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Comment by niles | Hacker News Reader

And Fall of the House of Usher on Netflix

I would say Fall of the House of Usher is at best surface-level related to Poe's writing. It mostly references character names, a few poem lyrics, and some plot points. But it doesn't have anything of the actual soul of his work, the way guilt or desperation push his characters into insanity.

It's not a bad series, but it's definitely lacking in actually adapting what is most memorable in Poe's works. The parts that reference The Black Cat and The Raven are particularly weak, with the Tell-tale Heart and The Cask of Amontillado being close seconds.

Disagree. The way the utter depravity of the Usher family leads to their ultimate doom is the spirit of Poe, even if the details differ. And using an opioid-pushing empire as the framing device is the cherry on top that modernizes the whole thing.

I think that's still a very surface-level element. Nothing of the details or the actual tone of the stories generally survives. The atmosphere is rarely oppressive in the show, it's typically clinical. The Ushers themselves are generally content, calm and collected throughout, up until the moment of their final murder. The oldest brother is the only exception, and is by far the most interesting character for it; his is the only story that really seemed to catch more than the surface level.

I saw the whole show, and while it's not bad, it had nothing to do with Poe. They could have taken every reference of Poe out of the show, and it would have been exactly the same. It's like the guy running it wanted everyone to know he read Poe in high-school, and it was more of an awkward, forced "wink wink" to the audience.

I was lately disappointed with quality of movies/shows on NF. But The Fall off the House of Usher was decently good, especially if you know Poe's stories/poetry. Highly recommended, nice classic horror with modern twist.

I started this last night and quickly lashed through 2 episodes - really enjoying it. Very it's got a good Succession horror vibe to it.

I had dismissed it based on its trailer but maybe that was too rash. I’ll definitely give it a chance based on your recommend here. Thanks!

Flanagan's stuff is (IMHO) some of the best horror TV there is at the moment.

If you haven't seen the Haunting of Hill House, I definitely recommend it. If you're into that sort of thing.

Haven't watched The Fall of the House of Usher yet, but I'm very much looking forward to it.

I thought Midnight Mass was his best - very cool original premise, though unfortunately didn't stay consistent to the invented framework.

I really enjoyed it, but it didn't have as much brooding, dark terror as Hill House.

But it's a matter of degree, I've liked all of his TV stuff so far. I must go back and watch some of his movies.

> Haunting of Hill House

A PG-13ish horror show with big themes that it exposes and employs with taste and skill. Was pleasantly surprised to get a lot more than a decent ghost story out of this one—not many folks aim that high, and fewer hit their mark.

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