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I am an unabashed fan of Mike Flanagan, who brought us such shows as The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass, and The Haunting of Bly Manor. When I heard the modern day master of horror intended to tackle Edgar Allan Poe, it seemed like a match made in heaven … well, maybe not heaven, but you know what I mean.

I didn’t quite know what to expect with The Fall Of the House Of Usher. In fact, the first episode thoroughly confused me, as I’m sure it is meant to do.

The basic premise is that Roderick Usher has six grown children and one grandchild. His sister, Madeline, remained childless throughout their long lives. The Ushers are beyond rich and powerful thanks to a powerful, ubiquitous pharmaceutical drug they developed and marketed.

Before long, the audience is able to pick up a pattern–each episode details the death of an Usher, until only two remain–Roderick and Madeline. But who is killing the Ushers, and why? By the show’s end, you’ll have your answer, and, once it’s all said and done, you may not feel all that bad for them.

I’m torn on The Fall Of the House Of Usher. I loved the fact that it applied modern day execution (literally) to such seminal concepts as the pit and the pendulum, the tell-tale heart, the masque of the red death, and the raven. However, as much as I loved all of the Poe references, the episodes felt a little too preoccupied with delivering a grisly death. Though I’m not sure we’re meant to, I really didn’t care about any of these characters.

That’s a radical shift for me in regards to Mike Flanagan. I cared deeply about the characters in The Haunting of Bly Manor and Midnight Mass. He made me care about them as he dove into their personalities and nuances–their tragedies and victories.

Again, The Fall Of the House Of Usher felt as though it had me waiting to see how the latest unlikable Usher would croak. I have to assume Flanagan didn’t want us to care about them … but then, what was I supposed to care about?

Even with that being said, I generally enjoyed the show. You’ll see several of Flanagan’s usual actors and, as always, they are wonderful. The sets are well rendered. The costumes are well designed, especially as a bit of time shifts occur. And the special effects are fantastic. There are some gory, creepy, unsettling effects in this show.

I also have to commend The Newton Brothers on another beautiful score. Like with most of Flanagan’s work, they nail the tone perfectly.

While not as enjoyable as Flanagan’s other works, The Fall Of the House Of Usher is a perfect show for this spooky season. Fans of horror and Edgar Allan Poe will particularly enjoy it.