Warning: The article contains spoilers for The Fall of the House of Usher.
The Fall of the House of Usher star Mark Hamill explains why Mike Flanagan’s new series is worth watching, even for non-horror fans. The eight-episode Netflix Original, inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe, focuses on the Usher family who own the corrupt company Fortunato Pharmaceuticals. A string of unexplainable and cruel deaths begin to haunt the Ushers, as their shady past emerges and leads to their downfall. Debuting to strongly positive reviews, the show has been praised for aspects that go beyond its scare factor.
Hamill, who plays the unscrupulous lawyer of the Ushers, who is known as the Pym Reaper, spoke to Tudum by Netflix about why even non-horror fans should watch the latest drama from Haunting of Hill House creator Flanagan. Hamill cited the unpredictability of the series, jokingly adding that the characters in Fall of the House of Usher will put things in perspective for viewers. Read his quote below:
I love the idea it’s unpredictable. You know, to a certain extent, that this family is doomed, but just the creativity with the way they dispatch people — it’s very clever and it’s beyond ghoulish, and it certainly puts your trivial everyday problems in perspective. You think, “Well, at least I’m not that guy.”
Can You Avoid The Horror Parts in the House of Usher?
In one aspect, it would be fairly to skip the horror parts of the Netflix show. Episodes end with a prolonged and often brutal death scene, lingering on how the Usher offspring get picked off. But by skipping those parts, there’s a risk of missing out on character development and some of the drama’s best moments. But if a viewer chooses, there is the option of skipping the closing death scenes.
But another aspect that would be difficult to avoid is the little scares that are littered throughout the Fall of the House of Usher. For example, arguably the strongest acting performances in the series come from the conversation between patriarch Roderick Usher (Bruce Greenwood) and attorney C. Auguste Dupin (Carl Lumbly) with those scenes featuring a number of jumpscares that seemingly pop up out of nowhere.
Watching The Fall of the House of Usher might be difficult for a non-horror fan. That’s especially true for those with an aversion to the genre. But Flanagan’s last Netflix series, as he moves to Prime Video, has a number of excellent elements beyond just its freights. For those who read Poe, just in one instance, it’s a can’t-miss adaptation.
