Mike Flanagan has become the modern master of horror with various films and series under his name helping to establish his knack for sinister storytelling. Besides having directed the critically acclaimed horror shows on Netflix, namely The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor and Midnight Mass, the filmmaker is well-known for his equally terrifying films like Gerald’s Game, Hush, Ouija: Origin of Evil, Doctor Sleep etc.
After his brilliant success on the streamer, Flanagan has struck a multi-year deal with Netflix wherein he will be seen producing a variety of projects, namely The Fall of the House of Usher, Midnight Club and Something is Killing the Children. While The Fall of the House of Usher is based on Edgar Allan Poe’s short story – included in Poe’s collection named Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque – Flanagan is no stranger to adapting series and films from books, having done so previously with Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw (adapted into Bly Manor). Flanagan will be adapting The Midnight Club from Christopher Pike’s 1994 novel as well.
Flanagan is known for his claustrophobic, slow-burning horror. However, the filmmaker has promised something unique with his upcoming Netflix series. He has said that it would be like “a brush fire… an explosion” that would be more “violent and insane and horrific” than any of his other projects.
He further added, “It’s very much its own thing tonally, thematically. It’s something we’ve actually never done before. And so it felt like we would be limiting it, in an unfortunate way, if we tried to shove it into that Haunting shoebox. It very much is its own crazy, over-the-top, insane, beautiful, macabre, just wicked thing that is so different.”
Ahead of its much-anticipated release, here is everything we know about Mike Flanagan’s The Fall of the House of Usher:
Everything we know about Mike Flanagan’s ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’
What is the plot of The Fall of the House of Usher?
Based on the maestro of macabre horror, Edgar Allan Poe’s eponymous 1839 short story, Flanagan will be seen dealing with a story that shows an unnamed narrator visiting his friend Roderick Usher’s house. There, he finds himself caught in a sinister unravelling of events that follow the Usher sister’s death.
Steeped in elements of Gothic horror, including madness, isolation, family and metaphysical forces, Poe’s story is fascinating and Flanagan’s able creative ingenuity will most likely add a different dimension to it.
How many episodes are there on The Fall of the House of Usher?
The limited series will have only eight episodes.
Who are the cast members on The Fall of the House of Usher?
Mike Flanagan is known for always including a huge ensemble cast in every project. He also collaborates with the same set of actors on multiple occasions. The Fall of the House of Usher is no different with a huge ensemble cast, including some familiar faces from his previous works. The recurring actors include:
- Carla Gugino (seen in Gerald’s Game, The Haunting of Hill House, The haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass)
- Kate Siegel (seen in Hush, The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass)
- Zach Gilford (Midnight Mass)
- Annabeth Gish (Midnight Mass, The Haunting of Hill House)
- Henry Thomas (Doctor Sleep, Gerald’s Game, The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass)
- Samantha Sloyan (Midnight Mass, The Haunting of Hill House)
- Rahul Kohli (The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass)
- Michael Trucco (Midnight Mass)
- T’Nia Miller (The Haunting of Bly Manor)
The new cast members include:
- Mark Hamill (seen in Star Wars)
- Frank Langella (seen in The Trial of the Chicago 7)
- Paola Nunez (seen in Bad Boys for Life)
- Mary McDonnell (Seen in Donnie Darko)
What is the production status of The Fall of the House of Usher?
The Fall of the House of Usher will be directed by Mike Flanagan and his long-time collaborator Michael Fimognari. The duo will be directing four episodes each.
Fimognari, who will be making his TV directing debut with The Fall of the House of Usher, has directed films like To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You and To All The Boys: Always and Forever.
Fimognari has also been Flanagan’s director of photography on multiple projects, namely Gerald’s Game, Doctor Sleep, Ouija: Origin of Evil and Midnight Mass.
Filming is scheduled to begin on January 24th, 2022, and conclude on May 25th, 2022, in Vancouver, Canada.
What is the tentative release date for The Fall of the House of Usher?
Since filming is set to take place between January to May 2022, The Fall of the House of Usher will probably not premiere until early 2023.
Flanagan had, however, ushered in hope among fans by saying, “If everything remains on schedule, I believe that there is a chance for The Fall of the House of Usher to premiere by the end of 2022, especially if Netflix decides to place The Midnight Club in the summer lineup.”
