It’s that time of year again when we get to see what Mike Flanagan has worked on for this Halloween. I’m not a huge fan of horrors and the trailer for the fall of the house of usher was a little daunting but as soon as I saw it on Netflix, I couldn’t resist and honestly, I’m so glad.
The story centres around the House of Usher, an obscenely wealthy family who want for nothing. A brother (Roberick) and sister (Madeline) who are the head of a huge company and Roderick’s six children. We start the series at the funeral of three of his children and are lead to him confessing his crimes to a prostecuting lawyer who has been trying to pin them all down for many years.
This is a story about corruption, and is based on Edgar Allan Poe’s story. I have to be honest, I’ve never read any of his work, but I remember a Simpson’s Halloween episode that was based on one of his stories, and caught the reference here with the raven.
Within this series, there are three timelines. The first is present day where Roderick is telling the full story to Auguste Dupin (the prosecuting lawyer). The second is the recent past where we see what happened to each of Roderick’s children. Finally, we have the past where Roderick and Madeline are much younger. We learn about their mother in the first episode and then see how they built their way up to their elite status. It’s a very gradual approach to answering questions and in fact, it isn’t all clear until the end but that’s what makes it so great.
We spend the majority of the series in the second timeline. Each of Roderick’s children has an episode dedicated to their story and demise. Although this is told by Roderick to Dupin, it’s presented as the “truth” about their death. One of the most interesting things to point out is we catch a glimpse of each death at the start of the first episode. As well as that, the colour grading of each death scene is different which makes each of the incredibly memorable. You can take a key frame from each one and it’ll transport you right back to the scene.
So the main question we have going into this series is: ‘why have all of Roderick’s children died’? We get the idea pretty quickly which is that a supernatural entity is coming after them one by one, presumably for their misdeeds. In each character’s episode, we learn more about them along with their flaws. However, as the story progresses, we learn that isn’t quite accurate. Honestly, I don’t want to give too much away in this review because the reveal was something that pulled me right in; like the final piece of a puzzle.
I have to mention the jump scares… I’m not a fan of jump scares which is generally why I avoid horrors. But there is something about the story-telling of Mike Flanagan's work that entices me. The story always has a deeper meaning to me and isn’t just there to scare you. There are jump scares which are mostly down to the sound effects. You know… the sudden increase in volume accompanied by a jump cut. There was a difference in some of these jump scares though. They all have meaning and are almost a quick glimpse into the past. Initially, they make no sense, but by the end of the series, you callback to those jump scares (because they stay in your mind) and it helps pull the puzzle together. One example of this is the jester in the car in the first episode. That terrified me but by the end, we get why it had to scare the viewer.
There are some pretty gory scenes which is to be expected for an 18+ rating. Most of them I could handle, except for the acid burns. That for me, was the worst thing to see and in all honesty, I had to look away. The other gore was more standard for horror movies and TV shows, but still very cinematic.
SPOILER WARNING
My favourite thing about the whole show is actually the message that the story has. It is one about power and greed and what it actually means. What would you sacrifice if it meant you could have it all? A lifetime of comfort, wanting for nothing, but then meeting a horrific end filled with fear.
It was powerful to me, seeing the flashbacks and seeing how quickly things can change when you are chasing money and power. You can delude yourself into justifying your actions but that doesn’t change the truth of things.
The whole money theme also addresses that wanting for nothing often doesn’t lead to being a good person. With that opportunity, you could do so much, but so many fall once they have power and money. They become selfish. Only once they have to pay for their crimes do they understand the severity of their wrongdoings.
There is another strong theme which has a biblical reference of ‘paying for the sins of the father’. Roderick makes a decision, one which he doesn’t think too hard on as it seems like the perfect solution. However, that decision has consequences for others, not just him. Initially, he’s okay with that but once he sees his children paying for his crimes, he understands. On one hand, as the viewer, we don’t feel much sympathy for the characters as they aren’t good people. Once it gets to a certain death scene, do we feel the truth of that line. Sometimes the innocent pay because that was decided by their ancestors.
SPOILER OVER
That’s my Halloween fix for the year. It’s a great show that should entertain most fans whether you are super into the horror genre or not. It’s got a fantastic story, with reference to a classic story. The performances of the cast are great; most of them have appeared in Mike Flanagan’s previous work. It’s an entertaining show, visually very pleasing (if a bit gross at times) and a fantastic story line.
My Rating - 8/10