‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ Looks Like a Bloody Blast

Mike Flanagan is back with another horror series, just in time for spooky season. Flanagan has made several popular Netflix horror series, and the passion he has for the genre is perfectly displayed in The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, and Midnight Mass. His latest series, The Fall of the House of Usher is Flanagan’s last for Netflix (fear not, he’s off to Amazon to make The Dark Tower), and based on the first trailer, it looks like he’s really going out with a bang.

Netflix has finally revealed the first full trailer for The Fall of the House of Usher, which arrives on October 12. Flanagan’s loose adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s short story of the same name follows Roderick Usher (Bruce Greenwood), a pharmaceutical CEO forced to confront his past as his children begin dying in horrible ways. Based on Flanagan’s previous Netflix series and his renown as a modern horror master, you might be a little surprised by the comedy in this trailer:

There’s plenty of chilling and stylish imagery: Katie Siegel in a mask, Carla Gugino playing what I can only assume is an absolute demon, blood, ghouls, and Henry Thomas with a ponytail. But there are also several comedic beats, including Rahul Kohli bemoaning satin as “silk for poor people” while Henry Thomas nervously titters.

Flanagan is a clever writer, but The Fall of the House of Usher looks like his first overt effort at weaving comedy into horror—a nice contrast to the sadness and existential dread that permeates his other series. Still, there are a few classic references in the trailer, including this shot of Carla Gugino—who seems to be a supernatural entity of some sort—tending bar, The Shining-style.

The Fall of the House of Usher stars Mike Flanagan regulars Katie Siegel, Carla Gugino, Samantha Sloyan, Rahul Kohli, Henry Thomas, and Kyleigh Curran (Doctor Sleep). Newcomers to the Flanaverse include Willa Fitzgerald (Scream: The TV Series) and Lulu Wilson (Annabelle: Creation), among others. Of course, the most notable addition is Mark Hamill, who has a tendency to occasionally ham it up, though here he seems somewhat subdued—for now.

The Fall of the House of Usher premieres on October 12 on Netflix.

(featured image: Netflix)