Series Review: The Fall of the House of Usher

Mike Flanagan has had a great track record of adapting and creating movies and series which creep, spook and make you think. Whether it is The Haunting of Hill House, Gerald's Game, Midnight Mass or the 2023 limited series, The Fall of The House of Usher, they've hit the horror spot with just enough horror.

But for me, there's something unique about this particular series which, although I've seen all of Flanagan's series, struck me as fascinating and much more enjoyable than any other.

The Fall of the House of Usher

The series is adapted from Edgar Allen Poe's short story by the same name. Poe was an American literary figure much interested in writing tales of mystery and macabre. This work is part of his Tales of Grotesque and Arabesque of 1840.

There are plenty of reasons why I believe this series was my best watch amongst other of Flanagan's works.

Although this series has a continuous plot line, each episode focuses on a particular character. We know from the synopsis and right from the first episode that every heir is going to drop dead. But how? Why? These are the answers we don't get, except some, until the final episode. The characters are given full exposure in those episodes, their backstory, their intentions, motivations and circumstances. Their deaths make you question and contemplate what happened and bring into mind a plethora of questions.

The Fall of the House of Usher doesn't have spooky, jump-scare, terrifying horror. Yes, it's a horror and gothic series but that's subtly woven into the story. The horror is more psychologically and emotionally rather than physically felt. It questions your conscience. It questions your values of right and wrong. It even questions your sympathy.

Spoilers Ahead!

You've Been Warned!

Verna in The Fall of the House of Usher

I found the plot to be more fascinating than any other series. I loved the whole karma concept (at least that's what I made it out to be). The woman, Verna, can definitely be called the devil in the sense that she makes deals with mortals in return of something. And that return is often harsh and gore. Yet, from my perspective, it's more karmic than devilish.

She gave Roderick and Madeline a choice. She told them what would happen. She's a spectator that's watching the domino effect unravel. Moreover, when the time came for her to get her end of the deal, she was sympathetic in certain cases. She felt bad. She wanted to give the children peaceful deaths as long as they deserved it.

It'd be hard to believe that a devil would show such concern.