with a frame story of a dummy and ventriloquist telling them to us. I quickly learned that is not the case, however. What this film seems to be is a bunch of random vignettes that make no sense, have no context, and no conclusion. Below are some of the more interesting visuals of the film.

I wish I could give an actual summary, but if you watch this film, you'd know there's not really a story to be found. Perhaps at one point there was, though. Here is a quote from the Trivia page on IMDb:

The original footage was destroyed in a fire and the only footage that survived is this 28 minute preview that was put together for the Downtown New York Film Festival in 1985.

If this is accurate, then I am being to harsh on the film. If it is just the only surviving portions of a bigger work, then it is sort of sad that this is all that's left. A similar thing happened to the 1985 straight to video classic The New York Centerfold Massacre. Much of the footage was lost, and all we have now is an extremely butchered, barely watchable copy (and I say that because I've seen the print that exists).

Regardless, in the form that exists, this is not something to view unless you've an interest in or enjoy viewing art/no-wave/experimental films. I can sort of understand the appeal in the vaguest sense, but I won't pretend to ever fully comprehend it. This film was a mess as is, and I whole-heartily would not recommend it, despite the occasional passable special effect.

My rating: 1/10


The IMDb page for this short can be found here.


A Note:

I have began writing my first review over a full-length film. If all goes well, it should be posted within the next week.



Next time, on Beyond the Darkened Door:

An early 1990's werewolf short, seen by less than five people. See you all then.