The Fall of the House of Usher was my first soundtrack work, written to accompany J.S. Watson Jr. and Melville Webber’s 1928 short silent film of Poe’s gothic story. In making this soundtrack I wanted to support the atmosphere of the film and convey the drama of the events on screen, from the bleak opening through to the destructive final scene. I wasn’t trying to reproduce an authentic 1920’s soundtrack, but rather to mix old and new—in much the same way as Watson and Webber had done when they took an 1830’s story and retold it using avant-garde cinematic techniques. The result is a soundtrack that combines electronic with gothic elements and moves from brooding melancholy to the intensity of a morbid obsession.

The cover artwork is by illustrator and designer Malwina Chabocka. The soundtrack is available to buy on Bandcamp.