The Fall of the House of Usher

I enjoyed pretty much everything about this series. The creative way the Poe stories were integrated to each episode and then tied all together with one big Usher bow. Just great.

However, the standout for me was Bruce Greenwood's performance. He, to me, really rose above the rest. I think it lies within the fact that he played against what we normally see from him: strong, stoic, often aloof characters. Seeing him as a sometimes pathetic soul: crying, crawling on the ground in terror, etc. Was fresh, unexpected and played perfectly (In my not so humble opinion). This will be a Halloween season classic for me from now on. Loved it.

I loved the show and the performances. What I don't actually love is seeing negative reviews of people that keep expecting Flanagan to make a series that's similar to the haunting of hill house. Don't get me wrong,that show was also my favorite like it was to many other people but I believe that every series should be appreciated in its own way. I would recommend everybody to give this series a try because it won't disappoint you. Also what I really enjoy is the fact that Flanagan recasts the same actors,they are all very talented and I've grown to admire them very much. I'm already waiting for Flanagan's next project(hopefully it will be as good as the others and not like midnight club which is the only one that I didn't particularly like).

This is a series that can be in the family drama genre rather than in horror and mystery genres. It's a good drama series that used only enough violence and nudity the story demands.

The fall of an evil pharmaceutical family company known as Usher Family, the death of each of the heirs of that company and the mystery of their deaths is the summary of the series.

The heart of this series is the characters and the actors performances. It really hooks the audience rather than the horror elements of the scenarios.

A binge worthy series created by Mike Flanagan, inspired from the gothic short stories written by the American writer and poet Edgar Allen Poe in the 1800's which Flanagan developed in a way that it is related to the things happening in the present world.

Mike Flanagan is clearly a Poe fan. The fall of the house of usher is my favorite Poe story. The 1960 Vincent Price film of that story is one of my favorite movies of all time. I came into this expecting a similar story told longer. That is not what I got.

After the first episode I was actually kind of annoyed because I wasn't getting it. I didn't get how this was the house of usher. I thought it was beautiful and it definitely grabbed my attention but it wasn't what I was expecting to be. And then after a few episodes I realized what was happening. Every episode is a modern retelling of an Edgar Allan Poe story. And then tying each of those stories into the house of usher. It was genius. Some people will catch that by reading the titles of each episode but I honestly didn't pay any attention to that until I was four episodes in. Obviously the episode title does give away what the story in that episode will be but then the creative journey will show us how it ties to our main story.

I think from start to finish this entire project was so well done. The acting is outstanding. Every special effect was marvelous. The sets were beautiful and unique. The writing and the directing are top knots. There are definitely some beautiful and unique shots in this work. I could honestly write a book about how much I loved this. This is something I will watch again and again.

It doesn't really get going until the end of the second episode. So bear with it.

Because this is monumental in its undertaking. It is no secret that this is an amalgamation of dozens of Poe stories and references that goes well beyond the titular source.

That being said, the modern updates to the principle tales are entertaining. The overall story being a Succession-like narrative of a unscrupulous family with a corporate empire and their ultimate decline. Not a spoiler - it's literally the title.

Each member of the family is then given their own chapter further inspired by another major Poe tale (or two). Within those there are even more minute details from increasingly obscurer Poe works. Like the security guard's moniker and the name of the ubiquitous pharmaceutical.

Sometimes the poetic monologues and voice-over get a little contrived, shoehorned and corny. But when all is said and done, the multi-threaded nature of the narrative meshes and resolves satisfactorily.

I enjoyed it.