Brought to us by Mike Flanagan of whom I am a massive fan and put out by Netflix, The Fall of the House of Usher is one of my favorite shows of the year! Mike Flanagan and Netflix have already worked together on four fantastic horror series The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, and The Midnight Club, all four of which I thought were awesome!
How to Download The Fall of the House of Usher
The series was released on October 12, 2023. You can download or stream the film from Netflix. Click on the Download button at the end of this review.
The Fall of the House of Usher Review: A Mystery Unveiled
The Fall of the House of Usher is based on the work of Edgar Allen Poe which was not something I knew until my wife told me when we were already six episodes into it! To be honest, it is a story of his that I am not all that familiar with so I cannot say how close to the source material this miniseries is, but I can tell you it is very entertaining.
Exploring the Usher Family’s Dark Secrets
I need to be very careful about what I say in regards to the plot of The Fall of the House of Usher as it is a mystery that unfolds before your eyes and I do not want to spoil it as piecing together what is happening is a huge part of the fun. It is about the rich, powerful, and frankly mostly morally bankrupt Usher family.
Roderick Usher: The Enigmatic Leader
The leader of the family is Roderick Usher. Roderick is telling his life story to Auguste Dupin who is the man leading the charge in court to bring the Usher family and their company to justice. The show will jump between Auguste and Roderick talking to events that happen within the family all of which revolve around his six children dying in some very gruesome and mysterious ways.
Meet the Usher Family: Twists and Tragedies
The rest of the Usher family consists of Roderick’s twin sister, Madeline, and his six children, Frederick, Camille, Leo, Tamerlane, Vic, and Perry. His wives, his children’s family, and other characters that play an important role also feature. It is a rather large cast, but it never feels hard to keep track of who is who and what is going on. I actually think the show does a fantastic job of introducing each character and explaining who they are very well.
Verna: A Character of Intrigue
My favorite character is Verna. Verna is played by the amazingly talented and beautiful, Carla Gugino, and I had so many theories and thoughts about who and what she was right until the end! I also have to say that Mark Hammil playing the role of lawyer, enforcer and cleaner upper of the Usher family was awesome to see as well.
Mark Hammil’s Memorable Role
The Fall of the House of Usher has a very cool gothic horror vibe about it. I love the look of the show and unlike a Disney Plus show, when a scene is dark in this show, you can still actually see what is happening. It does not rely on jump scares either, although it did get me a couple of times. Instead, it just has a very creepy and blood-curdling vibe about it all.
A Gothic Horror Experience
Something fun about this is that much like the other Mike Flanagan Netflix shows, especially the two “Haunting of” ones, The Fall of the House of Usher features many of the same cast members from those two shows. I like this, it reminds me of the way that American Horror Story does things, although I do wish Victoria Pedretti had a key role in this as she was fantastic in the other two shows.
Familiar Faces: Mike Flanagan’s Cast Choices
I had a great time with The Fall of the House of Usher. If you liked the other Mike Flanagan Netflix shows, you will more than likely enjoy this. However, if that dark gothic horror never clicked for you before, this may not either. I though, loved this and am sure it will be on my shows of the year list!
