SummaryCEO Roderick Usher (Bruce Greenwood) must face his past when his children begin to die mysterious and violent ways in Mike Flanagan's adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's short story of the same name.
SummaryCEO Roderick Usher (Bruce Greenwood) must face his past when his children begin to die mysterious and violent ways in Mike Flanagan's adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's short story of the same name.
The creepy production values are top-notch and the scares are not only frightening but disturbing. .... One of the best series Netflix has ever produced.
A good adaptation is faithful to the essence of the original material. A great adaptation manages to be faithful while using the original to build something new. In Netflix’s The Fall of the House of Usher, the preservation of mood pays proper homage to the author’s words. The show’s social commentary, in turn, allows a retelling of an old story to resonate powerfully in our current moment.
It’s a great ensemble, brought together by the boundless potential of what a creative personality like Mike Flanagan could do with Edgar Allen Poe. That some of that potential feels too unbridled and shapeless is something that Poe didn’t often allow his characters: forgivable.
You have a pretty good idea from the first couple where things are headed. It’s a journey-is-the-reward situation. That journey works better as stand-alone chapters rather than as a build-up to a final destination.
Flanagan (who directed half the episodes, with Michael Fimognari handling the rest) has more resources at his disposal, and rewards Netflix with another watchable title just in time for Halloween – if not, Fortunato’s corporate sins notwithstanding, one that’s not as addictive as it could or should be.
The Fall of the House of Usher displays a surface-level appreciation for the writer. His genius is ultimately sacrificed on the altar of the Flanagan’s desire to give us a spooky Succession.