Arguably one of the best horror directors of all time, Mike Flanagan, returns to his streaming home on Netflix with The Fall of the House of Usher. Previously, Flanagan has treated audiences to the horrifying Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass, two of the scariest TV shows of recent memory. Netflix was also home to Flanagan’s The Haunting of Bly Manor and The Midnight Club, which weren’t exactly as groundbreaking, terrifying or as flawless as his other two original series. Fortunately, The Fall of the House of Usher is; it’s one of Mike Flanagan’s best.
The series oozes with the director’s usual style of creepy imagery, effective jump scares, ample tension, and complex emotions. But perhaps what The Fall of the House of User does better than most horror series is its focus on character drama, and the deeply engaging mystery that will constantly ask more questions than it answers until the very end. The performances, as with Flanagan’s usual projects, are all flawless, with Carla Gugino stealing the show.
The Fall of the House of Usher is a Flanagan series not to miss. It may not be as terrifying or as creepy as some of his previous works, but the show’s suspense, deliciously detestable characters, perfect performances, and engaging mystery will keep audiences hooked through the entire gripping ride.
A Devastating Fall for the Usher Family
Loosely based on the short story by legendary writer Edgar Allan Poe, The Fall of the House of Usher follows the world’s most powerful and corrupt family, the Ushers. Siblings Roderick (Bruce Greenwood) and Madeline Usher (Mary McDonnell) are at the head of the family, running an infamous pharmaceutical company whose drugs have killed thousands of its users.
The two built a vast empire of wealth, power, and privilege, however the dark secrets of this corrupt empire begin to come to light when members begin mysteriously dying one by one. It’s a far cry from the typical House of Usher adaptation, including the ghostly 1928 French film and the brilliant 1960 Vincent Price movie, but it works.
Related: The Best Edgar Allan Poe Adaptations
Carla Gugino Delivers a Phenomenal Performance
Netflix
Carla Gugino, much like the rest of the cast, is a mainstay for a Mike Flanagan project. It simply wouldn’t feel like a Mike Flanagan project without her. Yet, in The Fall of the House of Usher, Carla Gugino delivers her best performance yet. As a mysterious specter popping in and out of the lives of the Ushers, Gugino undertakes many positions in one — a seductive temptress, a helpless woman with a heart condition, a security guard, and an owner of a cat sanctuary.
Each character feels different from the last, while still rooting them in Gugino’s main character who keeps putting on a show for the Ushers, manipulating them, haunting them, and torturing them, as Madeline and Roderick continue to delve into the depths of insanity.
The Entire Cast Is Flawless
Netflix
Along with Carla Gugino, returning Flanagan mainstays like Rahul Kohli, Kate Siegel, Henry Thomas, and T’Nia Miller, just to name a few, all deliver fantastic performances in their new roles, as the spoiled, arrogant, and twisted children of Roderick Usher. Bruce Greenwood is fantastic as Roderick Usher himself, spreading fear and intimidation through his performance with ease.
Mary McDonnell was among the best performances in the show, as Madeline Usher delivering an intelligent, badass, and inspiring performance. On top of that, a delightfully surprising Mark Hamill is always sensational as the mysterious, highly intelligent, and deceptive lawyer Arthur Pym, covering up every criminal accusation the Usher family had against them — which is a mountain.
Another Terrifying Flanagan TV Show
Netflix
Flanagan has never failed to fill audiences with tension and suspense. Besides, he’s made some of the scariest movies and TV shows of the past decade. On top of that Flanagan has always been a master at delivering jump scares. The ones in The Haunting of Hill House, and Oujia: Origins of Evil still shake us to the core. While The House of Usher may not sport the scariest of jump scares, audiences will still undoubtedly react to some intense imagery. Flanagan’s sparse jump scares are perfect here because they truly are unpredictable, like while a character is in mid-conversation, making the jump scare hit so much harder.
The imagery in The Fall of the House of Usher is horrifying. Constantly, audiences will see images of Usher’s deceased children slowly creeping towards the camera. The bloodied, charred, and dismembered bodies of Usher’s dead offspring are enough to make audiences squirm, but Flanagan’s mastery of visual storytelling makes it all the more disturbing.
Related: The Scariest Moments in Mike Flanagan’s Films & Shows, Ranked
Compelling Character Drama and Mystery
Netflix
Perhaps what sets The Fall of the House of Usher apart from most of Flanagan’s other projects is the show’s captivating mystery and compelling character drama. The enigmas at the heart of the series will have audiences hooked from the start, asking, “What the hell is going on?” The show never really answers any questions until the final episode, which culminates in a truly satisfying and epic finale. The journey to the finish line is relentless, as each character essentially has their own episode before a brutal denouement.
Likewise, the script written by Mike Flanagan offers many fascinating moments of dialogue, which lead to some unforgettable exchanges between the family members, as each sibling harbors a deep-rooted hatred for one another. Truly sounding like a modernized spin on Edgar Allan Poe’s penchant for cryptic language, every line of dialogue sounds like poetry, no matter how sinister it really is. Like Midnight Mass and The Haunting of Hill House in their respective years, this is the best horror series of 2023.
The Fall of the House of Usher releases on Netflix October 12th. It was screened as a part of Fantastic Fest.
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