One of the best movie follow-ups to watch after Netflix’s The Fall of the House of Usher is an Oscar-nominated documentary that’s streaming on Max. By and large, Mike Flanagan’s The Fall of the House of Usher is best known for being inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s short story of the same name, as well as the author’s larger body of work. However, “The Raven” writer’s disturbing short stories and haunting poems aren’t the only source of inspiration for the Netflix series. In fact, Mike Flanagan’s new horror show risked his Netflix legacy by featuring more comedic elements than his past limited series offerings, such as Midnight Mass.
Part of that comedic spin stems from The Fall of the House of Usher‘s timely parody of incredibly dark real-life events. It’s no secret that the Usher family is a fictionalized version of the Sackler family — the owners of the pharmaceutical company Purdue Pharma. Notably, Purdue Pharma is at the center of the ongoing opioid crisis in the United States and abroad. Sometimes scripted series or movies fumble their examination of current events by being too on-the-nose, but Flanagan’s The Fall of the House of Usher deftly avoids any would-be pitfalls by steeping the real-life-inspired horrors in Edgar Allan Poe’s gothic poems.
All The Beauty & The Bloodshed Explores The Real Inspirations Behind House Of Usher’s Family
For viewers who are interested in the real inspirations behind The Fall of the House of Usher‘s titular family, director Laura Poitras’ searing 2022 documentary All the Beauty and the Bloodshed is a must-watch film. A biographical film about artist and activist Nan Goldin, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed examines the photographer’s work holding the Sackler family accountable for their role in causing the opioid epidemic. While House of Usher’s Ligodone drug isn’t real, it’s real-world mirror is the highly addictive painkiller Oxycontin. Much like the Ushers, the Sacklers largely evaded legal repercussions, despite marketing Oxy as non-addictive.
Although The Fall of the House of Usher family tree is a little more drenched in symbolism than its real-life counterpart, the parallels are striking. Through a horror lens, Flanagan manages to bring awareness to the ongoing crisis, which will hopefully point viewers toward Poitras’ documentary. Nominated for an Academy Award, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed became only the second doc to earn the prestigious Golden Lion at the 79th Venice International Film Festival. While the harrowing film focuses more on Goldin and other survivors than it does the Sacklers, All the Beauty sheds light on just how Flanagan was, in part, inspired to write the Usher family.
All The Beauty & The Bloodshed Digs Deeper Into House Of Usher’s Opioid Crisis Themes
Founder of the advocacy group P.A.I.N. (Prescription Addiction Intervention Now), Goldin has staged protests at museums worldwide that bear the Sackler name. These demonstrations have sought to encourage the art institutions to cut ties with their immoral donors. During Goldin’s so-called “die-ins” — wherein activists lie motionless on pill bottle-littered floors to emulate the opioid crisis’ death toll — activists shout “400,000 dead” and “Sacklers lie, people die!” Undoubtedly, the gritty documentary doesn’t shy away from depicting the real-world horrors that inspired The Fall of the House of Usher, making All the Beauty and the Bloodshed a difficult but incredibly necessary watch.
