“The Fall of the House of Usher” (2023) is goddam terrific. I have never thanked a college buddy as enthusiastically for inviting me to watch his Netflix with him.
It’s unflinching and unfailingly loving of its Edgar Allan Poe source material. (The eight-episode miniseries actually draws from a number of Poe’s works — not just the eponymous 1839 short story.) The acting is top-notch — particularly from leads Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood and
Mary McDonnell. The dialogue is priceless. And it is genuinely scary! (Yes, a lot of us really love Poe, but you must admit that it is challenging to make his works fresh and truly frightening to a modern audience.)
I almost said that I loved it more than “The Haunting of Hill House” (2018), another superb horror miniseries by director Mike Flanagan that employs much of the same cast. “The Fall of the House of Usher” can be considered an unofficial sequel to both the 2018 miniseries and 2020’s “The Haunting of Bly Manor.”
My heart still belongs to Hill House, though — although “The Fall of the House of Usher” is Flanagan’s best, in some ways, I think “Hill House” tells more a human story, with redeeming, realistic characters that we genuinely worry over.
“The Fall of the House of Usher” is a close second, though.
Eric Robert Nolan, Author 
I also feel the same way. Hill House remains my number one squeeze but The Fall of the House of Usher got my creative juices flowing. I like the way they include poetry recitation and refer & allude to Poe. Thank you for sharing this review. All the best.
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Right — both seasons were so well developed that they inspired me creatively too. Especially in terms of character. Thanks for reading! 🙂
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Kewl. I would like to see the outcome of such inspired creativity. In particular, did you write anything about the relevance of the statues (Greek/Roman Gods) and how they brought color, or lack thereof, to the story?
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As of now, it is yet another unfinished work-in-progress –a vampire tale that is maybe reminiscent of another Mike Flanagan project, “Midnight Mass” (2021). And I did not even pick up on the significance of the statues, aside from the bust of Pallas from Poe’s “the Raven!”
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Right on! A work in progress means the clay is still soft and pliable. Sometimes a simple question from another can bring fresh form to the creation. How about this one: What stands out about your vampire/s?
Some scenes in the Midnight Mass gave me a peculiar feeling that resides somewhere between nostalgia and déjà vu. Have you ever had such an experience? Are there any words for this emotional state of mind?
Here’s a link to a photo of the statues in question from Hill House. Do let me know if anything pops out for you; anything at all, including their unusual placement in the frame.
https://preview.redd.it/yxzhwnwuiks11.png?width=1370&format=png&auto=webp&s=7326e1d433db094b7e0e9a7f61a2883cf40a09fe
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Hey, man — thanks for the link AND for the writing prompt. It actually helped a lot!!
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