‘The Fall Of The House Of Usher’ (2023) Review – Mike Flanagan Doing What He Does Best [Fantastic Fest 2023]

Mike Flanagan has always been great at giving audiences something to scream about. Even from his early breakthrough with lower-budget films like Oculus and Hush, he made his stamp in the horror industry as a director with something to say. But it’s his venture into the world of television — everything from Shirley Jackson adaptations to original nightmares of his own — that has truly made him a household name.

Partially based on short stories from Edgar Allan Poe, The Fall of the House of Usher follows a ghostly time in the lives of the Usher family, one of the most prominent and powerful families in the world. A long conversation in which Roderick Usher (Bruce Greenwood) confesses his crimes to investigator Auguste Dupin (Carl Lumbly) digs deep into long-harbored family secrets and the curse behind the sudden death of the Usher heirs.

Flanagan’s latest Netflix miniseries is refreshingly infused with the spirit of Poe’s scary bedtime stories to the very real fears (artificial intelligence, anyone?) that plague society today. In addition to being frightening and offering up some of the most viscerally disturbing imagery of Flanagan’s career, the dramatic elements of Flanagan’s ghost story are equally compelling to watch.

The script explores themes of corporate greed within the realm of the pharmaceutical world. The Usher family has historically passed down their traditions, values and ways of life with little room for change. Watching the wide-spanning and complex family dynamics in this giant cast of characters is riveting from the very first episode, the only time the audience gets to see all of the family together for dinner. From the clever-minded Camille (Kate Siegel) who knows how to handle any family scandal to Victorine (T’Nia Miller), a doctor eager to twist the results of her tests to begin using human test subjects, each and every character carries a fascinating backstory.

Introducing the possibility of an informant within the Usher family also leads to exciting conflict, testing everybody’s motivations and bringing to the surface what every family member knows about each other for personal gain. The family dynamics run far as they all fight for their piece of the family inheritance. Their father’s approval of their work means everything — an approval they very rarely receive outside of their checks.

The ensemble cast all does fantastic work and fans of Flanagan’s previous work will surely recognize many returning cast members from The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor and Midnight Mass alike. There’s not a sour note from the entire cast, but it’s Carla Gugino’s standout performance as Verna that elevates the emotions of the story to another level entirely. Her character remains largely an enigma, but her presence is always felt. The eventual reveal of Verna’s true intentions and backstory only further complicates the themes of corruption within the Usher family.

The script brilliantly juggles multiple storylines, including flashbacks with a younger Roderick and Madeline, the moments when the Usher family heirs start mysteriously dying off to the present-day conversation between Roderick and Auguste. The flashbacks serve as a source of truth in the Usher family’s multitude of contradictions and misleading retellings of their complicated pasts. While there are a few moments where the show struggles under the weight of its own ambition, Flanagan always manages to pull this sprawling story together.

Flanagan knows exactly how to set the tone in every scene. Even just a few lamps and candlelight bringing light to the overnight talk between Roderick and Auguste instills a feeling of dread, even far before we know what’s creeping in the shadows. The entire show carries a demented storybook feel that pulls the viewer in. Add in dynamic cinematography and the Newton Brothers’ atmospheric score, Flanagan has created yet another iconic setting that will be remembered for years to come.

While the exterior of the old, crooked house that begins and ends the story is frightening on its own, the people housed within it are even more haunting. By the end, Roderick and Madeline are left with nothing but the question of what their lives could’ve been. For their heirs, it’s the unattainable dream of a life outside of the Usher family: their past, present and future selves all colliding in one.

The structure of each episode, especially from Episodes 2 to 5, does become slightly repetitive once the viewer gets clued into where the story is leading. But that’s not to discount the jaw-dropping and distressing way that many of these early episodes bring specific character stories to a close. Much of the sound from episode finales carries into the end credits, effectively allowing the unspeakable terror to linger in the viewer’s mind.

Time and time again, Flanagan takes a careful approach to his adaptation of classic horror stories, illustrating that tales old and new can be repurposed with the right modern twist. The Fall of the House of Usher already feels timeless, ripe for viewing on a chilly October night.

The Fall Of The House Of Usher premiered its first two episodes as part of the Episodic section of the 2023 Fantastic Fest. It will be available to stream on Netflix beginning October 12, 2023. 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvuAWVzP6wI]