Is The Fall of the House of Usher based on a book?
Mike Flanagan's new show has been described as "a wicked horror series based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe".
The new Mike Flanagan offering The Fall of the House of Usher tells the story of Roderick Usher, a billionaire CEO whose children all start dying in mysterious and gruesome circumstances - and fans are already reacting online to the gruesome party sequence in the beginning episodes.
Several stars who have appeared in Flanagan's other projects - including Bruce Greenwood, Carl Lumbly and Kate Siegel - return in the Netflix series (which dropped on Thursday 12th October), while newcomers in the cast include Mary McDonnell and Mark Hamill.
The show is set across two timelines and features a twisting, turning narrative - but is it an entirely original story, or has it been based on a book?
Read on for everything you need to know about the inspiration for The Fall of the House of Usher.
Is The Fall of the House of Usher based on a book?
It is - sort of. The framing narrative of The Fall of the House of Usher, in which Roderick Usher speaks with an old acquaintance about, among other things, his relationship with his sister Madeline, is taken straight from Edgar Allan Poe's story The Fall of the House of Usher.
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However, the story told here has not only been transported to modern day, but has also been heavily modified in other ways.
It is also not the only Poe story Flanagan adapts for the show - there are a number of others which have made their way in this new narrative from Flanagan, which weaves in themes, characters and some plot points, but is largely original.
Which Edgar Allan Poe stories are adapted in The Fall of the House of Usher?
Seven of the eight episodes are specifically named after one of Edgar Allan Poe's stories, with each taking elements of their namesake's plot to inform the narrative.
The only episode not to be named after a story is the first instalment, which is instead named A Midnight Dreary - three of the first words to feature in Poe's story The Raven.
Here are the central eight stories which inform the narrative of The Fall of the House of Usher:
- The Fall of the House of Usher (1839)
- The Raven (1845)
- The Masque of the Red Death (1842)
- The Murders in the Rue Morgue (1841)
- The Black Cat (1843)
- The Tell-Tale Heart (1843)
- The Gold-Bug (1843)
- The Pit and the Pendulum (1842)
How closely does The Fall of the House of Usher stick to its source material?
The Fall of the House of Usher series does utilise elements of each of the stories it adapts, including names and certain specific plot elements, but it certainly does not rigorously stick to them.
For instance, C Auguste Dupin, a Poe character from stories such as The Murders in the Rue Morgue, takes the role of the narrator in the original The Fall of the House of Usher story.
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Meanwhile, the modern day setting changes a great deal about the characters and their experiences throughout.
In fact, the whole conceit of the Usher children dying one by one is a creation of Flanagan - the story does see Roderick and Madeline as the last surviving members of the Usher family, but there is no specific mention of Roderick having had children.
The Fall of the House of Usher is now available to stream on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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