Netflix is easily the best streaming service to visit during spooky season. There are numerous critically acclaimed horror movies and shows stalking the platform’s library, as well as a fair share of originals. The cream of the crop, of course, is Stranger Things, the worldwide sensation that follows a group of kids in Hawkins, Indiana, who can’t help but find themselves in the middle of an extradimensional war. With the final season of Stranger Things coming soon, it probably seems like a great time to rewatch the series from start to finish. However, that can happen after wrapping up another show that’s celebrating its second anniversary this year.
Videos by ComicBook.com
While the Duffer brothers hog all the attention at all the Netflix parties, another creative who gives the company a jolt of energy whenever one of his projects drops is Mike Flanagan. The mind behind hit films like Doctor Sleep and The Life of Chuck, Flanagan’s best work is on the TV side, including The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, and Midnight Mass. But his most impressive feat is turning a nearly 200-year-old story into a horror show for the ages.
Edgar Allen Poe and Mike Flanagan Are a Match Made in Heaven
It’s common for filmmakers to draw inspiration from other artists’ work. Flanagan isn’t shy about where he gets his ideas from, with both The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor being loosely based on works from the 1800s. The Fall of the House of Usher follows suit, as it’s an adaptation of the 1839 short story by Edgar Allen Poe, as well as some of the author’s other works. Poe is a household name, largely because his poem “The Raven” became a major part of the cultural zeitgeist. The professional football team, the Baltimore Ravens, even owes its name to the poem. “The Fall of the House of Usher” isn’t on the same level as “The Raven,” but all of its themes of fear and guilt are ones that Flanagan exploits to perfection.
Themes can only take a series so far, though, which is why it’s great that Flanagan doesn’t pull any punches with the series’ premise. After losing all of his children in the span of a couple of weeks, Roderick Usher invites his greatest enemy to his home to tell him the story of his family. The show jumps from decade to decade, showing how a formidable force can start to crack and eventually fall apart. While it might seem like a daunting task to follow so many threads, The Fall of the House of Usher‘s cast makes it a breeze, as each performer brings their A-game and ensures that the show doesn’t lose the plot. It’s just a shame that Netflix will probably never get another show like it again because Flanagan is preparing to terrify subscribers on another platform.
The Fall of the House of Usher Is the Last Mike Flanagan Netflix Series
After going on a generation run together, Netflix and Flanagan couldn’t see eye to eye anymore. The biggest point of contention was physical media. Flanagan wanted to see his work live on in the form of DVDs and Blu-rays, but Netflix wasn’t having it, wanting to push people to subscribe to the service to watch his shows rather than buy them at the store. That policy didn’t sit well with Flanagan, who began meeting with other studios before signing a deal with Amazon Studios. The first collaboration between the two hasn’t come out yet, but it’s going to be a doozy.
Flanagan is working on turning Stephen King’s iconic novel Carrie into a TV show. Filming is already done, and a few of the filmmaker’s regular collaborators are returning for more, including Kate Siegel and Rahul Kohli. Carrie will certainly have that signature Flanagan flair, but no matter how good it is, it’s going to be hard for it to jump The Fall of the House of Usher in the rankings, as the Netflix show continues to age like a fine wine despite all the competition it has to stave off.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Official art by Bastien Lecouffe-Deharme -
Image Courtesy of MAPPA -
Image Courtesy of DC Comics
