Der Untergang des Hauses Usher

The bulk of the reviews seem to have this polarized Mike Flannagan hate going on. So you can really write off half the reviews. If you havent liked Flannagan's work, why are you people watching it?

What you need to know, is that this is a homage to all of Poe's work. Rating it poorly because it isn't a prevoius remake, seems extremely short sighted.

By now you've read the story is set around the house of Usher. Like many of Flannagan's stories, they are designed to be end to end stories. Which is what I prefer. The Usher house hold is the story of rich people, greed, and overall evil people.

Many people cite the parallels of Succession, and they feel like it's underwhelming by comparison. I, however, do not. I actually don't like Succession. Just like many of HBO's series they are drawn out wwwwaaaayyyy to long. This is not. You get what you get for the 8 episodes.

Mike gets a lot of the actors he continues to work with,and Carla Gugino absolutely kills it in this role. She uses a myriad of accents, and makes the central theme of the series take on a life of it's own.

Many persons point to predictability in the plot, but if you've read The Raven, or any of Poe's other works you'll know how things are going to go down. This is a homage again. Looking for something new and exciting other than story telling and visuals will set you up for disappointment.

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).

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.

In my opinion, polarising creations are always fascinating, and generally I don't think ill of people who happen to dislike what I enjoy very much. I'm not particularly fond of being meta in my reviews either, but I feel that in the case of "The Fall of the House of Usher" something needs to be said on this matter.

I'm not going to question personal taste when it comes to the technical aspects of this show, such as acting, directing, and production value. Personally, I think is an excellent TV series graced by some seriously spectacular money shots (the rave party's abrupt ending comes to mind), but that's just my take.

The hill I'm ready to die on is about whether or not Flanagan did justice to Poe's work, and I'm afraid I won't be very forgiving to whoever says he didn't.

Poe didn't just write Gothic literature, he added heavy personal touches to it that would eventually become genre-defying, and ultimately, the most iconic aspects of his work. If you ask Chat GPT to write like Poe, that's what you'll get.

But whilst extremely picturesque and entertaining - and tempting, from a Production's pov (the costumes, the Victorian gloomy setting, the riddles, it's a guaranteed spectacle) - those elements are the proverbial arabesques on top of something infinitely more substantial.

The deep psychological implications of his work is what makes Poe a genius, and not just a good writer. The man described illnesses and neuro-divergences centuries before there was even a name for them. He delved in universal fears and anxieties that not only have transcended his time, they couldn't be more relevant today: the unhealthy approach toward death, living in an alienating society that has lost its human touch, feeling the constant pressure of uncertainty.

The core of Poe's work is bleak and modern, and Flanagan captured it to perfection with "The Fall of the House of Usher". Above the must-have iconic references, he resisted the easy road of a shallow costume piece, and focused his script to what's underneath instead. I, for once, can't praise him enough for it.

The only reservation I may have with this TV series is about the title's choice, which may have mislead some spectator to believe that this was going to be an adaptation of the eponymous short novel instead of a broad homage to Poe's greatest hits.

Other than that, as a longtime fan of Poe's work, I won't shy from stating that "The Fall of the House of Usher" is storytelling at its best, and nothing short of one of the most quintessential Poe-esque piece of content in existence.

In the vast realm of storytelling, some tales strike us silent, and this is undoubtedly one of those.

"The Fall of the House of Usher" transports us to a world of opulent elites, drowning in their vices without remorse, willing to sacrifice their own kin for vanity. They believe their wealth can shield them from consequences, but as with all tales, reckoning awaits. This series, a true marvel to my eyes, sparks deep thoughts with its superb direction and unforgettable performances.

Bruce Greenwood, already a talented actor, truly shines in this series, though he's not the only star. The entire cast delivers exceptional performances.

The writing is beyond the usual small screen fare, exquisite and captivating.

I can't definitively say if this is Mike Flanagan's best work, but it's undoubtedly among his finest.