The Fall of the House of Usher episode titles are full of easter eggs
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Contains slight spoilers
Calling all Mike Flanagan fans, the horror writer is back with a new series on Netflix The Fall of the House of Usher. The eight-part mini Netflix series takes the short stories and poems of Edgar Allan Poe and uses them to create a chaotic and spooky story about the fictional Usher family.
As the series begins we find out that Roderick Usher's six children have all recently been killed in the last two weeks, while the family also deals with a big pharmaceutical lawsuit. The rest of the series takes us back over the last two weeks to show exactly what happened to each of the siblings and why this family is so unfortunate.
Each episode takes its title and plot inspiration from a different Edgar Allan Poe story or poem, and so this is everything you need to know about what the names of each The Fall of the House of Usher episode mean and what they foreshadow.
What do the episode titles of The Fall of the House of Usher mean?
A Midnight Dreary
The first episode of The Fall of the House of Usher is titled 'A Midnight Dreary' which is the opening line of Edgar Allan Poe's most famous poem 'The Raven'.
The line is as follows: "Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary." The poem is about a man who is upset about the death of his lover and his mourning her death when he is visited by a raven.
While not following the direct plot of the poem, the first episode sees Roderick mourning the death of his six children, who have all died in previously yet unknown circumstances.
The Masque of The Red Death
The second episode in The Fall of the House of Usher takes its name from the Edgar Allan Poe short story of the same name 'The Masque of The Red Death'.
In the story Prince Prospero and his fellow nobility, hide away from a plague known as the 'Red Death' and throw a masquerade party. During the party Prospero follows a cloaked figure who is dressed like the 'Red Death' and the figure ends up killing Prospero, along with the party guests.
In the TV show, the plot follows a similar story in which Prospero aka Perry hosts a lavish party with deadly consequences.
Murder in the Rue Morgue
The third episode in The Fall of the House of Usher is named 'Murder in the Rue Morgue' which appears to be inspired by the Edgar Allan Poe story of the same name.
In the original story, detective C. Auguste Dupin (who is also the name of the detective in this series) investigates the murders of a mother and daughter, Camille, who have been killed in their own home. By the end of the story we find out the family were killed by an orangutan who had been captured by a sailor and then went on a murderous rampage.
In the Netflix series Camille, investigates her sister Victorine's experiments on monkeys in order to protect the family name.
The Black Cat
Episode four in The Fall of the House of Usher is called 'The Black Cat' after the Edgar Allan Poe story of the same name.
The story tells the tale of a man who is at first in love with his animals, including a special black cat called Pluto. However, he soon becomes enraged by the cat and ends up killing it and his wife. The story is said to be a warning of the dangers of alcoholism.
This story seems to mirror the plot for episode four which sees Napoleon, who is addicted to drugs, adopt a cat which soon brings danger into his home.
The Tell-Tale Heart
'The Tell-Tale Heart' is the name of episode five of The Fall of the House of Usher and one of Edgar Allan Poe's most famous short stories.
In the story, an unnamed narrator explains how he killed an old-man with a creepy eye and buried him under his floorboards. However, he is plagued by the sound of a heartbeat, which he interprets as the old man's heartbeat.
The fifth episode of The Fall of the House of Usher sees Victorine work more on her heart technology until things start to go south with her girlfriend and colleague Alessandra.
Goldbug
'Goldbug' is the sixth episode in the The Fall of the House of Usher series and is mainly focussed on Roderick's second eldest child Tamerlane whose marriage is very much on the decline and so she is focusing on her wellness empire, named Goldbug.
Goldbug is named after Edgar Allan Poe's short story of the same name. In the original story a man named William Legrand becomes obsessed with a gold-coloured bug and along with his servant and an unnamed narrator goes on a quest to find hidden treasure, which he believes the bug will help lead him to.
The Pit and the Pendulum
'The Pit and the Pendulum' is the penultimate episode of The Fall of the House of Usher and centres on the oldest Usher child Frederick, who sets out to handle unfinished business.
The episode takes its name from the Edgar Allan Poe story of the same name which essentially tells the story of an unnamed narrator being tortured in a prison cell.
The Raven
The final episode in The Fall of the House of Usher reveals the truth of Roderick and Madeline's past and everything comes to a head.
It mirrors the first episode which is also named after Edgar Allan Poe's most famous poem 'The Raven', which sees a man lament the loss of his lover Lenore, and is visited by a raven.
The Fall of the House of Usher is available on Netflix
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