Flanagan's Grand Guignol "House of Usher"

Bruce Greenwood in The Fall of the House of Usher

If you're a fan (as I am) of writer-director Mike Flanagan's previous work in the horror genre, which includes chilling series such as The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor and Midnight Mass, and eerie films like Oculus, Gerald's Game and Doctor Sleep, then have I got a Halloween treat for you. After providing us with superb re-imaginings of the literary tales of authors like Shirley Jackson, Henry James and Stephen King, Flanagan's latest project, The Fall of the House of Usher, takes a deep dive into the Gothic fiction of Edgar Allan Poe. It's a fantastic miniseries that proves once again that Flanagan is a modern master of the horror genre.

The Fall of the House of Usher centers on the Usher family, headed by siblings Roderick and Madeline. Roderick has built a financial empire based on the success of his company, Fortunato Pharmaceuticals. However, both he and Madeline share several secrets that have begun to tear their family, and their world, apart. Roderick's six children are being systematically killed by a supernatural force that appears to be taking revenge on him for his past misdeeds. The story of his family's downfall is told in flashback by Roderick to District Attorney C. Auguste Dupin, who's dedicated his life to exposing the corruption within Roderick's company. Dupin's name, is of course, just one of a myriad of references to Poe stories and characters throughout the series. The show is filled with easter eggs, nods and visual representations of Poe's work, both overt and more subtle in nature.

As he tells the tale of each of his children's grisly demise to Dupin, Roderick also relates stories of his and Madeline's younger years, and the questionable things the siblings did to achieve success. All of these flashbacks are skillfully tied together into a tapestry which features elements of many of Poe's classic short stories and poems, including The Black Cat, The Raven, and The Masque of the Red Death. To give too much away would spoil the many pleasures and surprises of this magnificently produced, well-crafted series. Let's just say if you're a fan of Gothic horror, and frightening set-pieces which include some memorable jump scares, and over the top terror, then The Fall of the House of Usher is definitely in your wheelhouse.

The cast is excellent, with many of Mike Flanagan's repertory company from previous productions returning in various roles for the series, including Henry Thomas, Kate Siegel, T'Nia Miller, Rahul Koli and Bruce Greenwood, who gives a great performance as Roderick. Carl Lumbly provides strong work as Dupin, Mary McDonnell is terrific as Madeline, and Michael Trucco is solid as a smarmy Fortunato executive who tangles with Roderick and Madeline, much to his eventual regret. Everyone is marvelous, but top honors for scene-stealing have to go to Mark Hamill as Arthur Pym, the Usher family's coldly efficient lawyer/fixer (whose character name is yet another tip of the hat to Poe), and Carla Gugino (also a Flanagan veteran) as Verna, a mysterious woman with deep ties to Roderick and Madeline's past, who appears to be something other than human, and who knows all of the Usher secrets.

The writing on the series is superb, with great dialogue provided for the actors by Flanagan and his co-writers, including Emily Grinwis and Justina Ireland. The show is visually striking, and brilliantly directed by Flanagan and Michael Fimongari, who also provided the cinematography for the series. The Fall of the House of Usher is a bit more wild and over the top than some of Flanagan's previous efforts, like The Haunting of Hill House, which, while it had its share of jump scares, often utilized a slow and subtle build up to its more terrifying moments. This series is a bit more Grand Guignol (by design) but it's no less well-crafted, or less effective, than Flanagan's other work. If you've enjoyed his other shows, such as the recent series The Midnight Club, then I think you'll dig The Fall of the House of Usher, which is currently streaming on Netflix. Here's a look at the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvuAWVzP6wI.