Netflix’s 8-Part Horror Series Deserves Kudos For Reimagining A 187-Year-Old Masterpiece

Published Nov 13, 2026, 11:48 PM EST Dhruv is a Lead Writer in Screen Rant's New TV division. He has been consistently contributing to the website for over two years and has written thousands of articles covering streaming trends, movie/TV analysis, and pop culture breakdowns. Before Screen Rant, he was a Senior Writer for The Cinemaholic, covering everything from anime to television, from reality TV to movies. After high school, he was on his way to become a Civil Engineer. However, he soon realized that writing was his true calling. As a result, he took a leap and never looked back. Some of the greatest horror shows are adaptations, but not every horror adaptation is great. In the past, many TV shows and movies have attempted to translate the works of iconic horror authors to the screen. While Stephen King remains one of the most adapted horror authors, even the works of H.P. Lovecraft, Shirley Jackson, and Edgar Allan Poe have been picked up for adaptations. Speaking of Edgar Allan Poe, most on-screen adaptations of his work have been direct translations. However, there is one Netflix horror show, The Fall of the House of Usher, that completely reimagines his entire line of work. Created by Mike Flanagan, The Fall of the House of Usher borrows its title from one of Poe's most popular horror stories. However, instead of being a perfect book-to-screen take on the horror author's short story, the Netflix horror miniseries brilliantly modernizes its narrative while grounding it in relatable modern-day concerns. While at it, the Mike Flanagan show on Netflix also presents itself as a love letter to Edgar Allan Poe's works, dropping a massive number of references and nods to his poems, stories, and real life. Fall Of The House Of Usher Brilliantly Reimagines Edgar Allan Poe’s Story Edgar Allan Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher unfolds in a 19th-century estate, following the decay and the rot that has dawned upon the titular family. The original story dabbles more with themes of the inescapable, hereditary rot of one's bloodline by solely focusing on twin siblings, Roderick and Madeline. The tragedy from their lineage rot affects no one but them. Mike Flanagan's Netflix show only borrows the foundational elements of the original story. It then goes on to expand its vision by becoming a biting critique of modern capitalism and the cost of greed. Instead of solely focusing on Roderick Usher's gradual loss of sanity, the show walks through the deaths of the entire Usher family's lineage, with each death drawing from one of Poe's stories or poems. In the Netflix series, Roderick Usher's obsession with leaving his mark on the world and earning endless wealth is exposed as hollow narcissism. He seems far more morally skewed than his literary counterpart. Even his unchecked corporate greed and desire to grow his pharma dynasty at any cost serves as an intriguing parallel to the real world's opiod crisis. While giving Edgar Allan Poe's classic story a modern interpretation, the Mike Flanagan series features references to everything from The Masque of Red Death to The Black Cat. Like most of Mike Flanagan's creations, it also does not shy away from drawing from Stephen King's books. Mike Flanagan Needs To Adapt Another Horror Icon's Works Mike Flanagan's horror adaptations never disappoint. So far, he has delivered brilliant takes on the works of Stephen King, Shirley Jackson, Henry James, Edgar Allan Poe, and Christopher Pike. Considering his near-perfect record, he seems ready to adapt H.P. Lovecraft's stories for the screen. The ambiguous nature of Lovecraftian cosmic horror makes it incredibly challenging to adapt. However, given how H.P. Lovecraft, too, was inspired by Edgar Allan Poe, Flanagan has already proven his ability to translate abstract, unsettling horror ideas to the audiovisual medium. Flanagan is also directing a remake of Stephen King's The Mist, which is touted as one of the most Lovecraftian stories written by the King of Horror. Mike Flanagan already has his eyes set on massive horror adaptations like The Dark Tower. However, it is hard not to hope that he will also give H.P. Lovecraft's stories a chance, especially after Netflix's The Fall of the House of Usher. The Fall of the House of Usher 7/10 Release Date 2023 - 2023-00-00 Loosely based on the story by Edgar Allan Poe, The Fall of the House of Usher is a horror drama mini-series created by Mike Flanagan (Midnight Mass, The Haunting of Hill House) for Netflix. This modern retelling follows a corrupt pharmaceutical CEO, Roderick Usher, as he is forced to reckon with his past as a curse begins to claim the lives of each of his children. Network Netflix Cast Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood, Mary McDonnell, Carl Lumbly, Samantha Sloyan, T'Nia Miller, Rahul Kohli, Kate Siegel, Sauriyan Sapkota, Zach Gilford Showrunner Mike Flanagan Directors Mike Flanagan, Michael Fimognari Writers Mike Flanagan Producers Kathy Gilroy, Michael Fimognari, Trevor Macy, Mike Flanagan, Melinda Nishioka, Morgan Beggs Seasons 1 Story By Edgar Allan Poe Streaming Service(s) Netflix