If You Like ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ Add These Books To Your TBR!
If you’re a fan of Edgar Allan Poe then you know about The Fall of the House of Usher. It is one of his most well-known short stories. In one of my film lectures at University, we studied The Fall of the House of Usher and watched how the short story was translated into film. Filmmakers had adapted it as early as 1928 and remade it in the 50s. There have been many iterations, but no one has done the story justice like Mike Flanagan.
Mike Flanagan is the gothic horror King of Netflix, and every series he has produced for the streaming service has been incredible. From The Haunting of Hill House/Bly Manor to Midnight Mass and The Midnight Club, his version of The Fall of the House of Usher is the culmination of all his brilliant work that came before.
Flanagan structured this limited series with the short story by Poe but also incorporated his other poems and characters from his work. The Fall of the House of Usher is about corporate greed and how sometimes people can sell their humanity to gain power. Of course, people want to live comfortably and be financially stable, but for Roderick and Madeline Usher, it comes with a price for their legacy.
To secure their fortune — and future — two ruthless siblings build a family dynasty that begins to crumble when their heirs mysteriously die, one by one.
Limited Series Premieres: Thursday, October 12th
Mike Flanagan’s Other Works
Here are the five books we recommend if you enjoyed The Fall of the House of Usher!
Vermont, 1950: There’s a place for the girls whom no one wants — the troublemakers, the illegitimate, the too smart for their own good. It’s called Idlewild Hall. And in the small town where it’s located, there are rumours that the boarding school is haunted. Four roommates bond over their whispered fears, their budding friendship blossoming — until one of them mysteriously disappears.
Vermont, 2014: As much as she’s tried, journalist Fiona Sheridan cannot stop revisiting the events surrounding her older sister’s death. Twenty years ago, her body was found lying in the overgrown fields near the ruins of Idlewild Hall. And though her sister’s boyfriend was tried and convicted of murder, Fiona can’t shake the suspicion that something was never right about the case.
In the overthrow of the Mexican government, Beatriz’s father is executed and her home is destroyed. When handsome Don Rodolfo Solorzana proposes, Beatriz ignores the rumours surrounding his first wife’s sudden demise, choosing instead to seize the security his estate in the countryside provides. She will have her own home again, no matter the cost.
But Hacienda San Isidro is not the sanctuary she imagined. When Rodolfo returns to work in the capital, visions and voices invade Beatriz’s sleep. The weight of invisible eyes follows her every move. Rodolfo’s sister, Juana, scoffs at Betriz’s fears — but why does she refuse to enter the house at night?
Frequently imitated and widely influential, Howard Philips Lovecraft reinvented the horror genre in the 1920s, discarding ghosts and witches and instead envisioning mankind as a tiny outpost of dwindling sanity in a chaotic and malevolent universe. S. T. Joshi, Lovecraft's preeminent interpreter, presents a selection of the master's fiction, from the early tales of nightmares and madness such as "The Outsider" to the overpowering cosmic terror of "The Call of Cthulhu." More than just a collection of terrifying tales, this volume reveals the development of Lovecraft's mesmerizing narrative style and establishes him as a canonical- and visionary-American writer.
When Alex Easton, a retired soldier, recieves word that their childhood friend Madeline Usher is dying, they race to the ancestral home of the Ushers in the remote countryside of Ruvravia.
When they find there is a nightmare of fungal growths and possesed wildlife, surrounding a dark, pulsing lake. Madeline sleepwalks and speaks in strange voices at night, and her brother Roderick is consumed with a mysterious malady of the nerves.
By day, it’s a magical place boasting a certain retro charm. Excited children, hands sticky with cotton candy, run frenetically from the Giant Octopus ride to the Spinning Sombrero, while the tinkling carnival music of the giant Wonder Wheel — the oldest Ferris wheel in the Pacific Northwest — fills the air. But before daybreak, an eerie feeling descends. Maybe it’s the Clown Museum, home to creepy wax replicas of movie stars and a massive collection of antique porcelain dolls. Or maybe it’s the terrifying real House of Horrors. Or… maybe it’s the dead, decaying body left in the midway for all the Wonder Workers to see.
Have you read any of the books listed above? If you have, let us know which one is your favourite! If you have any recommendations drop them in the comments below.
If you want a fun space to discuss your favourite novels, come join our Discord and become a Patreon member for other great book club perks.
