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.