Plot

It is the year 1839. Architect Jonathan Criswell receives a letter from his old friend Roderick Usher asking Jonathan to come and see him. Arriving along with his newlywed wife Jennifer, Jonathan finds Roderick and his sister Madeleine aged beyond their years. Roderick tells him how they have both been maddened by a crippling hyper-alertness of senses. In trying to find a way of bolstering the Usher house against frequent earth tremors, Jonathan learns of the unspeakable atrocities and devil worship practiced by Roderick's ancestors. These have brought a curse on the House of Usher, meaning that none of the family can live beyond their 37th year. Jonathan must try to save the house in doing so he will be helping save his friend Roderick and his sister before the Usher curse takes them.—Mark Fair

A "Classics Illustrated" adaptation of the Edgar Allan Poe thriller about a 19th-century New England home and its inhabitants disintegrating unnaturally. Sitting around since 1978, this, for the record, was the last of the remaining productions in the once-in-a-while series.—Mark Fair

In 1839, engineer and architect Jonathan Criswell receives a letter from his old school friend, Roderick Usher. Roderick's ancestral home near Raven's Head Lake is falling apart and needs repairs. He asks Jonathan to come and look over the house to see what needs to be done. Jonathan is recently married and decides to take his bride, Jennifer, along.

After a long journey they arrive in the village near the Usher house. Their buggy loses a wheel and they stop at the local pub to see if anyone can give them a lift. But no one will go near the house. Finally a man agrees to take them if they pay. But he drops them off on the road leading to the house, refusing to go any closer.

The path is dark and ill-kept. As Jonathan and Jennifer draw closer to the house, they are attacked by a large dog. Jonathan has no choice but to kill it. They arrive at the house and are greeted by elderly Thaddeus, the Usher manservant. He has been with the family all his life. Inside the house, Jonathan remarks that everything is just as he remembered it from his school days. Roderick lives with his sister Madeline; neither have ever married.

Cautioning the Criswells to be quiet, Thaddeus shows them to a bedroom which hasn't been slept in for many years. Cobwebs and dust cover everything. Jonathan notices the single bed and asks if they can have a room with a bigger bed. But Thaddeus explains that all the beds in the house are single-size. This room is for Jennifer and Jonathan is to sleep elsewhere. Jonathan suggests that another bed might be moved into the bedroom but that cannot be done. Due to the shaky condition of the house's foundation, the furniture is all bolted to the floor.

Leaving Jennifer to settle in, Jonathan is shown to the study where he is greeted by his old friend. At first he can't believe this man is Roderick. They are the same age but Roderick looks ten years older. Roderick explains that he and his sister are victims of the family curse and no Usher has ever lived past the age of 37. They have a condition in which they can't bear bright light or loud noise. Madeline is so ill that she is kept confined to her room. Roderick implores Jonathan to save the house by doing whatever work is necessary.

At dinner, Jennifer compliments Thaddeus's cooking. Roderick apologizes for the lack of meat but there are no more birds or game left on the estate. Afterwards, Jennifer is escorted back to her bedroom and Roderick takes Jonathan to see the large crack that is spreading throughout the walls. They trace its source to the ground level and Jonathan doesn't think it can be repaired. But Roderick begs him to try.

Jennifer is unhappy about having to sleep alone and begs Jonathan to take her home. But he explains that he owes Roderick his life and must try to help him. When they were boys, he fell through the ice while skating and Roderick rescued him.

Jennifer can't sleep and goes to the study for a book. She encounters Thaddeus, who tries to accompany her but she tells him she can manage on her own. Unfortunately, an encounter with Roderick's spooky sister causes her to faint. After she is back in her room, Jonathan demands an explanation. He remembers Madeline as a beautiful girl but Roderick explains that the illness has taken its toll. He is not as badly off yet because he fought the curse, while Madeline was unable to. Jonathan scoffs at the idea of a family curse and suggests Roderick and Madeline call in a doctor. But Roderick says there is nothing that can be done.

The next morning, Jonathan encounters Thaddeus in the kitchen. After preparing a light breakfast for Jennifer, Thaddeus prepares gruel for Roderick and Madeline. It is the only thing they can tolerate. Jonathan carries a tray up to Jennifer but she is too weak to eat. Again she begs to leave and Jonathan promises it will be soon.

He goes to the basement with Thaddeus to inspect the crack and thinks he can shore up the walls with timber. Hours of back-breaking work and the timber is in place. Roderick is actually happy and promises to send Thaddeus to the village for food so they can have a celebratory feast. But Jonathan warns him that the timber might not hold. He urges Roderick to take Madeline and move to the village. But she is too ill to be moved.

The house begins shaking and the repairs Jonathan made do not hold. He insists there is nothing more he can do. Madeline manages to break out of her room but is killed when a bookcase falls on her. She is laid out in a coffin made by Thaddeus and taken to the family crypt in the basement. Jonathan is now willing to leave but he wants Roderick to come too. But Roderick refuses. He takes Jonathan to a secret room in the basement which was used for devil worship by generations of Ushers. At some point his ancestors tried to dissolve the curse by building a chapel. That so enraged the devil that he became the house. This makes no sense to Jonathan, who feels that he owes Roderick for saving his life.

Thaddeus is clearing up in the kitchen when he hears a noise from the basement. He goes to see what it is and discovers that Madeline has either risen from the dead or was not dead when she was entombed. She attacks and kills him, then goes to the main part of the house. She has encounters with both Jennifer and Jonathan, who manage to save themselves. Then the house begins falling in, accompanied by thunder and lightning. Jonathan goes after Jennifer, who has locked herself in her bedroom. Once again Madeline attacks and nearly kills Jonathan before Jennifer smashes her head with a candelabra. They try to flee the house, but the main staircase has split in two. They try one of the many secret passages but Madeline has gotten there ahead of them. Just as she is about to attack them, Roderick appears. She turns on him, giving the Criswells time to escape the house, which is now on fire. They manage to get out just in time and, safely away, look back to see the house collapse in a wall of fire. Jonathan's voice-over explains that he feels Roderick and Madeline are now truly free and hopefully can rest in peace.