Aasif Ahmad Shah
‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ is a chilling new movie that takes Edgar Allan Poe’s spooky tale and turns it into a modern horror flick that leaves you unsettled and apprehensive about society, sparking a sense of intrigue and curiosity. It follows Roderick and Madeline Usher, the last of a once-powerful family, living in a creepy, crumbling mansion. Roderick’s a paranoid mess, sure his family’s cursed, while Madeline’s fading away, pale and sick. Their old friend—the narrator—shows up to help, but things unravel fast: Madeline dies, gets buried, then bursts back to life, and the whole house collapses in a stormy, dramatic finish. With its dark vibes and twisted plot, the film’s more than just scary—it’s a snapshot of how wealth, fear, and power can tear everything down. Big thinkers like Karl Marx, Zygmunt Bauman, David Harvey, Michel Foucault, and Karl Popper give us a way to see it all mixed.
The story starts with the Ushers holed up in their giant, rotting mansion—a place that screams old money and control. Marx would say this family’s the rich elite, the kind who got fat off other people’s hard work long ago, maybe exploiting farmers or workers to build their fortune. Harvey would zoom in on the house itself, a space that shows their power—big, fancy, but falling apart because that kind of wealth can’t last forever. It’s like those empty luxury towers in cities today, standing tall while others scrape by. The Ushers are clinging to this wreck, and you can feel the weight of their past crashing down.
Roderick’s the jittery boss of this sinking ship, always talking about a family curse. Popper would poke at that—where’s the proof? He’d say Roderick’s just buying into a story without testing it, and the narrator’s there like a skeptic, trying to figure out if it’s real or nonsense. But Foucault would jump in and say it’s not just about truth—it’s about power. Roderick uses the curse idea to keep everything under his thumb, especially Madeline. He locks her in, calls her sick, and even buries her when she “dies”—its control dressed up as care, the way society labels people “crazy” or “weak” to shut them up. The mansion’s walls, cracking and dark, are like that power system closing in on them both.
Then there’s Bauman’s angle—everything’s shaky, slippery, like water you can’t hold. The Ushers’ world is falling apart, and they’re scared stiff. Roderick’s pacing, Madeline’s drifting, the house is groaning—it’s that modern fear Bauman talks about, where nothing feels solid anymore. Consider today’s worries: jobs vanish, the weather’s wild, and lives are unpredictable. The movie’s storms and flickering lights make you feel that panic, like the Ushers are drowning in a world they can’t fix. Mix that with Marx, and it’s not just fear—it’s the rich losing their grip because their old tricks no longer work. Harvey would nod: the house isn’t just a home; it’s a dying symbol of their control over space and people.
Madeline’s the wild card. She’s quiet at first, trapped by Roderick’s rules, but when she claws out of her tomb—alive, furious—it’s a game-changer. Foucault would cheer her breaking free, like the powerless fighting back against the ones in charge. Marx might see her as the spark of revolt, the underdog tearing down the elite’s rotten setup. Harvey could tie it to the house, collapsing right after—she’s smashing the space that propped up their power. Bauman would call it chaos breaking loose, the liquid mess of a world where even death isn’t inevitable. Popper might squint and ask: is
she proving the curse or just proving Roderick wrong? Either way, her comeback’s the tipping point—everything falls apart.
The movie’s end—house in rubble, Ushers gone—is where it all clicks. Marx would say it’s the rich paying for their greed, an unequal system that couldn’t stand. Harvey would point to the wrecked mansion, proof that hoarding power in spaces like those backfires. Bauman would feel the fear in that final crash, a world too shaky to hold up. Foucault would see the power games—Roderick’s control, Madeline’s rebellion—ending in a draw where no one wins. Popper would shrug and say we still don’t know if the curse was real; the collapse doesn’t prove anything for sure. Together, it’s a wild mix: a wealthy family’s downfall tied to greed, shaky times, space wars, control flops, and untested beliefs.
The film looks impressive—shadowy shots, howling winds, a house that feels alive. Roderick’s twitchy panic and Madeline’s ghostly rage are spot-on; you believe they’re doomed. It’s slow in spots—too many empty hallway scenes—and the narrator’s a dud, just watching instead of digging deeper. A bit more on why the Ushers got this way—greed? Bad luck? —I would’ve made the ideas pop more. But it’s still gripping, blending horror with big thoughts about society.
‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ isn’t a feel-good flick—everyone’s toast by the end—but it’s worth seeing. It’s about a rich family crashing because of old wealth, fear, power plays, and shaky stories, all tangled up in a creepy package. If you like movies that scare you and make you think about today’s messes—class gaps, control freaks, uncertain times. Just brace for the dark and get ready to be intrigued and engaged by the blend of horror and societal commentary.
Author is an Independent Research and Alumnus of JMI, New Delhi. He can be mailed at Pirasif@live.com
