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Writer's pictureSierra Kaul

The Fall of the House of Usher (2023, Television)


Bibliographic Information:

Title: The Fall of the House of Usher

Creator: Mike Flanagan

Network: Netflix

Release Date: 2023

Cast: Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood, Zach Gilford, Mary McDonnell, and more.

Age Rating: 17+

Genre / Format of the Title: Drama, Horror, Crossover  / Television


Plot Summary: 

Siblings Roderick and Madeline Usher have built the pharmaceutical company Fortunato into a behemoth: their work has paid off tremendously by giving them the power, money, and privilege that they had always craved. Yet as they go to court against the federal government (and longtime foe DA August Dupin) Roderick’s children begin to mysteriously die one by one starting from the youngest. Racing to figure out who is behind the deaths, a second timeline that takes place decades prior reveals secrets that led to the death of the Usher children - and soon the original siblings themselves. Roderick and Madeline have been able to successfully cheat the consequences of their actions before, but will they be able to do it again, or will the house of Usher officially fall?





Creator Background: 

Mike Flanagan has an extensive background in film and theater, but began his career as an editor of sketch comedy and reality television shows in 2003. His crowdfunded feature Absentia (2011) was the first directorial full length movie Flanagan made that launched his career. Since 2011 he has made multiple films and television shows, including when he was contracted to Netflix from 2018-2022 (when The Fall of the House of Usher was created). He now has his own production company, Red Room Pictures, that he created this year in 2024, and Flannagan will now be creating television series for Amazon after entering an exclusive deal with the company in 2023 (About Mike Flanagan). Given his love of horror and how he does not rely on jump scares (but rather, psychological scares) I can’t help but be excited by what he creates next.


Critical Evaluation: 

It has simply been a year since The Fall of the House of Usher has been released and I am fairly sure I have watched it over ten times so far. Like Midnight Mass, the first Flanagan show I watched, I have fallen so in love with the story telling, visuals, plot, and characters that I simply have to come back to the show over and over again. While I was not very familiar with Edgar Allan Poe’s work other than “The Tell-Tale Heart” which we read in high school, I still recognized parts of the show as his work, and when the show got to the episode based on the short story I knew I really loved it. I am sure if I was a teenager watching this, The Fall of the House of Usher would have become as big of a part of my personality as the original four seasons of American Horror Story did (the first four seasons coincidentally came out during my high school years).

As for the television itself: it is visually stimulating, and the way Flanagan weaves in the different Poe stories and tales into one larger plot that weaves together was masterful. Given how terrible the characters were (other than Lenore) I never felt bad when any of their deaths came, as much as I was simply intrigued by how their deaths were so influenced by the worst aspects of their lives. As with Lenore, her ending made me cry the first time I watched it: how could you not feel for the young girl who only wanted to do good in her family that seemed so consumed by evil? Overall, anyone who enjoys horror should watch The Fall of the House of Usher, and even those who may not love horror should watch it as it may change their minds on the genre.





Creative Use for a Library Program: 

Given that this series is based on stories by Edgar Allan Poe, I think this would be a great opportunity for a poem writing program that could span over a couple of weeks. Doing this during October (spooky season!) would be especially fun as making horror themed poems would be incredibly fitting for that time of year. It would be a great idea for this to be geared towards older young adults (definitely high school aged) as they typically have more experience with poetry from their English classes than the younger teens do. Paper, pencils, and pens will be provided so that they can make multiple drafts, and once they are content with their poems they can transfer them onto some “aged” yellow paper with a pen. Anyone who wants to can have their poems posted in the library for other patrons to read for the month of October!


Speed-Round Recommendation:

The Usher family has everything: money, power, and the consequences of their actions heading right towards them. Decades ago heads of the family Roderick and Madeline Usher made a deal to protect their ambitions at the cost of the future of the family, and it is time to pay up. As mystery befalls the House of Usher, causing strange deaths to each family member slowly but surely, Roderick and Madeline have to remember the deal that they made that fateful night years ago - whether they want to or not. The Fall of the House of Usher approaches rapidly, and nothing can seem to stop it.





Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation: 

As this show is meant for those seventeen years old and older, there are definitely some potential challenge issues presented in the content of the show that could cause a problem for any young adults younger than that age wanting to watch it. There are instances of nudity, sexually explicit content, drug use, graphic death, and foul language. Due to these instances this makes the show a great crossover television series, but also presents a challenge for inclusion in a collection. I believe that defending this show would not be as easy as it has been with previous sources as the amount of controversial instances are large, but again, having a content warning (like the age rating) would be a way to protect the library from being accused of trying to force children to watch it while still including it in the collection. On top of this, morally, everyone quite literally dies (which could be taken as a way to show their actions are not approved).


Reason for Inclusion: 

Horror has quickly become a favorite among young adults over the years, and right now it seems to be at the height of its popularity. While everyone talks about the classics of horror in literature (from Lovecraft to King) modern horror tends to be focused on movies, such as those from the Conjuring universe. While those movies are great, the television shows that produce great horror seem to be getting left behind from collections. As such, including The Fall of the House of Usher seems imperative for those who want more than just a two hour horror movie, but rather a story that slowly builds over hours of consumption.



Have you read any Poe stories or poems before?

  • Yes

  • No



References

(n.d.). About Mike Flanagan. https://mikeflanaganfilm.com/bio


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