Since 2018, Mike Flanagan has offered authentic horror series adapted from literary works on Netflix every October. This year, he celebrated his Netflix journey with “The Fall of the House of Usher,” a Gothic tale by Edgar Allan Poe.
The fact that Flanagan chose the title of Edgar Allan Poe’s short story for his latest work sparked great curiosity, especially for me. Previously, Flanagan has tackled acclaimed American writers like Shirley Jackson and Henry James, creating haunted mansion series that breathe new life into the horror genre, providing a purely American experience with the revisited writers’ oeuvre. He has significantly contributed to the literary adaptations of these works, grounding the series in the thematic essence of these literary masterpieces.
In this homage to Poe, Flanagan does not strictly adhere to the plot of “The Fall of the House of Usher.” Yes, the title remains the same, focusing on the downfall of the Usher family. However, Flanagan explores themes such as isolation, madness, family curses and decay, deriving a new story within the framework of Poe’s themes. Each episode is named after other short stories by Poe, such as “The Pit and the Pendulum,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” and “The Masque of the Red Death,” connecting the events directly to these thematic narratives.
Furthermore, the characters in the series seem to be taken directly from a “Poe Encyclopedia.” Names such as Annabel Lee and Lenore, the constant presence of ravens, and excerpts from Poe’s poems and references to his impoverished life all enrich the storyline. Therefore, this is the Edgar Allan Poe celebration we have been eagerly waiting for – a narrative adorned with Poe’s language and style, intertwined with modern parallels, portraying a completely fallen Usher family in the 21st century, embodying the “eat the rich” sentiment.
Similar to the original story, Flanagan’s version revolves around the lives of twins: Roderick and Madeline Usher. Roderick Usher, portrayed by Bruce Greenwood, oversees a pharmaceutical empire worth billions. He is haunted by guilt as he mourns the recent death of his sixth and final adult child.
Overwhelmed by guilt, Roderick calls upon Assistant Attorney General C. Auguste Dupin (Carl Lumbly) to his ancestral home. Here, Roderick reveals a perplexing tale of his life, beginning from his childhood, where he was raised by a Puritan mother with strict religious obsessions, to the tragic fates of his children.
The narrative starts with his eldest children, Frederick (Henry Thomas) and Tamerlane (Samantha Sloyan), born from his first marriage to Annabel Lee (Katie Parker). Additionally, there are the Usher illegitimate children: The cunning PR expert Camille (Kate Siegel), the innovative video game mogul Napoleon (Rahul Kohli), the determined scientist Victorine (T’Nia Miller), and the youngest, the carefree Prospero (Sauriyan Sapkota). These four younger ones are the result of Roderick’s reckless liaisons after his takeover of Fortunato.
In Poe’s version, Roderick and his twin sister Madeline suffer from a mysterious ailment affecting their physical and mental states. As the story unfolds, Roderick’s mental instability deepens and the fates of the twins become entangled with the deteriorating mansion, symbolizing their crumbling lives.
In fact, I believe adaptations of Poe’s works provide ease for many directors throughout the process. Elements he outlined in his 1846 essay, “The Philosophy of Composition,” such as “unity of effect,” “vivid effect,” and “the choice of impression,” can certainly be evaluated as necessary for the act of viewing.
Therefore, anyone scanning one of Poe’s works imagines the atmospheric and emotional tone. Especially the indispensable element of the Poe universe, “The Raven,” both the poem and its eerie presence throughout the series unsettles both the characters and the audience. Used as a foreshadowing motif, the raven serves as a harbinger of impending misfortune.
Throughout the series, we continually see a woman who appears to remain the same age while Roderick and Madeline age differently. This woman, called Verna (Carla Gugino), also appears consistently during the deaths of Roderick’s six children. Later, it is revealed that the Ushers made a sinister pact with the devil, Verna, gaining immense wealth, power and the freedom to commit any crime imaginable. In return, the lives of all those bearing the family bloodline were forfeit.
During this time, Verna takes the lives of the family members, especially hunts the ones who lost their moral and humane values and punishes them for their greed-driven actions. For this, she symbolizes both Poe’s raven, the angel of death and the devil. Although Verna sends some signs to restrain her family members from their evil deeds, money and fame have blinded the Usher family so much that they cannot see anything. Therefore, they all pay a price by perishing in pitiable ways.
In the final moments of the story, we come face-to-face with the raven. As Roderick breathes his last, he locks eyes with the bird, simultaneously casting a haunting gaze upon the audience. Here, the inevitability of death looms, a constant presence. Every misdeed we commit will find its way back to us, serving as a reminder that, indeed, “Quoth the raven: (N)evermore.”
