The shadow of the recently completed Succession, is still very long. So much so that Mike Flanagan’s adaptation of the story The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe, is more similar to him than expected. In fact, the eight chapters of the series could well be a version of the HBO production, but within the horror genre. Which allows history, move through terrain that is complete, different and, without a doubt, more daring than the original story.
As will be remembered, the story published in Burton’s Gentleman’s Magazine in 1839, detailed the mystery of the Usher family estate. Inherited by its last members, they were destined for destruction, due to a series of abject secrets. Poe’s greatest interest, however, was to delve into the suggested horrors of an inexplicable supernatural legacy, which tied the Ushers to the walls of the house. On the contrary, the new version of him is more interested in a more contemporary and therefore more practical type of darkness. For what is at stake, nThey are not the immortal souls of the titular family, but rather their extensive heritage and the enigmas — not always legal — that surround them.
The Fall of the House of Usher
lthe fall of the house of usher is director Mike Flanagan’s farewell to Netflix. But rather than closing out his anthological collection of adaptations with a solid story, it’s the lowest point of any of them. More similar to the HBO series Succession than the horror story from which it comes, the production strives to narrate many topics at the same time, without delving into any of them. Which means that Mike Flanagan’s tendency – who also writes the script – to underline and repeat ideas is more obvious than ever.
Even so, Mike Flanagan makes an effort to give the plot a macabre air that becomes more accentuated towards the last chapters. In contrast, the former are simply a presentation of its main characters and the tragedy that surrounds them. So it is introduced into the narrative Roderick Usher (Bruce Greenwood), a patriarch with all the power he could ever hope for. However, the script — also written by Flanagan — immediately points out that it is not It is about a ruthless shark that navigates financial waters. Rather, he is a man aware of the weight of errors.
It is evident that the plot attempts to make a Gothic story of greater interest to a new audience. So the dense tirades with which Poe described the decrepit mansion and its dangers are transformed into a publicly traded company. Much more, a pharmaceutical conglomerate with some ethical sins to bear. Obviously, the production focuses all its energy on interconnecting the root of the original story with this pernicious version of power. But it doesn’t always succeed.
Debts are paid with blood
What does have parallels with Poe’s work is that Roderick — like his literary peer — goes through a stage of deep regret. Which links him directly to the profits and mistakes made at Fortunado Industries, the Usher company. The script spends time and interest trying to establish some type of empathy with its figures. In fact, when the plot begins, everyone is going through the misfortune of a recent loss. Therefore, the first and second chapters are an exploration of grief, already common in Mike Flanagan’s work.
Contradictions in a classic story
But the usually competent showrunner is faced this time with the problem of trying to make his people redeemable, when they are not. Which makes a good part of the plot of chapters three and four put more effort into convincing that each character can be forgiven for their failures. Something that would be believable, if not spending so much time — and narrative effort — on the exact opposite. The Fall of the House of Usherdeals with this contradiction as best it can, but it doesn’t always succeed. Which causes a disparity between the general purpose of the story — to demonstrate that there is always some good, even in perfidy — and the performance of its protagonists..
Each of the episodes tells how a series of gloomy family members died — and what happened to cause it. In what seems like a progressive extermination, each one is killed, killed or suffers a fatal accident. All due to his actions and to a lesser extent, omissions and decisions. What makes Mike Flanagan’s tendency to over explain the behavior of its protagonists and the main lines of its story, become more evident.
The Fall of the House of Usher is much more a review of greed and pain than a reinvention of a haunted house. Which is fine, to the extent that it gives the adaptation a much more modern character. However, the gloomy dissertations of Poe’s work are missed, especially in his need to equate human evil with the environment around him.
Edgar Allan Poe for a new generation
However, the presence of the writer is not lacking in the adaptation. Each chapter is titled after one of his stories. One Dark Night, The Masque of the Red Death, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Black Cat They have direct references to the original work. While, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Gold Bug, The Pit and the Pendulum and The Ravenare much more conclusions to the work in general. But, even so, the tribute to the American’s work and his legacy is notable.
Of course, the most notable point is the cast. Madeline (Mary McDonnell), as the twin sister of Roderick, has an emotional performance that is moving. On the other hand, the young lenore (Kyliegh Curran), the patriarch’s new wife Juno (Ruth Codd) and the lawyer played by Mark Hamill, form a solid group. The latter, in particular, offers one of the most elegant and well-constructed performances of his extensive career.
However, the series partially fails by covering more than its script can delve into. In his attempt to appear like a macabre power play, he loses sight of the sophisticated vision of the seemingly invisible doom hanging over the family. But when the secret is discovered, the script loses all its effectiveness. Closer to a docuseries than to a resolution of a work based on a gothic horror story, The Fall of the House of Usher disappoints. But even worse, it suggests that in the midst of the contradictions and confrontations, Mike Flanagan almost managed to find a mixed work that would have been much more interesting than the final result.
The showrunner says goodbye to Netflix, leaving the door open to other possible anthologies similar to his. But it is a minor farewell compared to the rest of his adaptations. A regrettable failure in what could have been the director’s greatest narrative daring.