One part Poe, one part Succession, one part Final Destination, one part Marxist critique of Capitalism. I'll compare it to the rest of Flanagan's work because it's the only thing worth comparing it to. While no single part of this tops the high of Hill House (the Bent Neck Lady story is a masterpiece of an American ghost story), as a whole this is his best work hands down. It's not always the most moving or even the most unpredictable, but even when it's not gripping, the characters are interesting enough for you to despise them with earnest. And when it does move you (which it does again many more times than Flanagan's other shows), you really will be moved. It may not always be the scariest, but the story at the core is one that will linger. Poe is required reading to fully appreciate it though. Before each episode, i read the short story it was named after. Occasionally i had to look up the names referenced (Tamerlane in particular) to really understand what was going on. They're short reads and worth the effort. Flanagan was a genius to be able to not only tie together so well the different narratives of Poe's poems and short stories, but - in their juxtaposition to both each other and the modern world - give them depth that feels like it belonged to both Poe's and our own ages. Both eternal and nevermore.
Review of The Fall of the House of Usher
