Credit: Netflix

Mike Flanagan has got to be one of the most genius people Netflix decided to hire to handle horror because he’s got some nerve telling us all six Usher children were dead before The Fall of the House of Usher had even got started. The guy just told us how the whole thing ends! What’s the point now?

Well, it turns out there was plenty, and three years later, it is still one of the best things about this Netflix horror, and with Halloween coming up, you might want to give it another watch.

See, the first time you watch it, you’re too busy wondering who’s going to die next and what on earth is going on with these deaths. But the second time? The second time you start noticing the warning signs. These people have had disaster staring them in the face for years, but they’re too far up their own backsides to notice.

Now, in case you’ve forgotten what went down, you’ve got Roderick Usher (Bruce Greenwood), this filthy-rich pharmaceutical boss whose six children start dropping like flies under some pretty strange circumstances. He’s built this massive empire with his sister Madeline (Mary McDonnell), and now the whole family’s falling apart. So Roderick sits down with his old enemy Auguste Dupin (Carl Lumbly) and starts spilling the beans about what his family’s been up to over the years.

Most of the Ushers have got more money than they know what to do with, and somehow, there’s barely an ounce of decency between them. They’ve spent their whole lives thinking they can buy their way out of anything. And the way Roderick talks about his pharmaceutical business: the man’s made a fortune off other people’s suffering, and he’s got an excuse for every tiny bit of it.

And can we talk about Carla Gugino’s performance for a minute, please? The way she plays Verna, you just know someone’s going to have a really bad day whenever she walks into the room.

But pay closer attention to her on a rewatch, and you’ll notice something about how she deals with each Usher. She doesn’t treat them all the same, and there is a reason for that. She’s got these people worked out and knows what makes them tick. Just look at how gently she treats Lenore compared with the others. There’s a whole different side to Verna there, and it’s worth paying attention to.

There’s also the Edgar Allan Poe stuff, which deserves a bit more love. You don’t need to have read The Black Cat or The Tell-Tale Heart to enjoy any of this, mind you. But if you have, you’ll have fun spotting what Flanagan’s done with them. He’s taken all that guilt, paranoia and fear from Poe’s stories and sprinkled it on a bunch of rich people who reckon they’ve got nothing to feel guilty about.

So yeah, if you’re wondering what to watch this Halloween, we’d say give this horror show another go. Eight episodes, and that’s your weekend sorted. And no, it’s not because the deaths are going to shock you more the second time. You know what’s coming. It’s because you get to watch Roderick Usher, a man who thought his money could get him out of anything, find out what happens when the bill comes due.