Mike Flanagan Archives – We Got This Covered All the latest news, trailers, & reviews for movies, TV, celebrities, Marvel, Netflix, anime, and more. Tue, 22 Oct 2024 16:49:16 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.2 https://wegotthiscovered.crackfree.org/wp-content/s/2022/04/WGTC_Favicon2.png?w=32 Mike Flanagan Archives – We Got This Covered 32 32 210963106 A TV adaptation of Stephen King’s ‘Carrie’ just found it’s perfect showrunner in a popular horror connoisseur https://wegotthiscovered.crackfree.org/books/a-tv-adaptation-of-stephen-kings-carrie-just-found-its-perfect-showrunner-in-a-popular-horror-connoisseur/ https://wegotthiscovered.crackfree.org/books/a-tv-adaptation-of-stephen-kings-carrie-just-found-its-perfect-showrunner-in-a-popular-horror-connoisseur/#respond Tue, 22 Oct 2024 10:00:48 +0000 https://wegotthiscovered.crackfree.org/?p=1772779 The acclaimed author will collaborate once again with one of horror's most bankable names. ]]>

Dust off those old buckets of blood (if you have any on hand) because Carrie is headed to the silver screen, with an uber-popular horror connoisseur on board as a showrunner. 

That’s right, it has been confirmed that the Stephen King classic — which follows a bullied high-schooler who gains telekinetic powers — will be adapted into a television series, and is currently in development at Amazon MGM Studios. 

Nabbing a showrunner who himself reaches King-levels in of iconic thrills, the Carrie series will be written and executive produced by Mike Flanagan, the horror maven behind Netflix shows like The Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass, and The Fall of the House of Usher

Carrie will mark one of multiple team-ups between King and Flanagan, with the latter also bringing to life the author’s 1992 suspense novel Gerald’s Game as well as his 2020 novella The Life of Chuck, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last month. Flanagan also helmed the feature film Doctor Sleep, which is the sequel to fellow King classic The Shining. 

With so many collaborations under their belt, Flanagan and King are quickly becoming an iconic pairing up there with Simon and Garfunkel, bacon and eggs, or King and his gloriously anti-Trump X feed. An official logline for the TV reboot of Carrie reads much the same as the original plot, but promises “a bold and timely reimagining” of the classic story. 

While further details around the series remain scarce (I’m assuming pig’s blood will be involved in some capacity), we know that Carrie will encom eight episodes, which allows more time to dig into the lore that previous adaptations haven’t been able to. The most notable of these was the Brian De Palma-directed Carrie, which hit cinemas in 1976 and starred Sissy Spacek in the title role alongside John Travolta and Piper Laurie.

Reacting to the news on X (his least favorite platform), King reshared the announcement of the Carrie series while ing the idea of Flanagan also helming his version of Salem’s Lot, which one fan said is “long overdue [for] a good adaptation.” The TV show is one of multiple projects currently in the works for King, who famously options his literary properties for just $1. 

WATCH: Salem’s Lot, now streaming on Max

Hunger Games director Francis Lawrence is currently working on an adaptation of King’s novel The Long Walk, while Edgar Wright is directing a new version of The Running Man with Glen Powell, Josh Brolin and Lee Pace attached to star. Elsewhere, King’s 1980 short story The Monkey will get its time in the spotlight with a film adaptation starring Theo James out next year, and so too will the It prequel series, Welcome To Derry, helmed by the director of the first two films. 

There’s no word yet on who will appear in the Carrie series, but given that Trump is somewhat of a muse for King, and how his fake tan stains often drip in a way reminiscent of the blood-stained character, maybe there’s a movie role in the former president’s future. Actually, scrap that… his real-life antics are horrifying enough as it is.  

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‘A happiness machine’: 3 Marvel stars, a ‘Star Wars’ icon, and Shaggy are headlining Stephen King’s feel-good doomsday tale, and the first review is in https://wegotthiscovered.crackfree.org/movies/a-happiness-machine-3-marvel-stars-a-star-wars-icon-and-shaggy-are-headlining-stephen-kings-feel-good-doomsday-tale-and-the-first-review-is-in/ https://wegotthiscovered.crackfree.org/movies/a-happiness-machine-3-marvel-stars-a-star-wars-icon-and-shaggy-are-headlining-stephen-kings-feel-good-doomsday-tale-and-the-first-review-is-in/#respond Wed, 04 Sep 2024 08:29:38 +0000 https://wegotthiscovered.crackfree.org/?p=1748443 Everyone is going to win if (hopefully when) this hits theaters.]]>

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice may be the big horror release of the week on a theatrical level, but the Toronto International Film Festival is set to upstage it with a Stephen King adaptation that could not possibly be less Stephen King-coded.

This is The Life of Chuck, a post-apocalyptic drama film based on King’s 2020 novella of the same name. Per Vanity Fair, King was skeptical about the mileage of a Life of Chuck adaptation, but having now seen the film, he described it as “a happiness machine.” King’s review, of course, is the most important one of all, so The Life of Chuck couldn’t be off on a better foot here.

Of course, the artistic firepower behind the production has long suggested a homerun. Tom Hiddleston headlines a cast that also features Mark Hamill, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Karen Gillan, Matthew Lillard, David Dastmalchian, Carl Lumbly, and Heather Langenkamp. Weaving it all together is writer-director Mike Flanagan, who Netflix subscribers will recognize as that horror storyteller that you should never, ever bet against (see: The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, and The Fall of the House of Usher).

The Life of Chuck follows—surprise surprise—a man named Chuck, whose mundane yet profound life takes center stage as the world begins to literally fall apart. What sets The Life of Chuck apart from its post-apocalyptic brethren, however, is its very pure commitment to hope. The end of the world isn’t played as a disaster worthy of all of our screams, but as an upheaval of social pressure that allows human beings to speak to each other with unprecedented sincerity.

If that sounds timely, that’s because it is. As Flanagan puts it in the same Vanity Fair article, “the sense that [our society] is breaking down, that the world is moving on, has been increasingly palpable.” He makes particular note of the degradation of politics, which has indeed mutated into a horrifically combative machine that exists to divide rather than unite.

The Life of Chuck, then, has preemptively marked itself not as a call to action, but a call to permission. Permission to love one another and cherish the feeling of pure experience. To be fearless about owning our insecurities, whether they’re trivial or existential. To relentlessly seek out life’s beauty both in spite of and because of life’s pain.

Indeed, it’s a far cry from the usual Flanagan meal, but The Life of Chuck might just also be exactly the one we all need. The film will premiere at TIFF on Sept. 6, where it will hopefully be picked up by a major distributor.

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One of the genre’s greatest modern talents clarifies that their third supernatural Stephen King adaptation ‘is not a horror movie’ https://wegotthiscovered.crackfree.org/movies/one-of-the-genres-greatest-modern-talents-clarifies-that-their-third-supernatural-stephen-king-adaptation-is-not-a-horror-movie/ https://wegotthiscovered.crackfree.org/movies/one-of-the-genres-greatest-modern-talents-clarifies-that-their-third-supernatural-stephen-king-adaptation-is-not-a-horror-movie/#respond Mon, 30 Oct 2023 07:33:22 +0000 https://wegotthiscovered.crackfree.org/?p=1614282 That doesn't mean it won't be atmospheric and unsettling.]]>

As you’d expect given the sheer volume of adaptations that arrive on an annual basis, the Stephen King back catalogue has proven to be consistently inconsistent across both film and television. However, having gone two-for-two so far, you’d expect Mike Flanagan‘s The Life of Chuck to deliver the goods.

Having left Netflix behind following the release of Edgar Allan Poe-inspired smash hit The Fall of the House of Usher, the filmmaker is currently hard at work on his first feature since 2019’s Doctor Sleep, which was of course based on King’s novel of the same name. Crafting a sequel to The Shining is no small feat, but everybody would surely agree that Flanagan knocked it out of the park.

stephen king
Image via Parade

Gerald’s Game is also one of the most nail-biting and stomach-churning originals in Netflix history, and you know exactly what scene can arguably be called the most gruesome to ever air on the streaming service. With that in mind, as well as a concept that focuses on Tom Hiddleston’s title character and his time growing up in an allegedly haunted house, you’d think The Life of Chuck would be a straight-up horror.

Well, according to Flanagan himself, it isn’t. Responding to a question on Tumblr as to whether or not he’d be interested in branching out and tackling genres outside of his wheelhouse, he noted that he’s “working on one right now, The Life of Chuck is not a horror movie.”

Based on the premise, you’d imagine psychological thrills are the bare minimum, which fortunately happens to be another arena in which Flanagan excels.

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‘I’d be lying if I said that was our intention’: The creator of Netflix’s biggest new series dumps a bucket of acid all over a popular theory https://wegotthiscovered.crackfree.org/tv/id-be-lying-if-i-said-that-was-our-intention-the-creator-of-netflixs-biggest-new-series-dumps-a-bucket-of-acid-all-over-a-popular-theory/ https://wegotthiscovered.crackfree.org/tv/id-be-lying-if-i-said-that-was-our-intention-the-creator-of-netflixs-biggest-new-series-dumps-a-bucket-of-acid-all-over-a-popular-theory/#respond Sun, 22 Oct 2023 08:07:42 +0000 https://wegotthiscovered.crackfree.org/?p=1609108 The numbers don't even add up anyway.]]>

Mike Flanagan’s back catalogue of Netflix originals are so full of subtle references, callbacks, and Easter Eggs that they demand repeat viewing, but the man himself has shot down a popular theory regarding The Fall of the House of Usher that was gaining plenty of traction online.

Of course, the Edgar Allan Poe influences are seeping out of every frame through the title of the miniseries itself through to the storylines and monikers of the individual episodes, but there was a growing belief that things may have been a touch on the biblical side, too.

Given that the main thrust of the narrative finds patriarch Roderick Usher’s lineage slowly being whittled down one-by-one, many were operating under the belief that Flanagan had used the seven deadly sins as his jumping-off point. Not to burst anyone’s bubble, but the filmmaker dumped a bucket of scalding acid over that sentiment when answering questions on Tumblr.

“I’ve heard this a few times today – I’m sorry to say that it was NOT our intention to have the Usher kids represent the 7 deadly sins. Roderick only has 6 children, for one thing, and I got most of my religious horror out of my system in Midnight Mass (plus, no one will ever do the seven deadly sins better than Se7en, so why bother?). I’m always happy to see people digging into the work, and typically don’t want to dissuade someone from whatever meaning they find there, but in this case I’d be lying if I said that was our intention.”

The numbers not adding up to begin with probably should have been an early warning sign, but now that we’ve heard it from Flanagan himself, it’s time to strike a line through this particular avenue of inquiry.

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Is Ligodone from ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ a real drug? https://wegotthiscovered.crackfree.org/tv/is-ligodone-from-the-fall-of-the-house-of-usher-a-real-drug/ https://wegotthiscovered.crackfree.org/tv/is-ligodone-from-the-fall-of-the-house-of-usher-a-real-drug/#respond Fri, 13 Oct 2023 18:59:51 +0000 https://wegotthiscovered.crackfree.org/?p=1604078 Is the drug that's responsible for millions of deaths real? Well, that's complicated. ]]>

Drugs are at the center of the story in the Netflix series The Fall of the House of Usher. The one difference with it and many other similar stories is that Mike Flanagan’s miniseries hones in on the legal drug market and those who become ultra-wealthy in the pharmaceutical industry. Ligodone is the drug responsible not only for the immense financial earnings of the Usher family via Fortunato, but also the pain and long-term demise of countless people.

So, is Ligodone real? Not technically, but it is more complicated than that. Because what Ligodone represents is real and happening still all across the world. Roderick and Madeline Usher may not actually exist, but there are people like them causing the same damage to this day.

Is The Fall of the House of Usher medicine Ligodone actually real?

A character is counting and sorting Ligadone pills.
Image via Netflix

Brand names for drugs can be hard to , so it’s no surprise if you aren’t sure about Ligodone in the The Fall of the House of Usher. It’s natural to wonder if the drug is a real one, with how much it is discussed in the television series. Ligodone is a fictional opioid medication produced by the (also fictional) Fortunato company.

Roderick Usher and his sister Madeline created the drug and had it go to market in 1980. With the similarities and release date, Ligodone can be seen as being represented by one of two (or both) popular opioid medicines. Both Vicodin and Oxycontin have had a colorful past and present with causing addiction and widespread suffering for those who became dependent on the medications. The two are also at the center of the current opioid epidemic that has taken many lives.

What does Ligodone represent in The Fall of the House of Usher?

The_Fall_of_the_House_of_Usher
Cr. Eike Schroter/Netflix © 2023

While Ligodone is not a real medication, there are several just like it in the real world. The story of Ligodone is less about the specific drug itself, but more about the intense suffering and pain brought on by the pharmaceutical industry’s historical negligence around opioids. Drugs like Vicodin, Oxycontin, Opana, and Sublimaze have all contributed to the current opioid epidemic that has plagued both the United States and global population.

It can be debated how much the pharmaceutical industry is responsible for individual addiction and abuse of drugs, as we see it discussed many times in The Fall of the House of Usher. The bigger issue is that many of the medications were initially marketed as non-addictive and pushed aggressively onto patients who suffered from chronic pain. From there, many medicine manufacturing companies, like the fictional Fortunato, made billions of dollars off the dependency of millions.

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The final farewell for one of Netflix’s greatest hit factories bows out in spectacular style by painting the Top 10 blood red in 83 countries https://wegotthiscovered.crackfree.org/tv/the-final-farewell-for-one-of-netflixs-greatest-hit-factories-bows-out-in-spectacular-style-by-painting-the-top-10-blood-red-in-83-countries/ https://wegotthiscovered.crackfree.org/tv/the-final-farewell-for-one-of-netflixs-greatest-hit-factories-bows-out-in-spectacular-style-by-painting-the-top-10-blood-red-in-83-countries/#respond Fri, 13 Oct 2023 17:47:38 +0000 https://wegotthiscovered.crackfree.org/?p=1604110 What a way to sign off.]]>

As of today, Mike Flanagan officially has no more in-development projects for Netflix, with The Fall of the House of Usher sending the filmmaker and all-round horror auteur out with a suitably spectacular bang.

Ever since he first pitched up at the streaming service, the writer, director, and producer has delivered nothing but acclaimed originals, ranging from feature films Before I Wake and Gerald’s Game to the string of atmospheric TV shows that turned him into one of the biggest draws in the entire on-demand sphere.

Image via Netflix

Following up – never mind exceeding – The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, and The Midnight Club is no easy task, but it’s one Flanagan makes look easy thanks to a sumptuous ode to Edgar Allan Poe dripping in all the atmosphere, terror, jump scares, and buckets of blood audiences have come to expect.

In fact, the only surprising thing revolving around The Fall of the House of Usher‘s debut is that it didn’t arrive as the number one most-watched series on the global charts, but scooping a Top 10 spot in 83 countries worldwide is hardly a bad start, either. Per FlixPatrol, the chilling tale of generation family drama and ultimately ruination has landed behind Lupin and Beckham, but the smart money is on the eight-episode treat to make the summit its own by the time the weekend draws to a close.

It’s off to Prime Video now for Flanagan, where he’ll look to pick up right where he left off as a purveyor of nothing but top-tier original content.

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What does The Jester mean in ‘The Fall of the House of Usher?’ https://wegotthiscovered.crackfree.org/tv/what-does-the-jester-mean-in-the-fall-of-the-house-of-usher/ https://wegotthiscovered.crackfree.org/tv/what-does-the-jester-mean-in-the-fall-of-the-house-of-usher/#respond Fri, 13 Oct 2023 17:14:49 +0000 https://wegotthiscovered.crackfree.org/?p=1603981 The masked man seems to be waiting for Roderick. But why?]]>

Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Fall of the House of Usher finale.

As viewers of horror get excited for all of the October releases, The Fall of the House of Usher stands out as a special one. It’s yet another work for the popular horror creator, Mike Flanagan in which he’s, once again, managed to artfully reference and take inspiration from classic gothic horror literature. The Fall of the House of Usher doesn’t only borrow from the titular short story by Edgar Allan Poe, but also many of the macabre author’s works.

One reference in particular seems to be leaving fans scratching their heads, and that’s the Jester who first appears at the end of The Fall of the House of Usher episode 1. Who is the Jester? And are they real or just symbolic? We’ve got the answer and full context for you to understand this odd addition to the Netflix series.

Who is the Jester in The Fall of the House of Usher?

Madeline and Roderick Usher begin bricking in a wall to entomb their rival.
Image via Netflix

For those wanting to know the identity of the mysterious Jester that haunts Roderick in The Fall of the House of Usher, know that it is revealed eventually. The Jester is not entirely a symbolic character, so be warned of spoilers ahead. The reveal for the Jester is shown in episode 8, the series final of The Fall of the House of Usher, so feel free to watch that first and come back if you want to see it for yourself first.

It’s eventually revealed that the Jester is Rufus Griswold in his costume for the 1979-1980 New Year’s Eve party that Madeline and Roderick Usher attended. The reason that the Jester is haunting Roderick is that he and Madeline killed Rufus Griswold on the night of that party, by enclosing him within the wall of the unfinished basement of the Fortunato building. This is the same place Roderick visits several times, staring at the brick wall while he hears the Jester’s bells ring.

Is the Jester in the original “The Fall of the House of Usher">“The Cask of Amontillado.”

Griswold’s fate, primarily, is pulled pretty closely from the pages of the famous tale, which concludes with an unfortunate soul being resigned to a death of getting walled in, brick by brick. He was similarly tricked into drinking a sherry that is ultimately part of his downfall. Those who have read the short story will know that the victim is called Fortunato, which is the name of the pharmaceutical company in The Fall of the House of Usher. Fortunato also wears a Jester costume in the short story, as it is set during carnival season in Italy.

]]> https://wegotthiscovered.crackfree.org/tv/what-does-the-jester-mean-in-the-fall-of-the-house-of-usher/feed/ 0 1603981 Latest Netflix News: A sad day for animation and horror fans as department cuts and Mike Flanagan’s departure impact Netflix https://wegotthiscovered.crackfree.org/news/latest-netflix-news-a-sad-day-for-animation-and-horror-fans-as-department-cuts-and-mike-flanagans-departure-impact-netflix/ https://wegotthiscovered.crackfree.org/news/latest-netflix-news-a-sad-day-for-animation-and-horror-fans-as-department-cuts-and-mike-flanagans-departure-impact-netflix/#respond Fri, 13 Oct 2023 00:00:00 +0000 https://wegotthiscovered.crackfree.org/?p=1603311 At least Adam Sandler is still making cute movies.]]>

Netflix might be interested in turning all the most popular animes in the world into live-action, but it’s not planning on giving the animation side of its operation new life anytime soon. The streamer is cutting down on its costs for the department, but at least we’re still getting a new Adam Sandler movie. In the same vein, its horror output has also suffered a hit, with the dependable Mike Flanagan officially leaving the streamer behind.

Not even Guillermo Del Toro could save the Netflix animation department

guillermo del toro's pinocchio
Image via Netflix

Netflix has been a safe haven for animation in the past, offering a much-welcomed alternative to the family-friendly often-repetitive style of Disney. It has rescued projects like Nimona and Star Trek: Prodigy from ruthless cancelation by industry competitors, it produced the Oscar-winning Pinnochio, a movie whose director Guillermo Del Toro presented as a flag for the incredible potential of the medium, and gave us the groundbreaking BoJack Horseman series, which is considered one of the greatest of its kind.

This background paints the latest news in an even more depressing light. The company will be making massive cuts to its animation department, including personnel layoffs and the cancellation of two developing projects. Escape From Beverly Hills is being released back to the open market and Godwin Jabangwe’s Tunga has been sent back into development, Variety reports. Similar to what Dreamworks has recently announced, Netflix is also planning to start outsourcing its animation filmmaking in the future.

Thankfully, the cuts didn’t affect Adam Sandler’s turn as a friendly Floridian lizard

Adam Sandler’s been enjoying a career Renaissance for a while now, and a lot of it is thanks to his very prosperous deal with Netflix. After the incredibly solid and easily likable Hustle and You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah, the iconic comedian is back with the animated children’s film Leo, where he voices the title character – a 74-year-old lizard who’s been living in an elementary school classroom for decades and is about to embark on his first big adventure, all while helping kids grow up.

Netflix has just shared the first trailer for the feel-good coming-of-age movie, which will almost certainly become a hit for the platform. Children are an infamously fruitful market given that when they like a movie, they will ask their parents to rewatch it every single day. With the added bonus of Sandler’s recent winning streak, Leo has everything to rule the charts. It drops on Netflix Nov. 21.

The live-action adaptation of the demon-hunting anime Yu Yu Hakusho has officially been given a premiere date on Netflix. The series, which will follow in the footsteps of One Piece in the streamer’s attempt to tap into the anime market, will come out Dec. 14. The platform had previously confirmed the cast for the show, which includes Takumi Kitamura, Jun Shison, and Kanata Hongo, and released character posters and teasers that successfully spiked the interest of those who used to tune into the popular anime over three decades ago.

Yu Yu Hakusho revolves around Yusuke Urameshi, a troubled teen who is killed in an accident trying to save a little child. The contradictory nature of his actions in life and the one good deed that killed him confused the authorities in the Spirit World, which indecisive about where to send him in death, decided to revive him and make him a demon hunter. It features elements of martial arts, the supernatural, and plenty of action which fans of the genre will definitely enjoy.

Mike Flanagan’s last-ever show for Netflix, The Fall of the House of Usher, is now live

That’s it for one of the great horror creators of the past decade. Five years after turning heads and making a mark with his first Netflix show The Haunting of Hill House, Mike Flanagan’s very last project for the streamer has dropped. The Fall of the House of Usher, based on the Edgar Allan Poe short story about the demise of a filthy rich family, officially landed on Netflix on Thursday and is sure to take over the charts in the weeks. 61 critics have already placed the horror drama high up on the Tomatometer with a 92 percent approval rating, making it clear that Flanagan is going out just as brilliantly as he arrived.

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What is ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ about, and what is it based on? https://wegotthiscovered.crackfree.org/netflix/what-is-the-fall-of-the-house-of-usher-about-and-what-is-it-based-on/ https://wegotthiscovered.crackfree.org/netflix/what-is-the-fall-of-the-house-of-usher-about-and-what-is-it-based-on/#respond Thu, 12 Oct 2023 16:34:34 +0000 https://wegotthiscovered.crackfree.org/?p=1603327 This Netflix series from Flanagan is inspired by a classically chilling short story.]]>

The Fall of the House of Usher is panning out to be another critical success from Mike Flanagan, the horror maestro who is sadly making this is final collaboration with Netflix. Its success is only making fans more curious about the origin of the television series. Literary horror fans likely already know the Edgar Allan Poe work that led to it, but we’ve still got all of the detail for those not in the know!

For those that aren’t sure about the latest spine-tingling series from The Haunting creator, we’ve also included some essential details about the horror show. The premise may not be one that initially stands out for a scary television series, but don’t let that fool you. The Fall of the House of Usher has some serious chills waiting below its surface.

What is The Fall of the House of Usher about?

The Fall of the House of Usher is a new Netflix series from Mike Flanagan, who is well known for his horror movies and television offerings. Comparisons to HBO’s Succession have been making the rounds, for understandable reasons. This is because the central aspect of The Fall of the House of Usher is a rich adult family who are gripping their remaining power as it is threatened to be taken from them. Only with a horror twist.

In the Netflix series, we are immediately told that the children of the Usher family have died. The mystery is more in the how and why of their deaths, which have more going on with them than we are initially shown. Roderick, now an old man, starts telling the story of the Usher family from the very beginning, never skipping the horrifying details.

What is The Fall of the House of Usher based on?

the fall of the house of usher
Image via Netflix

If you’re familiar with Edgar Allan Poe and his works, there’s a good chance you already know what the Netflix story, The Fall of the House of Usher, is based on. That’s because the short story of Poe’s that the Netflix show takes inspiration from has the exact same name. Poe’s short story, “The Fall of the House of Usher,” has a similar basic premise and end result, though is veers into a different direction for the smaller details.

One of the biggest differences with The Fall of the House of Usher on Netflix and its source material is the cast involved. The original story essentially has three characters: an unnamed male protagonist, Roderick Usher, and Roderick’s sister named Madeline. You’ll also find that the setting and time elapsed in the short story is more condensed, taking place over the course of a few days and almost all events occur inside the Usher family manor.

The Netflix version features a robust cast (including many The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass alumni), a modern time period, and peppers in locations other than the family home. We’re grateful for these changes, as it would be hard to imagine how the original short story could be stretched into an 8-episode series of television.

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The incoming end of an era for one of Netflix’s crown jewels maintains the habit of a lifetime by racking up near-universal acclaim https://wegotthiscovered.crackfree.org/tv/the-incoming-end-of-an-era-for-one-of-netflixs-crown-jewels-maintains-the-habit-of-a-lifetime-by-racking-up-near-universal-acclaim/ https://wegotthiscovered.crackfree.org/tv/the-incoming-end-of-an-era-for-one-of-netflixs-crown-jewels-maintains-the-habit-of-a-lifetime-by-racking-up-near-universal-acclaim/#respond Sun, 24 Sep 2023 08:01:32 +0000 https://wegotthiscovered.crackfree.org/?p=1592806 Time to bid farewell by bowing out on a high.]]>

Losing one filmmaker is hardly going to put a noticeable dent in Netflix’s armor as the market-leading streaming service, but the loss of Mike Flanagan is most definitely going to be felt once The Fall of the House of Usher releases to signal the filmmaker’s final project for the platform before heading off to rival Prime Video.

Having become a byword for greatness in the horror genre, especially as it relates to episodic exclusives that can’t be found anywhere other than Netflix, it’s going to be a sad day for subscribers and boardroom alike when the Edgar Allan Poe adaptation premieres on Oct. 12 to signal the writer, director, and producer’s swansong before he departs to pastures new.

the fall of the house of usher
Image via Netflix

Looking at the seven originals to have been delivered so far, it’s clear that Flanagan is going to leave behind both an incredible legacy and gaping chasm to fill. Even the largely-forgotten feature Before I Wake – comfortably his worst-reviewed effort for the company – still secured a Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes of 67 percent.

Hush seized a 93 percent rating, with Gerald’s Game faring almost as well at 91. On the TV front, The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, and The Midnight Club secured 93, 88, 87, and 86 respectively, but he’s g off in style after The Fall of the House of Usher debuted on the aggregation site as the best-reviewed project of his entire career.

At the time of writing, the miniseries holds a Flanagan-high approval rating of 95 percent, and as much as those numbers will fluctuate between now and release, he’s bowing out with his head held high either way.

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Netflix’s ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’: Release date, plot, cast, and more https://wegotthiscovered.crackfree.org/tv/netflixs-the-fall-of-the-house-of-usher-release-window-plot-cast-and-more/ https://wegotthiscovered.crackfree.org/tv/netflixs-the-fall-of-the-house-of-usher-release-window-plot-cast-and-more/#respond Tue, 12 Sep 2023 23:05:25 +0000 https://wegotthiscovered.crackfree.org/?p=1416681 Things are going to get spooky really soon.]]>

Mike Flanagan is behind some of the most spine-tingling and unsettling recent works of horror, and his back catalog is only getting more terrifying with each new addition. From Netflix sensations like The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, and the unnerving Midnight Mass, he’s crafted works of brilliance that have us watching certain scenes through the blinds of our own fingertips, eagerly anticipating when the next scare will arrive.

The thing about Flanagan’s work is that he’s not just throwing things into a project and seeing what sticks; he meticulously invites the most unsettling fear into each line of dialogue, into each scene, into each unsuspecting moment, and sometimes you don’t even realize that it’s happening until you walk upstairs at night and find yourself putting a little pep in your step to outrun the ghosts that you’re convinced are following you up.

Flanagan’s newest project, The Fall of the House of Usher, is set to debut very soon, and audiences will once again be thrown into a world that’s waiting to make them tremble with fear and make them question who they are. This installment of his work seems darker somehow, more involved, like with each turn of a scare will come a level of self-realization; do the things we fear haunt us out of nowhere, or do we invite them in with our own choices?

For those waiting on bated breath to find out what’s next in the twisted realm of the Flanagan universe, here’s everything you need to know about The Fall of House Usher.

When does The Fall of the House of Usher premiere?

The Fall of the House of Usher is just one month away from its big debut; the limited series is set to creep onto Netflix on Oct. 12, just in time to binge during your nights leading up to Halloween to enjoy as the season grows colder, the days get shorter, and fear creeps into your windows alongside the cool breeze.

The trailer for the series promises that trust is the downfall of the House of Usher, and if you’re getting Yellowstone meets Succession meets horror vibes from this one — you’re not alone. A pair of siblings want fame and fortune, and they’ll stop at nothing to get it, and the dark forces that challenge them are more than they ever could have anticipated. One quote sticks out, taking us right to the Dutton Ranch itself:

“If anyone comes after us, we will exhaust our arsenal until the threat is neutralized.”

The neutralizing of threats in a realm already rife with vengeance, terror, and vitriol? The stakes have never been higher. To tell a story this complex requires characters that are as multifaceted as they are inviting, drawing audiences in with each word they speak and each glance into the camera, which lends to them peering into your soul.

Entertainment Weekly recently revealed the names of the major power players in The Fall of the House of Usher, starting with Bruce Greenwood as Roderick Usher — patriarch of the family and CEO of Fortunato Pharmaceuticals. Carla Gugino breathes life into Verna, who is being described as a “shape-shifting demon” and will undeniably throw a wrench into the plans of anyone who crosses her path.

Mary McDonnell stars as Madeline Usher, sister to Roderick and partner in their family company, but she’s ruthless and relentless, and even the closest familial ties are easy to break if it means her life or theirs. Carl Lumbly plays C. Auguste Dupin, an attorney who has worked with the family for three decades, and the ever-talented Mark Hamill breathes life into Arthur Pym — a lawyer for the Usher family that ensures they always come out on top.

The series also stars Henry Thomas as Frederick Usher, Samantha Sloyan as Tamerlane Usher, T’Nia Miller as Victorine Lafourcade, Rahul Kohli as Napoleon “Leo” Usher, Kate Siegel as Camille L’Espanaye, Ruth Codd as Juno Usher, Sauriyan Sapkota as Prospero “Perry” Usher, Kyliegh Curran as Lenore Usher, Michael Trucco as Rufus Griswold, and Katie Parker as Annabel Lee.

Each character will help flesh out this tale with inspirations from the most fundamental pieces of horror, crafted only by one of the most iconic names in the writing realm as a whole.

What is the inspiration behind The Fall of the House of Usher?

The Fall of the House of Usher is inspired by none other than Edgar Allan Poe, one of the founding and most prominent names in the realm of things that send chills down your spine. It should surprise no one that The Fall of the House of Usher is based upon the short story of the same name by Poe.

The story tells of an unnamed narrator who visits a friend at, you guessed it — the house of Usher, and while the guest is there, things happen that lead the reader to recognize a deep-seated existence of pain, loneliness, and dread. An excerpt reads as follows:

“I was now going to spend several weeks in this house of sadness —
this house of gloom. Its owner was named Roderick Usher. We had
been friends when we were boys; but many years had ed since our
last meeting. A letter from him had reached me, a wild letter which
demanded that I reply by coming to see him. He wrote of an illness of
the body — of a sickness of the mind — and of a desire to see me —
his best and indeed his only friend. It was the manner in which all this
was said — it was the heart in it — which did not allow me to say no.”

Not allowed to say no, the need for “his only friend,” it’s clear that Roderick Usher — a man who, by all appearances, should have it all — is fighting a darkness that only he can fully grasp. Roderick holds all of the cards; he’s got the power of a family sitting in the palm of his hand, and it’s done nothing his entire life but eat away at him slowly.

What a painful way to exist, what an awful way to die.

The Fall of the House of Usher is set to release on Netflix on Oct. 12, and we recommend running to hide when its horror comes knocking at your door.

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Netflix’s ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ means Mike Flanagan has succeeded where ‘Wednesday’s Tim Burton failed https://wegotthiscovered.crackfree.org/tv/netflixs-the-fall-of-the-house-of-usher-means-mike-flanagan-has-succeeded-where-wednesdays-tim-burton-failed/ https://wegotthiscovered.crackfree.org/tv/netflixs-the-fall-of-the-house-of-usher-means-mike-flanagan-has-succeeded-where-wednesdays-tim-burton-failed/#respond Tue, 12 Sep 2023 17:20:24 +0000 https://wegotthiscovered.crackfree.org/?p=1585205 It's like Poe-try in motion. ]]>

The Fall of the House of Usher, Mike Flanagan’s latest horror miniseries that’s destined to doom us to sleepless nights spent in fright this spooky season, is perhaps the creator’s most ambitious Netflix offering to date. The Haunting showrunner pressed through serious behind-the-scenes upheaval to get this series made, which is nominally an adaptation of the Edgar Allan Poe story of the same name but is really creating something of a Poe Cinematic Universe, by intertwining many of the Gothic author’s stories into one.

With any luck, Fall will be another win for the outgoing Flanagan when it hits streaming this October. Its success may come as a sad reminder of the project that got away for one of his fellow Netflix creators, however. While it’s Flanagan who’s shepherding this take on the classic tale to the small screen, Wednesday director Tim Burton once tried to get his own twist on the source material to the big screen, back when he was at the height of his powers, but it failed to escape its coffin.

Tim Burton’s Fall of the House of Usher movie was doomed to an early death

Tim Burton attends the 80th Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton on January 10, 2023
Photo by Frazer Harrison/WireImage

While his unmade movie graveyard is not quite as heavily populated as, say, Guillermo del Toro’s, Tim Burton nonetheless has a variety of films that never made it to production in his past. Most famously, there’s Superman Lives, which finally became immortalized in cinema in some fashion thanks to Nicolas Cage’s cameo as Kal-El in The Flash. In contrast, Flanagan’s Fall series is reminding us that one of Burton’s biggest ion projects unfortunately failed to materialize.

Burton is perhaps the biggest Poe fanboy alive today, wearing the writer’s influence on his own work on his sleeve — for proof, check out Vincent, the stop-motion film he made as a young animator at Disney in the 1980s, a semi-autobiographical tale about a boy who makes-believe that he’s Edgar Allan Poe. So naturally, post the immense success of Batman, Edward Scissorhands, and his other early-90s hits, Burton turned his hand to making a full-on Poe adaptation.

In 1994, Burton’s Fall of the House of Usher movie was being developed at Warner Bros., as based on a screenplay by Jonathan Gems. Interestingly, much like Flanagan, Burton intended to reinvent the story by removing its period setting and relocating it to the present, as he recently confirmed to The Independent. Burton’s film was to be set in modern-day California, likely as a further nod to the director’s childhood spent obsessing over Poe while growing up in sunny Burbank.

Unfortunately for Burton, the project stalled in pre-production and he instead jumped ship to Mars Attacks!. Since then, there’s been no other attempt to make a major new adaptation of the story, until Flanagan has finally stepped in to pick up where Burton left off. The Fall of the House of Usher debuts on Netflix this Oct. 12.

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