For a long time, Mike Flanagan was regarded as Netflix’s full-time horror mastermind. As a part of an exclusive deal with the platform, he created shows such as The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass, The Haunting of Bly Manor, and the film Gerald’s Game. He was also the author of The Midnight Club, based on the Christopher Pike young adults novels. However, the series was cancelled by Netflix after just one season, and Flanagan’s deal expired. Not long after that, he signed an overall contract with Amazon Studios.
However, before we see the fruits of this new collaboration, there will be one more Flanagan production to watch on Netflix. The Fall of the House of Usher is an adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s famous ghost story, which has been transferred to the screen over 200 times. Find out how this iconic dark tale will be interpreted by Flanagan, and when the miniseries will drop on Netflix.
The Fall of the House of Usher release date
An adaptation of Poe’s short story is a great thing to watch in the upcoming spooky season. Therefore, its apt that The Fall of the House of Usher will be released on Netflix on Thursday, 12 October 2023. The series will consist of 8 episodes.
Netflix
The Fall of the House of Usher plot
First published in 1839, Edgar Allan Poe’s story is an intimate horror tale with psychological significance and many symbolic elements. In The Fall of the House of Usher, an unnamed narrator visits his sick friend Roderick, who resides in a remote mansion. Upon arrival, it turns out that the host’s twin sister, Madeline, is also seriously ill. After a few days, the woman dies, and her body is placed in the family crypt. Soon after, the narrator and Roderick begin to experience strange phenomena.
Throughout his career, Mike Flanagan has been more than happy to derive from literature. For example, Doctor Sleep and Gerald’s Game are screen adaptations of Stephen King books, The Haunting of Hill House was based on a Shirley Jackson novella, and The Haunting of Bly Manor was a reimagining of The Turn of the Screw by Henry James. In each of his adaptations, Flanagan has treated the source material quite freely, selecting certain elements and mixing them with his own ideas.
The Fall of the House of Usher will be no different. First and foremost, the action will take place in the present day. Flanagan has also expanded the family: Poe’s story features only the last two descendants, but in the series, the family will include quite a few members. Roderick Usher is the CEO of Fortunato Pharmaceuticals, which he runs with his sister Madeline. However, the roots of their empire lie in a dark past. When members of Roderick’s family begin to die in terrible circumstances, he realises that a time for reckoning has come.
Netflix
The Fall of the House of Usher cast
Mike Flanagan is known for featuring the same actors in his productions. In The Fall of the House of Usher, you’ll see many familiar faces from series such as The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor.
Here are all the actors that are playing members of the Usher family:
- Bruce Greenwood – Roderick Usher, the head of the family
- Mary McDonnell – Madeline, Roderick’s twin sister
- Katie Parker – Annabel Lee, Roderick’s first wife
- Ruth Codd – Juno, Roderick’s second wife
- Henry Thomas – Frederick, Roderick’s first son
- Crystal Balint – Morella “Morrie”, Frederick’s wife
- Kyleigh Curran – Lenore, Frederick and Morrie’s daughter
- Rahul Kohli – Napoleon, Roderick’s second son
- Sauriyan Sapkota – Prospero “Perry”, Roderick’s third son
- Samantha Sloyan – Tamerlane, Roderick’s daughter
- Matt Biedel – Bill, Tamerlane’s husband
- T’Nia Miller – Victorine Lafourcade, Roderick’s spurious child
Netflix
In addition, the series will feature:
- Mark Hamill – Arthur Pym, the family attorney
- Carl Lumbly – C. Auguste Dupin, the investigator
- Kate Siegel – Camille L’Espanaye, who runs PR for the Ushers
- Carla Gugino – Verna, a shape-shifting demon
- Annabeth Gish – Eliza
- Michael Trucco – Rufus Griswold
The Fall of the House of Usher trailer
Netflix has released the first trailer for the series, which will introduce you to a world of wealth, power and bloody revenge:
