Mike Flanaganis back and ready to put the chill into this spooky season with his series adaptation ofThe Fall of the House of Usher. Just days after the man behind the successful big-screen makeovers ofStephen King’sDoctor SleepandGerald’s Gameannounced that work would still bemoving forward onThe Dark Tower,his latest foray into the literary horror legend’s portfolio, Netflix has revealed that Flanagan’seight-episodetake on theEdgar Allan Poeshort story will haunt its way onto the platform on October 12. Dropping even more thrills along with the release announcement, the studio has shared a batch of first look photos and an official poster as well.
InThe Fall of the House of Usher, Flanagan will put his trademark twist on the beloved tale first penned by Poe. Just as he did with previous projects includingThe Haunting of Hill HouseandThe Haunting of Bly Manor, the filmmaker will keep certain themes, character names, and plotlines while putting amodern-day spinon things. Leaning into an angle that gives us spookySuccession-like vibes, the Netflix series will tell the story of Roderick (Bruce Greenwood) and Madeline Usher (Mary McDonnell), two siblings who have stepped on anyone in their way to reach the top of the pharmaceutical game through their family business, Fortunato Pharmaceuticals. When old skeletons come out of the closet and a string of unexplainable deaths begin to haunt the Usher family heirs, secrets from the past bubble to the surface.
The first-look images give us a very hearty peek at Flanagan’s visual direction for his latest project as well as a slew offamiliar facesfrom his titles of yesteryear. With an eye for illuminating dark spaces to give them an eerie yet somehow inviting presence, there are plenty of examples of theMidnight Massdirector’s vision throughout the stills. No stranger to using bright colors to make a scene really pop, one of the more haunting frames is of a terrifying moment captured in vibrant green.
Who is inThe Fall of the House of Usher?
Along with Flanagan’s distinct cinematography, the images are packed with the starring cast.Longtime collaboratorsfrom other projects pop up includingCarla Gugino(The Haunting of Hill House),Rahul Kohli(The Haunting of Bly Manor),Carl Lumbly(Doctor Sleep),Samantha Sloyan(Midnight Mass),Kate Siegel(Oculus),Henry Thomas(The Haunting of Hill House),T’Nia Miller(The Haunting of Bly Manor),Sauriyan Sapkota(The Midnight Club),Matt Biedel(Midnight Mass), andKyliegh Curran(Doctor Sleep), alongside new to the Flanagan fold faces such asPaola Núñez(Bad Boys for Life). Also appearing will be the iconicMark Hamill(theStar Warsfranchise) as well asZach Gilford(Midnight Mass),Katie Parker(The Haunting of Hill House),Michael Trucco(Midnight Mass) andMalcolm Goodwin(Reacher).
Leaning just as much into the mystery as the premise and first-look images, the poster also captures the essence ofPoe’s unsettling storywith a woman showing only half of her face under a mask.
Check out the images and poster throughout the article and be sure to tune in forThe Fall of the House of Usherwhen it arrives on Netflix onOctober 12.
