Mike Flanagan’s latest Netflix series, “The Fall of the House Of Usher,” has now arrived on Netflix. Is it worth the watch? Damn right, it is.
Inspired by multiple tales by Edgar Allen Poe, the series tells the story of a ruthless, corrupt family and that bill from long ago that has come due.
The series is dark and brutal and filled with suffering. It unfolds as the head of the Usher family, Rodrick Usher (Brian Greenwood), recounts his rise to power, his loss, and his evil deeds to Auguste Dupin (Auguste Dupin), the attorney who has been on a mission to bring the family down for decades as they sit in the Usher family’s original, now rundown home. Much of the story is told in extended flashbacks, which works beautifully. It was a risky choice that paid off.
The main cast includes Carla Gugino (Gerald’s Game, “The Haunting of Hill House”), Mary McDonnell (Scream 4), Carl Lumbly (Doctor Sleep), Henry Thomas (“Haunting of Hill House”), and Mark Hamill with Bruce Greenwood, who appeared in Flanagan’s Gerald’s Game. Once again, Flanagan doesn’t hesitate to call upon his favorite actors that we’ve seen in his films and series again and again, and we’re here for it. Each gave a fantastic performance, especially Bruce Greenwood, who emotes a wide range of emotions from disdain to heartbreak to intense fear as he plays a cold, ruthless man whose time has come and his family lost.
Mike Flanagan proves once again that he deserves his title as a “Master of Horror,” giving us characters that we can both empathize with and hate. It delivers a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat and fighting the urge to binge-watch the entire series, which I highly recommend.
The way he incorporated Edgar Allen Poe’s stories is seamless and downright brilliant. Some of the Poe tales featured in the series include The Fall of the House of Usher, The Raven, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Masque of the Red Death, The Black Cat, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, and more. Even the series’ characters are named after Poe’s characters from various tales, a great touch. Flanagan went all in for the series, and it shows. Fans of Poe’s work will approve, without a doubt, and viewers unfamiliar with Poe’s tales will still love it.
It’s only fitting that a series about the extremely rich looks rich itself. The series is stunning while still being bloody. The cinematography is on point!
If you’re a gorehound, this series will be right up your alley. Every episode is filled with brutal deaths and blood-drenched scenes, with incredible special effects. I will warn you now. This series is for grown folks only due to violence, language, and a lot of sex. Saying it’s graphic is an understatement. Please don’t watch this around your kids or even your teens.
The limited series from Intrepid Pictures features eight episodes, four that were directed by Flanagan and four by Michael Fimognari, who worked with Flanagan as cinematographer for “Haunting of Hill House” and who directed several episodes of Flanagan’s series “The Midnight Club.”
The series marks the fifth series Flanagan has made for Netflix, including “The Haunting of Hill House,” “The Haunting of Bly Manon,” “Midnight Mass,” and “The Midnight Club.” The writer-director-producer is also behind movies such as Oculus, Doctor Sleep, Hush, and Ouija: Origin of Evil, to name a few. Flanagan serves as executive producer alongside Trevor Macy, Michael Fimognari, and Emmy Grinwis for the series.
“The Fall of the House of Usher” reminds me why I’m a fan of Flanagan and Poe. It is a brilliant, dark, and ruthless series that you must add to your watch list. Watch the entire series now on Netflix.
