by Foster Harlfinger, Contributing Writer
The latest project from Netflix horror darling Mike Flanagan, The Fall of the House of Usher, adapts the Edgar Allan Poe short story of the same name, while interweaving countless characters, story elements, and Easter eggs from other Poe works. Spanning from 1953 to 2023, Usher tells the wide-ranging story of the family of Roderick Usher (Bruce Greenwood), a pharmaceutical tycoon whose six children suffer increasingly brutal, mysterious, and unexpected deaths.
Less overtly scary than many of his previous projects, Usher continues Flanagan’s trend of putting character and story at the forefront. As with his best like The Haunting of Hill House or Midnight Mass, Usher uses its genre tropes as a means of exploring deeper themes with his trademark directorial flair.
It is difficult not to compare Usher with HBO’s Succession given the similarities between its cast of characters. Both shows feature a power-hungry CEO whose children have to reckon with the immense shadow that has been cast over them from birth. The magic trick of Succession has always been that, despite centering itself around objectively terrible people, we still find ourselves unexpectedly sympathizing with and rooting for them to succeed. The same cannot be said for most of the Usher children, the majority of whom possess wildly unlikable personalities with few redeeming qualities.
The fact that the Usher children remain watchable throughout the eight episodes of the series is a testament to the actors who bring them to life. Whether it be Frederick’s (Henry Thomas) increasingly manic and flamboyant affectations or Camille’s (Kate Siegel) comically over-the-top demands for her personal assistants, each of the Usher children are written and performed with such specificity that it is difficult not to enjoy, even if it takes an episode or two for Usher to fully find its footing.
Bookended by an introductory tease of an episode and a fully satisfying finale, the middle six episodes depict the downfalls of the Usher children one by one. While some are more successful than others, “The Tell-Tale Heart” is the undeniable highlight. Brought to life by a standout performance from T’Nia Miller, this installment follows Victorine’s descent into madness as she tries to uncover the source of a mysterious chirping noise. The episode’s final minutes make for an unforgettable reveal aided by Greenwood and Miller’s show-stopping performances.
Speaking of, Greenwood’s performance as the larger-than-life head of the Usher family deserves all the acclaim in the world. Given the show’s narratorial structure as Roderick recounts the events of the show to his best frenemy, C. Auguste Dupin (Carl Lumbly), it is Greenwood’s voice that guides the viewer from beginning to end. With a delightfully quirky supporting performance from Mark Hamill as Arthur Gordon Pym, the Usher family’s attorney and fixer, as well as a chilling turn from Carla Gugino as the inscrutable Verna, Flanagan’s collection of actors continues to grow and solidify.
Co-directed by Flanagan and his longtime cinematographer Michael Fimognari, Usher’s direction, cinematography, and editing are tight as always. Featuring an abundance of delicious, gothic imagery and the strongest score from The Newton Brothers to date, Usher never feels rushed, despite Flanagan’s prolific output. With five unique seasons of television and a feature film in just the last six years, one wonders when the man finds the time to sleep. Perhaps not successful in every one of its endeavors, that is to be expected given the wide range of Poe’s works from which it is adapted. That The Fall of the House of Usher works at all is something of a minor miracle given how much it attempts to accomplish in its eight-episode run, making it a must-watch for all members of the ever-growing Mike Flanagan fan club.
Rating: High Side of Liked It
The Fall of the House of Usher is currently streaming on Netflix
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