{Fantastic Fest 2023} The Fall of the House of Usher

From his executive penthouse office in his own tower, Bruce Greenwood leans into the camera and rallies what is left of his family. Playing Roderick Usher Greenwood appears to be channeling a slightly younger Brian Cox, and undoubtedly the comparssions are expected and in many appropriate. However, Mike Flanagan wants us to take more from his take on the classic The Fall of the House of Usher. Flanagan manages to capture the essence of Poe while also capturing the spirit of our times. Behind every golden toilet and opulent penthouse in Usher is a reminder that it is not just the end stage of the family Usher but perhaps of the entire system that created the Oligarchs, to begin with.

Mike Flanagan gives us a modern vision of family Usher starting with Greenwood’s opioid tycoon Roderick Usher. It has not been a good few weeks for Usher as his children both legitimate and illegitimate appear to be dying in exceptionally violent and weird ways. The rest of the series plays out as a conversation between the elder Usher and his nemesis Detective Auguste Dupin played by a game and worthy Carl Lumbly. Through a series of flashbacks, we learn how Usher made his fortune and also how each of his children has died. The episodes function as morality plays that have just enough of Poe’s famous storylines to give us cheeky easter eggs but enough blood, guts, and retribution to feel more like episodes of Tales From the Crypt than a prestige Netflix show.

The morality of the show can be heavy-handed at times. None of these characters (with the exception of Lenore (played by doe-eyed Ingenue Kyliegh Curran) felt real. I am down for an eat-the-rich horror mini-series but sometimes the banality of evil that often manifests in shows like Succession are far more persuasive and believable than the mustache-twirling that early episodes of the series lean into. The series starts with absolutely weird and bizarre costumes and settings. The world of the opulent and rich looks and feels alien and I think that is ultimately what Flannagan is going for. I jokingly asked if Peter Strickland was one of the creative consultants for the costumes. It certainly looks like it.

The series despite its serious subject matter is hilarious. This tone picks up towards the end of the second episode. Towards the end of the episode, we get to see the hobbies of the Usher progeny things and things take a turn. Each hobby had me more perplexed. Sometimes I am slow and as I watched the episode culminate I asked myself, “Is this a weird sex thing.”. Not to kink shame anyone, but it was indeed a weird sex thing.

Each episode features at least one death and each of those stories is greatly influenced by a piece of Poe’s work. From deranged monkeys to black cats that will not die Poe lovers will absolutely love spending time in a universe where Poe’s most creative works are modernized and bloodied by one of the modern kings of horror. Flanagan uses Poe’s flourishes to create truly horrific tableaus that manage to scare the hell out of all us.

Flanagan’s Show Poe’s Story

As is often the case with Flanagan’s work Carla Gugino as Verna absolutely shines as the vindictive angel who shows up to kick off each death in the series. While most of us who are familiar with Flanagan’s work know she is often his choice for leading star I had no idea of her depth and range. Wardrobe and makeup deserve a significant nod as well as each new iteration of Verna feels new and different. She shines and Flanagan knows exactly how to utilize her talents.

Each episode also manages to use different methods of telling their story. Episode 6 for example feels like a giiallo. Brilliant colors, a murder mystery, and tons of fluorescent yellows and reds. Episode six is a beauty that pops with color and design in every scene and proved ultimately the deciding episode for me. I didn’t fully understand what Flanagan wanted to accomplish with Usher until I experienced the vibrant and blood-drenched episode.

Flanagan has stitched together modern horror tropes with the themes and plots of the founder of American horror. Sometimes you can see the stitching of these seams. Flanagan uses some exact phrases found in Poe’s writing. Most noticeably Rodrick recites almost all of Annabelle Lee Poe’s homage to his long-lost lover and cousin Virgina. It’s weird and I dig it but I would imagine for normie audiences it might be too indulgent.

For me, Usher fits squarely in the middle of Flanagan’s output for Netflix. It does not quite have the emotional weight of Black Mass. It does not quite have the technical showpieces of Hill House. However, it has an ambition to be something larger than anything else he has done before. I will watch a hundred episodes of Tales From the Crypt if Mike Flanagan is directing them.

I caught The Fall of the House of Usher as part of our Fantastic Fest 2023 coverage. You can check out The Fall of the House of Usher on October 12th when it drops as part of Netflix’s spooky season programming.