Monday, April 29, 2024

The Fall of the House of Usher review: Mike Flanagans most ambitious horror story yet

the fall of the house of usher reviews

Being in this bookshop is like being at a museum where you get to buy the exhibits—beautiful, rare first editions; collectibles; out-of-print and signed books populate these shelves. The staff is more like gracious hosts than salespeople and have the answer to literally any question about their stock and beyond. If you have a collector’s item in mind, this is the place to find it—plan to spend a decent amount here, accordingly.

Series Info

It’s as though Flanagan drew a line from Poe’s fabled love of opium to the modern opioid epidemic and ran with a thought experiment without giving too much more thought to the emotional essence of Poe’s work. (Poe probably wasn’t even an opium addict.) Perhaps that’s because a part of Flanagan would rather be writing his own stories. House of Usher contains many moments of pure, undiluted horror, stylish and masterful.

The Hair Parlor on 8th

Production design, oddly, is less central, and this is the first of the Flanagan shows not to be a tour de force in that department. The show generally doesn’t look cheap and there are evocative images aplenty, but despite “house” being right there in the title, the domestic locations, however ostensibly opulent, are never memorable. The horror auteur uses his familiar acting troupe and the works of Edgar Allan Poe as the backdrop for an eight-episode takedown of an opioid-pushing family that somewhat resembles the Sacklers. In many ways, Mike Flanagan is the perfect creator for the current era of Netflix. The streaming giant has moved in recent years to making fewer seasons per series, and frequently canceling shows before they’ve finished telling their respective stories. Flanagan technically doesn’t make an ongoing series, but rather writes and directs various miniseries that tend to feature a lot of the same actors, like Carla Gugino, Henry Thomas, Rahul Kohli, and his wife Kate Siegel.

Octavia’s Bookshelf

Mystery Pier is just down the street from Book Soup, so you can hit both stores in the same day (we think you’ll walk out of here a bit more wowed, if a bit more broke). This art and design book showroom is housed in the Arts District’s Hauser & Wirth gallery and has some of best and most beautiful titles in the genre, including books on photography, architecture, film, music, fashion and culture. This art and architecture bookstore also sells children’s books, rare and out-of-print titles, maps, guidebooks and culinary books, along with a huge selection of notebooks, journals and planners. It’s a store with highbrow merchandise, without the intimidation factor; the staff is friendly and helpful, and there’s something for everyone here. Cassina’s astounding three-level space —  designed by its art director Patricia Urquiola, the renowned Spanish architect and industrial designer — is the Italian furniture manufacturer’s largest store to date. Imagine if Succession were not a prestige drama but a daytime soap, and for some reason it had a Halloween episode.

The Fall of the House of Usher review: Succession meets AHS in Mike Flanagan's mean-spirited miniseries - Gamesradar

The Fall of the House of Usher review: Succession meets AHS in Mike Flanagan's mean-spirited miniseries.

Posted: Fri, 22 Sep 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

the fall of the house of usher reviews

They perform haircuts, keratin treatments, and updos and offer roller, rod, and straw sets. Isis Hair Salon also provides airbrush and bridal makeup, oxygen hair and scalp treatments, European facials, and hair extensions. Owner and hairstylist Carrie has over two decades of cosmetology experience. She has worked with celebrities such as actress Gabrielle Elyse who is her regular client.

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For example, the Poe short story “The Black Cat” is originally about a murderous addict who succumbs fully to his violent impulses. But in the House of Usher episode “Black Cat,” that aspect of the focal character is almost entirely absent because we barely spend any time with him before he’s battling his furry demon. Instead, that psychology gets handed to the subject of the “Pit and the Pendulum” episode. As a result, that episode has little in common with its origin source, while “Black Cat” lacks any of the depth and murderous intensity that makes Poe’s story so memorable.

Planet Salon

Stories Books & Cafe is a funky, cozy spot off Sunset Boulevard in Echo Park, with new and used titles packed floor to ceiling. There’s a little cafe in the back with good coffee and fresh food, and an outdoor patio popular with the freelance crowd. If you’re looking for an obscure title, chances are they’ll have it here. There’s also a good selection of gift-y things such as greeting cards, coloring books, magnets and mugs. The story explicitly ties the physical House of Usher to the Usher lineage, stating that the peasants in that domain use the phrase “House of Usher” for both.

the fall of the house of usher reviews

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Netflix's 'The Fall of the House of Usher' Puts a Grisly Queer Spin on Edgar Allan Poe - Them

Netflix's 'The Fall of the House of Usher' Puts a Grisly Queer Spin on Edgar Allan Poe.

Posted: Fri, 29 Sep 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

However, it’s also a reminder that while the powerful may delay settling a tab, debts must often be paid in blood when collection time comes — whether in one generation or the next. One of the most intriguing components of life is the realization that we all have a tab, and at one point or another, a bill will come due. The 1% who hold the majority of the wealth and influence globally typically don’t abide by these same rules.

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There were some great moments — particularly when you learn the horrific ways that characters die — but it wasn’t clear how those different pieces fit together. Part of the problem is that there’s just a lot here; characters were being killed off before I even had a real sense of who they were and how they fit into the family. But after some time (for me, it was the fourth episode when things clicked), the scope of the show comes into focus and really hits its groove. While all of the episodes are solid, a few — namely the second episode, “The Masque of the Red Death,” which depicts the final fete of Prospero Usher, and Episode 6, “Goldbug,” which centers the implosion of Tamerlane and her Goop-like company, are gems. Meanwhile, Poe’s rhymes are infused with the beauty of Flanagan’s signature monologues. One particular speech Roderick delivers in Episode 3 about marketing lemons is absolutely engrossing television.

Although the person described in the song isn’t literally Roderick, the description of physical and emotional deterioration evokes his own, showing self-awareness of his pitiful state. Armed with serene, beautiful cinematography, murky moral developments, and a deep bench of talented character actors, The King Tide is a quiet gem that demands to be seen. There’s a fierce pride in their struggle to survive independently, evident in the simple lodgings and the antiquated alarm bell that is rung whenever fishing ships from the mainland stray too close. It’s a chilly, atmospheric calling card for one of the most picturesque provinces in Canada, but it is a perfect complement for the folk horror narrative.

In 'The Masque Of The Red Death', the youngest Usher sibling plans an invite-only warehouse orgy, with very unsexy consequences. In 'The Tell-Tale Heart', a surgeon is haunted by her obsession with her work. Flanagan weaves them together so that each story feeds into the others, with an ever-changing supernatural figure (Carla Gugino) stalking through them all, testing each child’s morality and finding them wanting. It’s very smartly done, making for a cohesive epic rather than a disconnected anthology. As we open, Roderick Usher (Bruce Greenwood), head of a multi-billion-dollar pharmaceutical empire, is burying the last of his six adult children. At the sparsely populated funeral, ravaged ghosts of the dead, seen only by Roderick, outnumber the living.

Some of the CGI, particularly one scene involving bodies falling from the sky, is unintentionally funny. Problematically, Flanagan tends to conflate queerness with depravity and sexual fluidity is punished here with an unnerving flourish. But the show remembers to be actually scary, with truly inspired uses of chimps, mirrors and sprinkler systems. There’s no question that The Fall of the House of Usher ranks among Flanagan’s finest works.

Flanagan is well-served by a cast made up of regular collaborators, all well-versed in just how close to ridiculous to pitch their performances. Greenwood, who previously starred in Flanagan's adaptation of Gerald's Game and stepped in here after Frank Langella was dismissed during production, is excellent as the family patriarch, as charismatic as he is dreadful. At the forefront of the carnage is Usher’s children Frederick (Henry Thomas), Tamerlane (Samantha Sloyan), Victorine (T’Nia Miller), Napolean (Rahul Kohli), Camille (Kate Siegel), and Prospero (Sauriyan Sapkota). All are corrupt in their own distinct ways, which also extends to the family’s cunning lawyer and fixer, Arthur Pym “Reaper,” played by Mark Hamill, who employs his voice acting talents to great effect here. The sole beacon of hope within this twisted clan lies with Frederick’s daughter, Lenore (Kyliegh Curran).

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