Review: The Fall of the House of Usher
- By Shargeel Sheikh -
- Nov 04, 2023
Just when Mike Mike Flanagan’s contract from Netflix was about to expire, he gave another home run, ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ miniseries standing as the final love of Flanagan to his fans from Netflix’s platform. A perfect gift for this Halloween.
This time, the esteemed horror aficionado has taken his bundle of inspiration from the collection of legendary American dark writer Edgar Allan Poe.
Despite some slip-ups, for the lovers of Edgar Allan Poe, this Fall of the House of Usher is nothing less of a treat.
However, for the lover of Flanagan’s previous works on Netflix (The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass, The Midnight Club, and The Haunting of Bly Manor), it’s a work that could’ve added more shine to it, especially given that it’s his last ride with the streaming platform.
Rodrick Usher (Played by Bruce Greenwood), the infamous patriarch of the Usher family, and the owner of the pharmaceutical corporation Fortunato has been under the limelight for many sinister reasons.
At the start of the first episode, we see the silver-haired patriarch exiting a church. He had attended the funeral of his 3 children, each of whom had died an unnatural death. The funeral was just a week later from the funeral of Rodger’s 3 other children.
Later we see Rodrick in a conversation with the investigator C Auguste Dupin (Carl Lumbly) in his now dilapidated childhood home. Dupin was after him and his corporation for years, trying everything to reveal the corruption Fortunato and the Usher family had brought to the lives of the common people.
Rodrick confesses and talks about the mysteries revolving around his peculiar family and their business. The work is being considered in the industry as the greatest project. He talks about how he’s complicit in the death of his heirs and how a dark entity has his family in its grip. He also tells the investigator about his long-dead mom watching him from behind.
Each episode shows the viewers of each of the children who died and how Rodger had a play in it. Furthermore, there’s this woman who plays a major role in the series. She is someone Rodrick Usher, aligned with his sister Maidailline Usher, has made a deal with in his days of youth.
The Fall of the House of Usher is originally an 1893 short story by Edgar Allan Poe and one of the masterpieces expressing Poe’s love for gore, grotesque, gruesome, and everything else related. The new web series consists of eight episodes, each borrowing the plotline from Poe’s original works.
However, the Fall of the House of Usher vastly differs from the original work and perhaps this is what makes it unique. With what the episodes follow, it is safe to assume that the series takes inspiration from the decades-old masterpiece, all while standing out to be original in its way.
The series carries an evident dark theme complemented by drama, mystery and a bit of horror-stroking moments. From the get one can detect an element of darkness and horror creeping in. The conversations and the setting of the storyline a commendable pieces of curated art.
Now when I say horror, it’s not the one about the serious ones of Conjuring, neither is it the dramatic heart racing fast (Although it does seem at certain points) like the 2023 version of the Evil Dead.
It’s the horror of Edgar Allan Poe. It’s medium but subtle, relies more on the theme engulfing it, and it does take one’s breath away, but not in the way mentioned in the previously mentioned films.
The theme, apparently dark, decadent, and dramatic, carries decent elements of gore and thriller, an element now quite common these days. Flanagan’s mastery shows how he handles and integrates the thriller and mystery elements into this modern dark fantasy realm- all while being inspired by the original work.
Unlike Flanmagan’s previous works, there’s no happy hugging ending here. There’s a tragedy and how exactly does it happen? There’s no sentimentality here. The Usher family isn’t the one you would attach to, but might understand them from the real worldview perspective.
Throughout the episodes, horror movie lovers are likely to enjoy The Fall of the House of Usher, the pace is set keeping the curiosity in check. Mike Flanagan throughout his stint with Netflix (or maybe even before) has mastered keeping the momentum consistent throughout the movie. This is a harder task than creating the very thing.
We can say that this modern take on The Fall of the House of Usher is refreshing and dark. It perfectly blends into the theme of 2023 Halloween. It exemplifies the creativity one can take from old works by smartly bringing them into the contemporary era
Is it worth watching?
If you have a thing for Horror movies and their adaptations from the classics, it’s worth a go. If you’re a fan of Mike Fnagan’s previous work, then definitely!