Mike Flanagan's The Fall of the House of Usher first look: 'It's batshit crazy'

Horror maven Mike Flanagan began his tenure at Netflix with the 2017 Stephen King adaptation Gerald's Game. What followed was hit after hit: the 2018 overnight sensation The Haunting of Hill House; its 2020 successor, The Haunting of Bly Manor; and 2021's enthralling Midnight Mass. 2022's The Midnight Club was canceled by Netflix after one season, but one could surmise that was due to Flanagan jumping ship for Amazon.

His grand finale for the streamer might be his most ambitious horror-drama series yet. Netflix has released the first photos of The Fall of the House of Usher, inspired by the collective works of Edgar Allan Poe. The eight-episode limited series will premiere on the streaming platform on Oct. 12.

Eike Schroter/Netflix Rahul Kohli in 'The Fall of the House of Usher'

It evokes Knives Out but with a sinister twist. "Ruthless siblings Roderick and Madeline Usher have built Fortunato Pharmaceuticals into an empire of wealth, privilege, and power," reads an official plot description, which provides the first legitimate details on the new story at hand. "But past secrets come to light when the heirs to the Usher dynasty start dying at the hands of a mysterious woman from their youth."

"It's batshit crazy in the best possible way," actress Carla Gugino told Netflix's official website Tudum in an interview conducted during production last year. "It has quite a lot of very dark humor, but also really touches the soul." She adds of her character, a shape-shifting demon named Verna, "There is a fantastical supernatural element to the story, and she is the manifestation of that. You could say she's the executor of fate or the executor of karma."

Eike Schroter/Netflix Carla Gugino in 'The Fall of the House of Usher'

The cast is packed with alums from Flanagan and his producing partner Trevor Macy's recent output. Gugino and Bruce Greenwood, who costarred in Gerald's Game, reunite onscreen in The Fall of the House of Usher. (Playing Roderick Usher, Greenwood replaced Frank Langella, who was fired part way through filming after an internal investigation determined he was involved in "unacceptable conduct" on set.)

Eike Schroter/Netflix Bruce Greenwood in 'The Fall of the House of Usher'

Other Flanagan vets — including from his films Doctor Sleep, Hush, Absentia, and Oculus — are Carl Lumbly, Michael Trucco, T'Nia Miller, Henry Thomas, Kyliegh Curran, Samantha Sloyan, Rahul Kohli, Sauriyan Sapkota, Zach Gilford, Katie Parker, Crystal Balint, Aya Furukawa, Matt Biedel, Ruth Codd, Annabeth Gish, Igby Rigney, and Robert Longstreet. Then, of course, there's Kate Siegel, Flanagan's wife who's appeared in many of his productions.

Eike Schroter/Netflix Sauriyan Sapkota, Kate Siegel, Rahul Kohli, Matt Biedel, Samantha Sloyan, and Mark Hamill in 'The Fall of the House of Usher'

Eike Schroter/Netflix Samantha Sloyan in 'The Fall of the House of Usher'

Among the newcomers working with Flanagan are Mark Hamill (yes, the Star Wars veteran), Mary McDonnell (Battlestar Galactica), Paola Nuñez (Netflix's Resident Evil), Willa Fitzgerald (Reacher), Malcolm Goodwin (iZombie), and Daniel Jun (American Gods).

Eike Schroter/Netflix Carl Lumbly and Mark Hamill in 'The Fall of the House of Usher'

Eike Schroter/Netflix Mary McDonnell in 'The Fall of the House of Usher'

Netflix Aya Furukawa, Kate Siegel, and Igby Rigney in 'The Fall of the House of Usher'

Rigney, who starred in Flanagan's The Midnight Club, previously told EW that The Fall of the House of Usher marks "a thousand-degree turn" from the creator's past works. "It's still very much a Flanagan project," he said. "I think all of the things that have brought fans to him are very present in House of Usher. But similar to Midnight Club, he's combining a whole lot of stories by the same author into one collective narrative. It's a little different. I think he was experimenting with a new idea, and I think it's gonna be really exciting when everybody sees it."

Eike Schroter/Netflix Kyliegh Curran and Henry Thomas in 'The Fall of the House of Usher'

Eike Schroter/Netflix Sauriyan Sapkota in 'The Fall of the House of Usher'

Eike Schroter/Netflix Paola Nuñez and T'Nia Miller in 'The Fall of the House of Usher'

Flanagan directed four episodes of The Fall of the House of Usher. The other four were directed by Michael Fimognari, his longtime cinematographer.

Flanagan and Macy are now getting set up at Amazon, where they seem determined to finally get a series adaptation of King's The Dark Tower off the ground. So, at least for now, The Fall of the House of Usher marks their last Netflix horror show.

Netflix Carla Gugino graces the poster for 'The Fall of the House of Usher'

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Related content:

• Bruce Greenwood replaces Frank Langella in Netflix's The Fall of the House of Usher

• Frank Langella fired from The Fall of the House of Usher

• Mike Flanagan opens up about the personal journey that shaped his buzzed-about Midnight Mass