TV Show Review - The Fall of the House of Usher

Season: Mini Series
Genre: Horror/ Drama/ Mystery
Number of episodes: 8
Year: 2023
Starring: Bruce Greenwood, Mary McDonnell, Carla Cugino, Henry Thomas, Kate Siegel, Zach Gilford, Samantha Sloyan, Michael Trucco, Mark Hamill    

Description: To secure their fortune (and future) two ruthless siblings (Bruce Greenwood, Mary McDonnell) build a family dynasty that begins to crumble when their heirs mysteriously die, one by one.

Review: Many filmmakers have a bond with the actors they work with. Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, or Tim Burton and Johnny Depp. Director Mike Flanagan does this with his series and films as well. In his newest show, “The Fall of the House of Usher”, we see a lot of familiar faces, like Bruce Greenwood, Carla Cugino, Zach Gilford, Henry Thomas, Samantha Sloyan and his wife Kate Siegel. I was very excited for this show, I’m a huge fan of Mike Flanagan’s work.

“The House of the Fall of Usher” is (very loosely) based on the Edgar Allan Poe short story of the same name. The story is about 40 pages long, so creating an 8-part TV-series around it is quite the challenge. Flanagan also took it to modern time. And I believe he did an excellent job.

The Usher family has amassed enormous wealth, but is mostly known for theur major crimes they get away with time and time again. Until one day, Roderick Usher’s six children are killed one by one in bloody accidents in a short period of time. Roderick invites hi judicial adversary to confess it all, because he knows full well who is targeting him.

“The Fall of the House of Usher” is marketed as horror, it is not a show just for the horror fans. I see it mostly as a dark, gothic mystery thriller with horror elements in it. The show has some really strong and effective scares, that would be stated horror.

The characters are diverse, but I can say that you will hate them all. They are all so unlikeable, but extremely interesting. The series only downside is that it has some predictability, because you know when which sibling will die. Because it’s set I a way that one person will die per episode. The way they all kick the bucket is not predictable, because some of them are very original, and all gruesome.

The cast is fantastic, but Carla Cugino and Bruce Greenwood (who previously both starred in Flanagan’s “Gerald’s Game”) are the ones that impress the most. Cugino is a literal chameleon in “The Fall of the House of Usher”.

I don’t think this is a show for everyone, whether you like horror or not. I highly enjoyed it and jumped a few times because of the scares Flanagan so well added. And the conclusion of the whole story was very strong.

TV-Show Review - Midnight Mass (Mini-Series)

Season: Mini Series
Genre: Horror/ Drama/ Thriller
Number of episodes: 7
Year: 2021
Starring: Kate Siegel, Zach Gilford, Kristin Lehman, Samantha Sloyan, Annabeth Gish, Hamish Linklater, Michael Trucco, Rahul Kohli, Annarah Cymone, Igby Rigney, Alex Essoe, Rahul Abburi, Matt Biedel, Henry Thomas

Description: An isolated island community experiences miraculous events, and frightening omens, after the arrival of a charismatic, mysterious young priest (Hamish Linklater).

Review: Mike Flanagan’s latest creation, “Midnight Mass”, can be seen on Netflix since September 24^th. And it’s safe to say that this renowned horror director can add yet another top-notch project to his performance list.
In “Midnight Pass”, we follow an isolated religious island community on the cost of Northeast America. The center of this community is the Catholic St. Patrick’s church, and the priest of this church has been Monsignor John Pruitt for decades. However, after a trip to the Holy Land, he has fallen ill and is staying in a hospital on the mainland. His replacement is Father Paul, a young priest who by God makes miracles happen at St. Patrick’s. Another important islander is Riley Flynn. Some twenty years ago, as a young twenty-something, he left the island to pursue his dreams. But now, due to circumstances, he has returned. At first glance, time seems to have stood still on the island for centuries, but little do the inhabitants know that their home is on the brink of great ominous changes.
What “Midnight Mass” does well is that it slowly builds to a climax. Each episode dissects yet another part of the story and mystery. It takes its time to introduce the isolated religious island and its inhabitants. In addition, it becomes clear almost immediately that something is off. The isolation also gives you the sense of suspense, because if something happens one if dependent on the mainland. Furthermore, Flanagan is known for fleshing out his characters and certain themes well, in this case their relationship with religion and death. Flanagan also dislikes jumpscares, gore and a climax centered on a monster. In doing so, he joins a ranks of directors and writers who in recent years have walked away from mediocre but well-selling horror films that do focus on these things.
In takes guts to give a lot of attention in a horror production to people sitting around talking to each other about human themes like justice, guilt, depression, life meaning, the meaning of religion and what happens after death. Sure there are scary scenes in it, and even jumpscares, but this is done in a way that it adds something and they are effective. The atmosphere is often dark and creepy, which in the long run offers more suspense than a quick and loud sound. Thus, the series requires a certain amount of patience and interest in the above themes.
In conclusion, it can be said that “Midnight Mass” is one of the better horror production of the moment. Certainly it was the best TV-series I’ve seen in 2021. With an exciting dark atmosphere and well-crafted characters and themes, you will be on the edge of your seat.