The Fall of the House of Usher is a tense, gruesome and macabre family drama

Based on a collection of Edgar Allen Poe’s short stories, The Fall of the House of Usher is director Mike Flanagan’s latest horror spectacle. By once again pushing the boundaries of horror, he’s created what is essentially a family drama with underpinnings of the macabre, as inspired by Poe’s writings.

As Bruce Greenwood’s Roderick Usher sits opposite Carl Lumbly’s Auguste Dupin, he recounts the harrowing events that led to the mysterious deaths of every member of the infamous Usher family – a tragedy otherwise known as “the fall of the house of Usher”. Roderick’s recount kicks off what is an utterly exceptional pilot episode, setting up the structure, tone, characters and narrative in a way that had me instantly hooked. With questions aplenty and a deep, eerie aura overshadowing every scene, the stage is set for a series of interwoven grisly tales. Each flashback-heavy episode puts a single member of the Usher family under the spotlight. Similar in vein to The Midnight Club, there’s a character-specific short story lurking in each episode, and they’ve all been seamlessly weaved in to the overarching narrative. It’s like Flanagan has married the worlds of anthology and serialised TV, and handled both sides of the coin phenomenally well.

As the narrative unfolds, the tension intensifies and builds to a crescendo while the Usher family implodes into oblivion. This comes down to Mike Flanagan’s impeccable writing. Having seen nearly every Flanagan project, aside from his earliest, I can say with confidence that he has one of the best writing styles when it comes to crafting compelling characters. His dialogue and character development in here is exquisite – the emotional and dramatic buildup from scene to scene culminates in some truly outstanding climaxes. I say “climaxes”, plural, because while Flanagan is crafting his overarching narrative, he’s also ensuring every episode ends on a thrilling and rewarding note. Interestingly, he almost entirely does away with cliffhangers, yet I was willed to hit ‘next episode’ as soon as the credits rolled. The narrative seems laid out from the get-go – Roderick Usher literally tells you exactly where things are heading. But the journey along the way is so strewn with twists, turns, drama and suspense, that it constantly and consistently keeps you guessing.

With such a stacked lineup of characters, it’s quite awe-inspiring to see how Flanagan brings an incredible level of depth and detail to every individual both in and out of the Usher family. By the end of the series, I had an immense understanding of every character – who they are, what drives them, and what their relationship is with everyone else. Each character arc is unique and compelling in its own right, with a hook that keeps you locked in until it’s run its course. There’s no instance in which one arc is more appealing than the other – they all offer something valuable to the experience, and not a single second is wasted. This all comes back to the structure, which gives Flanagan plenty of room to explore his characters on a level you wouldn’t be able to do if they didn’t each have that dedicated time in the spotlight.

What the structure also assists with is the ensemble of utterly phenomenal performances. Every actor in this series is beyond incredible, so much so that I need to highlight (almost) all of them. Bruce Greenwood is riveting in every word he utters. Between lengthy monologues and subtly comedic quips, he’s a force of nature whose presence is felt across every episode. He’s also a great swearer – really going for it with great conviction. Mary McDonnell and Willa Fitzgerald I want to highlight together as they play the old and young depictions of Madeline Usher. I can’t recall many instances where the old and young versions of a character have been more in tune than this. They both flawlessly nail Madeline’s unique forward-thinking intelligence, wonderfully blurring the lines between who she is and who she becomes. Next up, Henry Thomas‘ ability to transform into any type of character is wonderful, but he’s especially exceptional at playing the douchebag. There’s many instances in this series, especially in his dedicated episode, where he is truly terrifying to watch. One thing scarier than evil ghosts and ghouls is an evil person, and Thomas reflects that with perfection.

Rahul Kohli is one of my favourite online personalities outside of this series, so it’s great to see him bring his naturally comedic demeanour to the role of Leo Usher. His smart-ass attitude is a refreshing break from the uptight nature of almost every other Usher. He doesn’t just excel in the comedy, he sells the terror this character is experiencing incredibly well, so well that I bought into the performance 100%. Where to even begin with Samantha Sloyan? She dominates her every scene, but none more than in her character-centric episode. Tamerlane Usher is one of the more emotionally complex in the family, and Sloyan exhibits that wonderfully, portraying the strengths and vulnerabilities of her character convincingly well. T’Nia Miller is one of the strongest parts of The Haunting of Bly Manor, and that’s all the same here. Her powerhouse performance as Victorine LaFourcade is one that stands out in the nuances she brings to the role. As her character begins to unravel, she makes adjustments in her performance to show exactly that, leading to what is a memorable finale to her character-centric episode.

Then there’s Carla Gugino, who is undeniably brilliant in anything you put her in. She’s wonderful in the elusive and mysterious role of Verna, one who is shrouded with questions and intrigue from beginning to end. I’m not saying much else about her role, but just know she adds to the terrifying nature of this narrative in fine fashion. Someone who I feel will go down as an underrated gem in this series is Mark Hamill, who is excellent in the role of Arthur Pym. He may not have an episode based around his character, but he’s incredible in every scene. He plays the role with a very stoic demeanour, something he’s naturally brilliant at, and births this deeply compelling character who is a shining light through every episode.

I know what you’re thinking – what about the horror? Is it scary? Well, if you’re looking for something akin to The Haunting of Hill House, once again, look elsewhere. Mike Flanagan is a horror mastermind who uses the genre to tell riveting narratives with compelling characters, not just deliver simple jumpscares. As previously mentioned, this is at its core family drama – there’s crime, betrayal, secrets, love and hate, but it’s all explored through the lens of a horror film. So yes, it is scary, in fact it’s terrifying, but not in the traditional sense. The scariest element of the series has nothing to do with jumpscares – it’s the people. As characters make particularly heinous decisions, they become as terrifying as a supernatural presence in a traditional horror series.

The series is laden with sequences that are subtly creepy and eerie or straight up macabre and gruesome. From the get-go there’s a chilling atmosphere, gripping tension and a looming sense of dread. While subtle at first, it becomes more prevalent as the members of the Usher family let fear take over their lives. As that fear grows, the tension intensifies and it all culminates in what is a nightmarishly terrifying finale. The finale is one of Flanagan’s greatest works of art – it effectively provides closure to every lingering plot point and does so in the most spine-chilling way possible. Over seven episodes, Flanagan builds tension like a pressure cooker, gradually letting out some steam along the way before it all explodes in the final episode. He trusts in the process, and it produces some incredible results.

The series’ thrills are intercut with moments that evoke the macabre violence of Edgar Allen Poe’s writings. Flanagan isn’t afraid to embrace the grotesque, with a number of quite gruesome and confronting sequences spread throughout. As a fan of blood, gore and all things horror, the brutal nature of the death sequences is rather glorious to watch. He takes it to the extreme, but never goes too over the top, only dishing out blood where it’s warranted. The violent nature of the series is balanced out with the deepening mystery, one that builds constant intrigue in what’s going on across every episode.

In the end, The Fall of the House of Usher is yet another stroke of genius from one of the all-time masters of horror. Mike Flanagan, take a bow. While it’s marketed as a horror, the series’ greatest strengths like not with the scares, but with the brilliant writing, captivating narrative and engaging characters. Even if you were to strip away the overt horror elements, you’re left with a riveting family drama that’s full of mystery, suspense and thrills. With an ensemble of Flanagan’s returning stars, there’s not a single performance that misses the mark, ensuring every scene is as gripping as the last. If you’re a fan of all things horror and would love to witness something new and “original”, this is your weekend watch sorted.

9.4/10