Fall Of The House Of Usher ENDING EXPLAINED | Full Breakdown, Easter Eggs And Deeper Meaning

Fall Of The House Of Usher ENDING EXPLAINED | Full Breakdown, Easter Eggs And Deeper Meaning. We explain, review and recap The Fall Of The House Of User on Netflix. It's one of the best Horror Tv shows I've ever seen and there's a lot to unpack from it. Throughout this video we'll be doing a big season breakdown and exploring all the themes, hidden meanings, secret details and the shows ending.
#TheFallOfTheHouseOfUsher #FallOfTheHouseOfUsher #Netflix #EndingExplained #Explained #EasterEggs #ThingsYouMissed #Season1 #Horror #Verna
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/* ---- VIDEO INFORMATION ---- */
Welcome to the Heavy Spoilers show, I'm your host Paul and this video we're breaking down the Fall Of The House Of Usher.
Mike Flannagan has been absolutely killing it on Netflix and this feels like a culmination of all the shows and films he's made over the last handful of year. That includes the cast too with us getting lots of the actors he's worked with before making major appearances. There's also lots of nods and easter eggs that point to his work that we're gonna be breaking down in this video.
Ooo ooo Ouja Board...that's a nod to his movie Ouja Origin Of Evil...ey same actress too.
Anyway we're gonna be breaking it all down and heavy spoilers ahead for what we're about to talk about. The show is definitely worth seeing unspoiled and I highly recommend that you see it first. With that out the way, huge thank you for clicking this, now let's get into the fall of the house of usher.
-
Now like a lot of Flannagans work this is loosely adapted from some famous source material. Pulling from the Edgar Allen Short story that followed a narrator going out to Roderick Usher who was suffering from an illness.
Noticing cracks in the home we learn that Roderick and his sister Madeline are the only remaining members of the family. Madeline too has been struck down with an illness which in the book is similar to the death like trance we see her mother in at one point.
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[@heavyspoilers]

Check out Gold bug here - kzbin.info/door/q3hT5JPPKy87JGbDls_5BQ

[@isaacfernandes560]

It baffles me how you mentioned Camille is from The Murders in the Rue Morgue but you don't know Auguste Dupin made his first appearance there.

[@av1421]

Rufus character name could be from the famous novel of Olivia Butler's Kindred where he is utterly selfish, ruthless man! Loved the series.

[@dannydark1452]

SHE'S MANY DIFFERENT DIATIES THROUGHOUT HISTORY AND MYTHOLOGY. I CAN ALREADY SPOT 7 KNOWN ONE SHE Emulates

[@agm5424]

My theory on Verna is that she's a type of cosmic being, something similar to The Endless from Dc comics. The best explanation I've read from a commenter in another video is that she's one of the beings that dwell somewhere beneath the earth, as in hollow earth, outside of time and space, a place that can only be reached from a mythical island somewhere in the north pole region called Ultima Thule that Poe mentioned on his poem Dreamland. That's why she told Arthur that she came "top side" to the world, and that he saw her in the "ice" in the north and in ep seven Roderick said that Arthur told the kids stories about people living under the earth, wich was probably the writers hint at what she is.

[@ConcordD0m]

The way Verna placed everyone’s items nicely and just threw a coke bag on Frederick’s is so funny to me

[@AshAsmodeus]

Added symbolism... he threw his life away for a whisper of paranoia that was planted into him by the suggestion his wife was unfaithful due to her having that phone he didn't knew about even though she was enticed but never really acted on it... a symbol about how people are often to believe a lie if it falls within their own narrative of beliefs.... The coke wasn't the cause of his death; it just was a medium to further his own unstable beliefs

[@Kazztastrophe]

Hahaha yes so good I burst out laughing. Same as when Frederick saw Leo get the eye scratch and goes "yeah you should wash that out really well. So Im just gonna take this coke..." 😂

[@SILKROADAandR]

That was a very long lasting bag!

[@The_Wailing_Doom]

​@@SILKROADAandRdon't forget it got a fill-up with nightshade!

[@TheSuperMegaUltra]

🤣 thank you for pointing this out 🤣

[@marcyc1695]

Carla Gugino is such a chameleon and also almost ageless. She was the perfect actress for that character and her acting was breath taking. Loved her.

[@user-gi8pk9uc7q]

She was great!

[@strider9184]

A lot of the actors in Flanagans series are like chameleons as far as being able to portray such a wide range of characters.

[@user-gi8pk9uc7q]

@@strider9184I.e. Great actors!

[@marcyc1695]

@@strider9184 Yes some are, but I have to say, so soon after watching Midnight mass I feel like the doctor character that played Roderick's mother, and the guy who played the the recovering alcoholic that played Young Roderick. Those the actors reminded me so much of midnight mass that I got distracted. They didn't do well in transforming into a new character. But some do well, like Tammy and her husband, I forgot they were in midnight mass

[@strider9184]

@@marcyc1695 Igby Rigney who played Camille’s assistant who falls in love with her other assistant & they both quit: he was also in Midnight Mass, he was the one who survived on the boat with the paralysed girl. Also two similar roles for him I guess

[@chisdedios]

chaining and trapping him behind a brick wall is also a reference to Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”. The protagonist in that story is called Montresor and he traps a character dressed also as a Jester called Fortunato.

[@heavyspoilers]

ah totally missed that

[@yanorton]

I caught it immediately when they started staring at the wall and could hear the jingling. It was a beautiful payoff when they showed the bottle later. I was a big Poe fan in my teens.

[@iamshaunsimpson]

I'm pretty sure the "sherry" they gave Rufus was called Amontillado too

[@PrimetimeD]

Ooh, good call. I kept meaning to look up Fortunato because it sounded familiar. Also, can we give some kudos for the use of "Another Brick in the Wall" during that scene? Damn that was so on point and spooky.

[@chrissybear7004]

@@heavyspoilers I did too!!

[@jaimelowe4246]

Give Carla Gugino every Emmy there ever was or will be. She’s just incredible.

[@Noelito40]

True, she really earned her money! She did a great jobs!

[@ljb8157]

100% agreed

[@JB-rh1kc]

she is always so amazing

[@MagicPrincessGigi]

She reminds me a bit of Lucifer in the Sandman.

[@thewolf01x95]

And bruce greenwood

[@Alyboba]

I love Auggie’s line about being the richest man in the world. I really do believe being surrounded by the people you love and love you back is the greatest thing you can have at the end of your life. The Usher’s were as rich as can be, but had absolutely nothing and were nothing at the end of their life.

[@GoddessLilithVala88]

Agreed

[@rugma1696]

true

[@Scarshadow666]

Definitely agree! ^^ And it also shows how important it is to gravitate towards people that genuinely treat you well too! Roderick and Madeline were close siblings and loved each other - but Madeleine's ambitions and hubris blinded her from what's important, which helped lead both her and her brother to their fates (no matter how rich and influential they grew to be). As Vera said, if it weren't for their betrayal of Augustus, Roderick would have been fulfilled as a poet and Frederick would have been a dentist. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@sherryadams2984]

The scene that touched me the most was when Roderick saw Annabel's ghost at the funeral, he realized that she could've changed his and his kids' fate, and nothing like this would've ever happened. He also realized she was the only one that he ever truly loved, and he drove her away just because he liked the fleeting idea of life, that Madeline put in this head, that came with money... Still, after all that money, he was only lonely and longed to be with her and his kids... This series was a masterpiece. Mike never fails to entertain.

[@hoosieryank6731]

Mine was when Verna visited Lenore's tombstone; hers is the only one NOT given a token of materialism, but of affection and respect.

[@KishinZephrite]

How did Annabel die? I noticed the back of her head looked bloodied and damaged when you see her walk further into the church.

[@SW-oc2pp]

@@KishinZephriteI think she ended it when Roderick used his money and power to take her kids away. He said something like "she couldn't live without them"

[@kylavanilla]

@@SW-oc2ppyes but what creeped me out was that i also thought annabel committed suicide but then we saw the back of her head and... people can't twist their hand around that way to deliver a perfectly center shot in the back of their head - so i think fortunato killed her actually (my theory is that when the kids left her, she threatened to expose the company)

[@julesfoster3289]

@@kylavanilla i think the implication is that she 'swallowed a bullet' (aka shot herself in the mouth, the wound on her head is the exit wound)

[@nightangel486]

I think Verna nailed why the series works when she tells Prospero that the anticipation leading up to the Event is better than the Event itself. This is why horror and thrillers work--the buildup of suspense before we see *the THING* revealed is expertly done in each episode.

[@givesbeetdip0055]

That is all of Mike Flanagans series so far

[@evangelionl0vr857]

This is true with everything except the Bent Neck Lady reveal. That payoff was so fucking huge and dark that it blew away the lead up to it.

[@kittybuckley3]

That's why I love the build up to Christmas..but Christmas day meh.😅

[@brittanyofhouseblackwood]

After consuming all of Mike Flannigans' work over the last few years I've come to the conclusion that he is what Ryan Murphy wanted American Horror Story to be! His shows are literally perfection in my opinion and I'm still salty that Midnight Club was cancelled!

[@NiblingoBazinga1975]

I JUST made a similar statement to a friend of mine while discussing Usher and the rest of Flannigan’s shows. These are definitely fulfilling the promise AHS made then so spectacularly failed to deliver on after Asylum.

[@thedarkestfateful]

Totally agree!

[@baaron7]

Aside from the midnight club, which I found boring and poorly written, you're right. Ryan Murphy started out great, but his work quickly devolved into Hollywood tropes and what he thought was intelligent political and social commentary.

[@NiblingoBazinga1975]

@@baaron7…and really bad camp.

[@baaron7]

@NiblingoBazinga1975 totally agree. The characters were so over the top and just unlikable

[@MahiMahi-yu5jo]

5:52 The Morrigan is the Celtic Goddess of Death, War, and Fate. She doesn't just oversee death, she actively influences how people die. She is also known to provide political or military aid to her wards. She is also an Earth Goddesss (Verna means Spring Green). Guess what her motif is... It's Ravens.

[@heavyspoilers]

Ah thank you!

[@karlfoster3205]

LOVE this idea! Everything fits so nicely it’s hard to look at it another way now. She also mentions to Madeline about “seeing her past, present and future all standing side by side” - or something like that - and The Morrigan is known to be a triple goddess… Subtle nod there.

[@ashlybuck5706]

​@@karlfoster3205that reminds me of Hecate

[@MahiMahi-yu5jo]

​@@karlfoster3205 Eh, she was also generous enough to warn all of them... They were just too egotistical to listen

[@andiemorgan961]

The Morrígan belongs to Irish folklore, which fits neatly with Mike Flanagan's Irish roots.😉

[@anaahmedatia]

Verna is from the island of "Ultima Thule" and here is why. In episode 6, Rod talks about how special Pym is, and how much he had seen throughout his life. The expedition that Arthur went on when he was 25. He said Arthur told his kids that the earth was hollow, and that there is an island on the top of world called "Ultima Thule", and "it was the realm of beings who lived beneath us, out of time, and out of space". In the last episode, when we see the deal between Verna, and Rod & Mad Usher, she said "You feel it. Both of you. In the air. We're sitting outside time and space." When she meets Arthur, she says "you really don't remember me? I was so impressed with you lot. The Transglobe Expedition.". As you said, she had to go "Topside". Because she is one of the "beings who lived beneath us, out of time, and out of space".

[@mrchanningpetty1]

Good point

[@DMRCapitalHill]

Verna is simply a demonic low vibrational energy. That’s it. Or she is the personification of death that offers deal which is literally a fostian bargain.

[@tofara6421]

Verna represents Time

[@berilsevvalbekret772]

So basically an Outer God 😅

[@HaraldurHammer]

Fun fact, the first mention of Iceland in historical records comes from a Roman scribe, can't remember his name, Tacitus? In that account, the island is called Ultima Thule. You can also buy the icelandic beer, Thule.

[@PrimetimeD]

While I'm not 100% sure exactly who Verna is supposed to be, I did find it interesting that she gave people some degree of agency. She went easy on Lenore, since she was definitely the most good-hearted of the Ushers, and she respected Pym for not taking her deal and complimented him on his "trade craft" if you will.

[@KarlaGarcia-ld6mv]

She's either death or an ancient demon. Only demon makes deals, not death. Death isn't supposed to take pleasure in their job. Demons, on the other hand, are in a different story. The fact that Verna didn't want Morella to stay at the party tells you that she has business with the usher bloodline and doesn't want anybody to get hurt. The fact she gave Lenore a merciful death tells you she has standards.

[@vedametatron]

She said she came up from the hollow earth it was mentioned twice

[@englishatheart]

​@@KarlaGarcia-ld6mvIf demons and Death exist, you nor anyone else knows what they actually do. Everything we "know" about them was thought up by humans. Therefore if someone writes an iteration of Death that makes deals, you don't get to say that their version of Death doesn't make deals.

[@Ocapela215]

She's the raven...verna and possibly Nephthys The raven's role as a guardian of the deceased is a recurrent theme in ancient Egyptian mythology. Nephthys, the goddess of the dead and overseer of funerary rites, is often depicted with the crow or raven as one of her symbols, the raven or crow is her trusted companion, standing by her side as she guides souls to the afterlife

[@Cherie498]

MM

[@faithhopkins5856]

It’s even better when you rewatch it - the entire show is absolutely stuffed with excellent foreshadowing, even for those who are minimally familiar with Poe’s work.

[@SingingSealRiana]

the names of characters and episodes where kinda spoilers and I can not imagine anyone missed the implication of the brick wall

[@Lewting2000]

Also was able to predict nearly everything to happen in the show on the first watch as it’s about as subtle with its foreshadowing as a sledgehammer

[@OverRule1]

I wonder where he got that Henry IV bottle dipped in gold with diamonds in the beginning of the series as the last time he saw it was in the imaginary bar that sealed the deal

[@AshAsmodeus]

@@OverRule1 it was supplied to him... Verna offers Prym/Pym (??) a drink from the same bottle and explains to him it's all a setup for 2 guests to arrive later

[@OverRule1]

@@AshAsmodeus ah I forgot about that

[@isaaclopez-eb6yg]

I laughed so hard on the 5th avenue joke. My heart broke though when the granddaughter dies and she is told about how by helping her mother and choosing humanity she goes on to save millions of people for years to come. It's bitter sweet and it was very touching

[@angelaholmes8888]

I was sad when that happened

[@_LadyWhistledown_]

I cried.

[@thecurvy_ceo]

I cried

[@Pendragonthegreat]

Saaame I was like that makes soooo much sense hahaha

[@eileensnow6153]

My boyfriend pointed out at the end that Roderick was only in his seventies when he died. He asked why the Ushers couldn’t live another decade or two, and I theorized that maybe Verna didn’t want to kill more innocents. Lenore might have had children in those years and Verna seemed truly regretful that she had to take Lenore.

[@sharonl.7591]

Just finished watching the series and it was really well done. The children characters may be representing the 7 Deadly Sins much like how the children in The Haunting of Hill House represented the 5 stages of Grief. Frederick = Wrath Napoleon = Sloth Tamerlane = Envy Victorine = Pride Prospero = Lust Camille = Gluttony (her insatiable hunger for information and control and not knowing when to stop) I know, bit of a stretch And since Roderick and Madeline are Twins, they both fall under Greed.

[@pinkdunkin]

I actually thought the same because in each of the children’s deaths, there is one particular colour light that floods the room. Frederick with the blue, Tamerlane with green, vic with red and so on. I thought it was beautifully and subtly done and since each of the sins has a colour associated with it, I thought it could very much represent the character.

[@sharonl.7591]

​ @pinkdunkin We noticed that too!! Wasn't sure we could pick out all the colours, red and green were the main standouts to us. Also, when we have the wide shot of Tamerlane dead on the bed, it almost looks like the Neon Lights outside her window spell "ENVY". It might be a bit of a stretch but it being in the peripheral, it subconsciously reads as Envy. We tried looking at the other deaths at a quick glance to see if we could find other words but couldn't find anything.

[@pinkdunkin]

@@sharonl.7591 Oh I can see what you mean with the neon lights spelling envy, they do! Great detail.

[@isaacfernandes560]

Doesn't work. What's Lenore's sin? She is the 7th descendant. Using the parents to fulfil the 7th Sin instead of a descent is a cheap way to force a theory.

[@sharonl.7591]

@isaacfernandes560 Okay, to further stretch my theory out... Greed started all this and was the main driving sin of the story. From Greed came the other sins that go along with that. Lenore is 3rd generation Usher, not really counted in among the others and is sort of set apart from them. She's not at the table in the family dinners, she's out of the loop of all the other family discussions. So she does not fall into a Sin category yet, she hasn't been corrupted by the temptation the others have. Therefore, she remain pure. She is the embodiment of the 7 Heavenly Virtues: humility, charity, chastity, gratitude, temperance, patience, and diligence. She's proven most of these attributes throughout the show. Also, Roderick would always remind people that Lenore is the "best of us" and this also why Verna was reluctant to to take her life but showed mercy to her. A deal's a deal, after all.

[@fridaa8771]

It's a piece of art, honestly. There's so, so many hints and nods at Poes' work, and as someone who was more or less forced to read some of his work for English class I thought it was very fun to look for easter eggs. All this while being subtle with it. I've come to the conclusion that Mike Flanagan also probably made a deal with Verna, no other way to explain how he continues to release masterpieces like this.

[@jyotsnapadmanabhan9012]

I found Verna to be somewhat symbolic of karma. You could see Madeline hesitating to take the deal. Why couldn’t the kids grow up with little decency we don’t know. All are just empty human beings pushing away their blessings in life. All the side characters jules bill the assistants Juno were reasonably sweet and kind to the ushers yet they never appreciate their importance. I loved how they were left unharmed. I wonder if Verna was offering real help to each of them before everyone’s death or if she was teasing to see if they reacted otherwise. It was hard to feel sorry for all of them but pym was so clever not to take the deal with all the horror he witnessed.

[@juliansummey9268]

Al didn’t really walk away unharmed though 😕

[@jyotsnapadmanabhan9012]

@@juliansummey9268 partially because she was also experimenting on innocent chimps? I hoped so bad she would just walk out without provoking Vic instead.

[@bernardomenin171]

@@juliansummey9268 neither morelle, but Verna did offered her to leave

[@lastbutfirst266]

Pym didn’t have collateral, he couldn’t be bought because there’s really isn’t anything left for him

[@jyotsnapadmanabhan9012]

@@bernardomenin171 and also as per Verna morelle lived after lenore and built her and her daughters' own legacy

[@MrCr0wley669]

It's rare to get so much quality and great performances out of a streaming series. Huge props to all the cast and production

[@psytron939]

Mike Flanagan never disappoints. I was excited to watch this, especially when its based on a short story from Edgar Allen Poe. It was absolutely amazing to watch.

[@vibhutivyas7576]

The whole sequence of "The masque of the Red Death" is so beautifully adapted. It looks so sinister. Prospero is the prince and the red death is ofcourse, Verna. The scene where she enters wearing that mask and looks around, she stands out. The seduction and enigma of death is just so aptly captured..i was mesmerised that moment on. All the deaths are so theatrical and symbolic in nature, there is a sense of poetic justice in how each one of them dies. They're all seemingly innocent but the characters are potrayed so deeply that we don't feel a morsel of sympathy for any of them. I only felt bad when Lenore died. Everything just ties up so beautifully at the end-the house of Usher crumbles to the ground. I can sense the madness, the delirium and the fear of death looming over them. It is a wonderfully crafted masterpiece. Loved it❤

[@purselmer5931]

How are the characters, "portrayed so deeply?" So far, Prospero, Camille and Leo are all one-dimensional characters w/out any side to them except greed and indulgence. No one is really all that way and it's a missed opportunity that these characters aren't better revealed to be much more than just sad-sacks of cliches. I'm only half-way through, but so far I don't fell anything about their deaths b/c we weren't given an opportunity to actually know them at all. Flanagan's better than this.

[@jyotsnapadmanabhan9012]

Verna being in photos of influential people across history was reminescent of the shining where jack nicholson was found in the old group photo of the hotel guests. I like how they immortalised her. Makes me wonder if she less elusive in those times than during the timeline of the show for her to be visible in parties and meetings. Verna was easily the most interesting aspect of the show. Like a foreshadowing for every death.

[@endgameescapades5787]

My original guess for who/what Verna was, due to all the ancient Egyptian stuff, was that she was Nephthys. A goddess of funeral rites, often depicted as a raven, she liked humans and helped them transition into death and humans usually liked and respected her. If she came from the ancient Egyptian pantheon she might have been particularly annoyed by the cat’s death. I also think I saw it mentioned about Nephthys liking parties and beer (Verna’s bar). However, I saw there’s actually quite a few gods/goddesses from around the world themed around ravens and/or death (like Morrigan). So then I started wondering if many were still her. Maybe she travels the world over thousands of years. From civilization to civilization maybe the name and imagined history is changed by the humans who meet her, but they’re all her?

[@Ocapela215]

Exactly. That's why her names Verna or Raven. It can be "any of them" connecting to the raven because they all stem from eachothers mythology.

[@thecrypteia4644]

Maybe all the same being? I loved the convo with pym. She said she was there, during his voyage. He saw her. And she said, she had to come up and see them. A being who lives beneath the earth?

[@endgameescapades5787]

@@thecrypteia4644 I remember that. She asked him if he remembered seeing her standing on the ice. I’d have to go back and rewatch the series (I don’t even remember what episode it was in), but I remember a conversation with (I think) Roderick talking about Pym telling his kids stories about his adventures in his youth, but the stories kept changing, as if he wasn’t telling the kids the truth and was making things up. There was something about Pym finding out about an underground lost city in the Antarctic (I think) but Roderick said of course that couldn’t be real. I thought the show might of been offhandedly referencing Journey to the Center of the Earth, but maybe that had something to do with Verna?

[@thecrypteia4644]

@@endgameescapades5787 I do think that is referring to the hollow earth theory, which is touched on in Poe’s book The Narrative of Aruthur Gordon Pym. The conversation Roderick has with Auggie talked about that some. He says he would stop talking when he got around the arctic circle, which is where Verna was. I’d have to read that story again, to really connect all the dots…sounds like I will lol

[@endgameescapades5787]

@@thecrypteia4644 Interesting. When I was still in school, my teacher had us read a lot of Poe’s short stories and poems (much more interesting than Shakespeare to me lol) so I picked up on a lot in the show. But it wasn’t until after seeing the show that I found out Poe actually wrote a novel. I’ll definitely have to check it out sometime.

[@QOB_LovesRocknRoll]

The granddaughter deserve better

[@ArasRud]

That was the point! That how her family doomed her eventhough she was so pure herself. But still she managed to do so much good while having not so much power or time.

[@GoddessLilithVala88]

That Beautiful Girl Unnecessary Death in my opinion was Sad so Heartbreaking I get Verna point gave her painless Death Verna explaining brought me to Tear hope she went Heaven Like Afterlife she was Sacrifice after all

[@YankeeCountess]

Prospero is the Prince in Poe's story "Masque of the Red Death"; he's later referred as the "fallen prince", which mirrors the character from the story. Prospero is also the main character from Shakespeare's "The Tempest", which tells of two brothers vying for the position of the Duke of Milan--Prospero's brother becomes the Duke, and Prospero feels he was wronged and uses his power in an effort to punish his brother, much like how Prospero in the show wants to "punish" his brother for humiliating him by using Fredrick's wife against him.

[@jedodedo]

Clemm, used by Verna in her driver's license, is Poe's second wife (and his actual cousin). Rufus Griswold is Poe's literary rival in his lifetime.

[@liamdamon]

The twins father had the last name Longfellow. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was another Poe rival.

[@Itsacamlife]

My favorite character in this series has to be Annabelle Lee. She was everything that I would want to be. She was grateful and content with what they had even though it wasn't much but she was grounded. She wanted to raise her children on the right path but greed and corruption took over her children! She didn't have any more will left and killed herself. It broke my heart that she was he husband's biggest cheerleader and he overlooked that support from her.😢😢😢

[@bendover04me]

Did they allude that the siblings liked her?

[@jyotsnapadmanabhan9012]

I was so surprised when I found out that the actress playing Annabelle Lee is actually Mrs poppy in hill House. I always saw her as an evil mad lady in that series and in this one she is completely the opposite. Wow.

[@Itsacamlife]

@@jyotsnapadmanabhan9012yes! You're correct!!!!! I thought she did amazing in this series!

[@OzmaOfOzz]

​@jyotsnapadmanabhan9012 she was also in Bly Manor but a small role, yet important. She's such a chameleon, hope to see more of her and in bigger roles, she's absolutely fantastic.

[@thehitherto5348]

@@jyotsnapadmanabhan9012 Katie Parker is one of the Flanagan veterans who's starred in plenty of his works. Among other things, she played the protagonist in Absentia - Mike's feature film debut.

[@OzmaOfOzz]

The acid rain scene made me literally scream. At first i thought it was hot boiling water but i quickly understood. Horrified 😢 Also, so happy for Juno. Feel like she got a bit brushed off but when u think about how she had to fight addiction, which is not shown but most of us know how hard it is, she is a hero and I was so happy for her.

[@angrysassquatch4839]

100% agree. The 2nd episode in I said "He's done it again!" I was amazed at how well he weaved Poes work together. He has a way of making your brain hang onto his work long after it's over.

[@bbbele]

i looked into the names out of curiosity and i found out that roderick means ruler, madeline, high tower and lenore, light, which makes sense and made the characters so much cooler

[@PCURLYQ]

I believe this is Consequence, she even makes a reference to it in the show. She is the literal representation of a single decision/action. Consequences exists in the past present and future, intertwined like Christmas lights sitting in the basement storage.

[@jamesgibson736]

I think its a cool idea that Carla Guigino's character was being literal when she told Prospero she consequence, each of the deaths seem to be the children "suffering the consequences of their actions" in a way

[@CrystalCummings1985]

This is by far one of the best shows I've watched. Well written, all the story line was fascinating and kept your attention through out. The actors are truly amazing and every show they appear in has been on my top favourite. Can't wait to see more from this producer.

[@jfm5949]

STUNNING SERIES !!! I’d forgotten the full references to Edgar Allen Poe ; Prince prospero and the mask of the Red Death ; the Raven etc … beautifully done ✅

[@forickgrimaldus8301]

Ah yes the Edgar Allan Poe expanded universe

[@formerlyfoote3380]

My theory is that the characters align with the seven deadly sins. Each Usher kid had a designated color, made more apparent during their death scenes. I believe they each aligned with a deadly sin. For example, Perry, bathed in red is lust. Camille, often in white, was envy because she was jealous of Vic, who was able to hide who she really was and was almost praised for being "a good one" (which could go even deeper). The Vic, bathed in orange was pride. She could not admit her studies were failing. Fred was wrath because he was going to make his wife pay for going to Perry's party. Tammy was sloth, green, because she was to lazy to have sex with her husband herself and Leo was gluttony, yellow because he indulged in everything to the extreme. Rodrick and Madeline, as twins, represent one, the seventh sin...greed. Rodrick said he knew he had to climb over bodies to reach the mountain top. And Madeline played her brother the same way of the adopted family. Get them to trust me, then turn on them with the information she has. Verna is the devil come to collect and play with human emotion.

[@jamiem8314]

Love your explanation of the colors but I think Tammy would be vanity - not sloth. She had all the mirrors in her home and died by the shattered glass. Her product was all about beauty and fitness. And I wouldn’t say she was lazy to have sex with her husband. She liked watching someone else portray her so she was able to watch herself be with her husband.

[@DivaStar84]

Great observation! Verna was definitely the devil!

[@benedictjajo]

And what about Lenore?

[@haroldwhite5761]

@@jamiem8314 Tammy was a big change from the original story- instead of absorbing her twin in utero both are born and have an incestual relationship like their parents, a long tradition of the Ushers.

[@evangelionl0vr857]

I was thinking they were the seven deadly sins as well because the kids in Hill House represented the five stages of grief so I thought he might do a similar thing here. I got Gluttony, Lust and Envy but I wasn’t sure on the rest as they all showed greed pride and I had forgotten about my theory by the time Frederick tortured his wife. Thanks for completing it but I agree with the poster above who said that Camille was sloth and Tammy was Envy.

[@THEchiQ]

I love Carla Gugino. You can’t take your eyes off her.

[@vinceallerdyce3144]

Or ears. Her delivery. Just... perfection. Jeeeezus.

[@OzmaOfOzz]

Same!! Chameleon right there. Hope to see more of her , I'll watch anything she's in, absolutely fantastic❤

[@MajorPooper418]

This may be a missed reference but the Narrator character, Auguste Dupin is also a reference to Dupin the detective, another character from Poe’s works

[@KnucklesxReala911]

The fact the he did referred the story yet didn't connect any of the actual characters of it to that

[@dertypderhalt]

She has many sides to her personality. Shes sad when she needs to kill loren and says its not her job to define what family line is. Also shes happy when the lawer took responsibilty. So i think she is a something between a goddes, justice and the devil. You decide…

[@molossus39]

She definitely ain’t justice; she tempts people into making wicked deals with her and then blames them for taking the path she predestined for them to take. In my eyes she’s just as if not more evil than all the characters in the show.

[@kwisatzhaderach88]

Kill Loren you say

[@Nolevleasure]

⁠@@molossus39but you can’t ignore, she told them what would happen in the future. They selfishly accepted a deal, knowing the consequences.

[@molossus39]

@@Nolevleasure That is also true and I wasn’t saying that the other characters are not to blame; I was just pointing out that the bartender witch ain’t no saint either.

[@Nolevleasure]

@@molossus39 yeah, I honestly think she’s some kind of demon who preys on ppl with selfish desires

[@LUCYANNEPARTRIDGE]

Hearing the sound of the heart machine and bells and cat in the wall took me to the tell tale heart.

[@user-uj7fu6cf2c]

There are tons and tons of references to Poe's stories and personal life. Dupin was Poe's Sherlock Holmes of sorts that appeared in many of his stories to solve crime. (Poe actually created the detective story!) But my favorite references are Longfellow (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow) and Rufus Griswold were actually two people Poe hated with a fiery passion...so I think he'd approve they were villains. And Verna's last name on her driver's license was Clemm which was Poe's wife's maiden name. This Poe obsessed English teacher is very happy! Ask me questions too if u like! There were so many more they snuck in there.

[@weirdoarmy]

Waw ❤ well what's the title of detective story poe have written?

[@user-uj7fu6cf2c]

@weirdoarmy he wrote a bunch but Murders at the Rue Morgue was actually the first one. So Dupin was in Camille's story technically.

[@lucdevaux]

I was kinda hoping for a reference to "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar". Such an incredible tale ! I wish they would make an anthology movie with that story!

[@user-uj7fu6cf2c]

@@lucdevaux yes! I was wondering if they were going there with the idea of immortality and Madeline, but it's fine they didn't. :)

[@adelinelacroix6743]

haha I like that you're an English teacher because right after I finished the series I also emailed my English prof and told her about it! Since our class read one of Poe's short stories (The Tell-Tale Heart) for the course I thought she might enjoy watching the series.

[@sugabud]

I loved the call backs to previous works of Flanagan. Obviously the cast but things like the man behind the walls, Tammy’s Bent Neck Lady pose, etc. I truly adore that they’re in there for us to catch it.

[@justinef]

I caught that too and really appreciated it as well. Bent neck lady was the biggest plot twist and got me really into Flanagan’s work

[@Carl_KFBF]

I wonder if there’s maybe a “7 deadly sins” angle being spun, albeit loosely. Roderick is Greed Perry is Lust Camille is Envy Leo is Gluttony Vic is Pride Tammy is Vanity Frederick is Wrath Might be a reach yeah but I think it kinda works.

[@SharkboySJS]

Carla Gugino is just brilliant! She was absolutely magnificent throughout the entire series but the scene with the chimps, when she jumps up onto the metal table, was truly mesmerizing!!!

[@mandalyngarrett5390]

I think the family represents the 7 deadly sins. With the dad and aunt being greed. The 6 children showed the other sins. Prospero, lust. Camille, envy. Leo, wrath. Vic, pride. Tammy, sloth. Freddie, gluttony.

[@elisegonzalez7639]

I thought the same thing

[@angelaholmes8888]

You are so right

[@joshjosh2575]

It would be better if they titled each and every episode with it. Since every episode is about the Ushers' death. It would've been great to see

[@erdjie]

Lenore, symbolizing the primordial/original sin - Only morally tainted from birth because of Roderick and Madeline's sin.

[@1twilightjunky]

@@joshjosh2575I disagree. I think naming most of the titles after Poe’s work, including the last episode “Raven” and the surgeons episode “Tell-Tale Heart” was more than necessary. It really helped understand the episodes better.

[@mullaoslo]

I hadn't even seen or heard about this until right now but as soon as I saw Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood in the thumbnail I knew this was a new Mike Flanagan project 😂

[@victoriagoggans1924]

I think Verna is the Egyptian goddess Nephthys, ravens were sometimes substituted for the Hawk sometimes. She was the sister of Osiris, Isis and Set. The raven is her companion as she guides people's souls to her brother Osiris in the underworld.

[@acWeishan]

Show is very much an analogy of the boomer generation. It is no mistake that the deal occur on the eve of the 80s. This really is when the Boomers changed from the WE generation to the ME generation. When boomers decided to abandon their ideal sacrifice the generations to come, in order to have a good life. The children play the representation of Gen X and millennials and the grand daughter is gen z.

[@girlnettles]

Wow! I like that take

[@cloudsenpai9258]

YES

[@CthRage8946]

Allan Edgar Poe's poetry and short stories are one of a kind for real. Netflix hadn't messed this up like Cleopatra. These are elements in his poetry, and human imagination is one of the main ones. Read the original story before you watch the TV series, you won't be disappointed. You can really taste how each character falls to his greed, and how this exact greed is entitled on the human souls. His direct message is: "Sooner or later we all fall to our Greed," he does make up a good story here.

[@haroldwhite5761]

I was a lil disappointed. Being a Poe fan familiar with the tale, I held my breath and braced for the shocking Big Reveal that never happened. The Ushers without incest is like The Exorcist without demons, it was that tradition which rotted out the House from the inside, like many royal families. But I admit this adaptation for modern times was otherwise very well-done.

[@CthRage8946]

​@@haroldwhite5761 One of the things Netflix didn't mess up as it did with Cleopatra. The poetry in the ending was amazing, it was the cherry on the cake. Ushers have fallen by their own greediness and this is why Verna appeared before Madeline. She knew what kind of individuals they would become. But it's kind of low not to give someone a chance before you know them, but sadly devil's intuition on human greediness is never wrong. I don't believe she was Satan. One of Poe's elements was human imagination. It'll be kind of easy to figure out who she was without using our imagination. After all, this was part of his work.

[@haroldwhite5761]

@@CthRage8946 Actually no, Verna wasn't part of the original story, she was a device to replace the original incest storyline.

[@CthRage8946]

@@haroldwhite5761 But they've done well don't you think? The incest part in the original story wasn't one of my most liked parts. Do you remember how Temerlane Usher died? Nobody saw the sex tape on her opening, and she had a mental breakdown, it was her end because she was uncontrollable. I don't think putting parts of the original story was a good idea bcs it would be inappropriate for younger viewers.

[@ndubitably]

@@CthRage8946 ummm, younger viewers?

[@mrfrankly3404]

Just finished the series. It's great. I think Verna could be the personification of fate. She gives Roderick and Madalyn the choice of living an average or privileged life, and their choice seals the children's fates as well as their own. She giver Arthur a choice of which fate he wants as well. She tells Frederick of his life as a dentist in another life before he dies. She tells Camill, "you could have died in your sleep" before she gets mauled by the ape. I see all of their choices come down to deciding what fate would bring to them.

[@kog8952]

Honestly one of the best shows I have seen in a long time and to think I was actually not going to watch it. I thought it was a movie and not something I would normally be interested rather than a series, but at the start of this video you say it's definitely worth watching unspoiled so I though why not and what unfolded was in many ways messed up, gory and just fantastic in every way, I just became more and more enthralled by this show as it went on with the last episode just being the best thing I have watched in so long I was almost transfixed to the screen as it was playing out, props to all the actors and people behind the screen that made this show they are all amazing. Also I believe at one point Verna does say that "she just had to come up and see what people were doing" or something like that, I sadly can't remember where this is said though.

[@j.chikara]

Definitely agree, thought exactly the same when I finished it

[@veronchad7756]

Yes, that was quite fascinating. It happens in the scene when she and Pym talk, the last episode.

[@katrpatter]

"I just had to come topside" or something like that... Great scene. Felt almost like a meeting between equals? Not that Pym is supernatural or anything, but that Verna respected him in a way that I don't think she did anyone else. I feel like he intuitively understood the way she operates, and declined a deal in a surprisingly gracious and self-aware way. (Especially given that he had just tried to murder her, lol.)

[@sholagrant5445]

Very similar to succession with the kid all trying to please their dad and all be very superficial. This included with the supernatural twist was perfect. Loved the show.

[@toofar2real]

​@@sholagrant5445my thoughts too watching it. Supernatural Sucession

[@MsNikkibuzz]

I enjoyed the show. It had me hooked. The acting was very good. Suspenseful and scary. Like the right type of jump scares. Really good.

[@SmilingLondoner]

Sad this was Flanagan's last Netflix series. He's a genius storyteller. I loved this show. Just finished. If I had to rank them... 1. Hill House 2. House of Usher 3. Midnight Mass 4. Bly manor 5. Midnight Club

[@advait35]

What do you mean, last series? He's not gonna make any more horror stories?

[@SmilingLondoner]

@advait35 not gonna work with netflix anymore :( his next show is for amazon and it isn't horror

[@evangelionl0vr857]

I agree with your ranking. This was the closest he got imo to Hill House’s greatness but it wasn’t as scary as hill house and because the main cast was supposed to be despicable it wasn’t as sad as hill house either. That’s what put Hill House over the top for me. I cried like a baby both at Theo’s depression monologue as well as at the reveal of the Bent Neck Lady being Nell. That latter scene was both incredibly sad and horrifying, I’ve never seen anything like it.

[@evangelionl0vr857]

Forgot to say the other part that gets me on hill house is when Nell gets lost during the storm and baby nell says “I was right here and no one could see me” when they show Nell’s ghost behind the family. It broke my heart.

[@clashofqueen93]

Midnight mass was such a good show.

[@trudiehoward2698]

Literally just finished watching it and this was the first review I saw. To say I loved it is an understatement. I’m ready to rewatch already and pick up on some more Easter eggs that I missed first time round. Till this midnight Mass was my favourite. So incredibly clever how much Poe’s work is tied into this……. Just absolutely loved it!

[@Mira-gu6we]

I honestly enjoyed the show. Especially verna. Like a dark, twisted fairytale.

[@i1mz]

Augie is based on the detective in The Murders in the Rue Morgue and Purloined Letter- C. Auguste Dupin. He’s also largely thought to be the inspiration behind Sherlock Holmes.

[@BlueTrain77]

The fact that the video author didn’t do a web search for the character’s inspiration is baffling to me. He’s such a key character in Poe’s work and the birth of modern detective fiction.

[@i1mz]

@@BlueTrain77 Yeah, it totally threw me as I always thought that was the most well known character of Poe’s.

[@darkhoursofday6250]

Just finished binging it. I have always been a huge Poe fan and this was a delight in every episode! The whole series was a love letter to the works of Poe.

[@DoloresJNurss]

Thanks--I missed a number of these. Here's some you missed. 1. In Poe's "The Casque of Amontillado", the man dressed as a jester is named Fortunato, and this happens to him because he repeatedly mocked the protagonist's family. Rufus Griswold (name's from a real-life Poe critic) repeatedly mocked the Usher twins for their illegitimacy and ridiculed their late mother for having them. 2. Augustus Dupin recurs in several Poe stories as a detective solving various crimes, which suits the Netflix character of the same name. 3. Although her name isn't found in Poe canon, Juno is clearly based on Hop-Toad. (Hop was old-fashioned slang for heroin, btw.) In Poe's story, Hop-Toad was a half-crippled, deformed dwarf, named for his odd gait and his original name forgotten, brought into a rich and powerful household as a jester for the whole court to make fun of. He was also, at one point, forced into intoxication against his will. He ultimately burns up his tormentors, and Juno burns up the Usher legacy by giving it all to charity. 4. "The Pit and the Pendulum" also contains Poe's story, "Bernice", This concerns a man obsessed with his wife Brenice's smile. She becomes sicker and sicker, slipping into cataplexy often. Presumed dead, she gets buried. He starts slipping into fugue states, himself, where he starts to have gaps in his memory. He comes to himself hearing people shout that his wife's grave has been opened and she has been found alive, and he becomes aware that his clothes are muddy, he has a shovel with him, and a bag of her teeth.

[@getdrippy4416]

A masterpiece. Mark Hamill and Carla Gugino give the best performances of their careers. I really thought Carla Gugino's character would be the one in the wall. I was delighted to be wrong lol. An absolute horror/drama show stopper. Shout out Mike fuckin Flanagan. 🔥💎❤️

[@getdrippy4416]

And shout out Heavy Spoilers for the spotlight on this.

[@kelleeboland4593]

Verna is Rumpelstiltskin. It didn’t occur to me until Madeline tried to renegotiate the terms and Verna struck it down with “the ink is dry.” Verna offered the Ushers what they always wanted - to go from rags to riches (straw to gold) by simply exchanging your first born or the end of your bloodline because at the time the desire to escape current struggles outweighs what is seemingly unfounded and unrealistic consequences. This show was so well done!

[@shannonreynolds624]

There are a TON of references to Poe's other works, esp the Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. There were references esp to The Black Cat, I saw several in their, The Raven, The Tell Tale Heart and several of his poems. It was great to watch something and be able to quote at least most of it.

[@thetiktokpenguin4343]

I just the big and little details dedicated to Edgar Allen Poe and his stories. Most of the characters and plotlines are from his work, with some more obscure works playing some part too. Like Freddie taking out Morrie’s teeth being a nod to the short story Berenice, where an obsessive man steals his dead wife’s teeth because the rest of her is deteriorated thanks to a fatal disease. Not to mention that Fortunato and its role in the opioid epidemic refers to Poe’s severe struggle with addiction, which was prevalent in a lot of his poems and stories. Can’t say the entire show was perfect, but it definitely read as a love letter to Poe in not just his works, but his life and struggles, too

[@MattPoe742]

Watching the show, Verna reminded me most of an Ancient Greek goddess or something. She likes to play with humans, tempt them, see them prosper, punish them, but she also has empathy and sympathy (with Lenore for example) and enjoys taking on the form of a raven

[@heavyspoilers]

Click here to get 20% off your first package of Goldbug - kzbin.info/door/q3hT5JPPKy87JGbDls_5BQ

[@lachlanpr8463]

The opening of the series was like a masterclass in establishing tension and unease and wholeheartedly agree that he's the best person working in the horror genre at the moment.

[@alexandraetienne9540]

Morella is also a short story by EAP and they used this one and "Berenice" to craft the character of Morrie in the series. Berenice gets her teeth pulled out (by her cousin who was obsessed with them) when she is thought to be dead and buried alive.

[@thushaniherath3098]

I think Verna is the subconscious guilt that we all have. As in Poe’s work, usually the deepest horror is the dark side of human mind and there is always the guilt that hunts you till the end.

[@shawny5574]

The haunting of hill house and fall of the house of usher are hands down the 2 best shows Mike has done. The rest were very mid other than the midnight club. I quite enjoyed that until I found out season 2 was cancelled 😂

[@Buffy8Fan]

Ravens are often associated with loss, ill omens, prophecy, insight, and even grief. So, I don't think it matters what Carla Gugino as Verna, a mysterious stranger from the Usher twins' past is. We just need to know whoever she was, she was The Raven from Edgar Allen Poe's famous poem, and therefore know her character is about loss, ill omens, prophecy, insight, and grief. And probably neither good or evil.

[@spurslegacy]

This series was *WAY* better than I expected it to be. Damn

[@treblemaker21]

Pym was inspired by a poe character of the same name. He stowed away in a whaling ship and saw the world. Very similar to how back story in the show. In the novel, he experienced mutiny, murder and cannibalism. The cool Easter egg is that the ship was called the Grampus- which was the nickname Lenore have Roderick.

[@samhall8880]

The mirror from Oculus also makes an appearance. Nice Easter egg 👌🏻

[@heavyspoilers]

Ah no way, I missed it, love that film too

[@esssteeaa]

And also the Ouija board from the Ouija: Origin of Evil. It's in Roderick and Madeline's room the night after they buried their mother.

[@mikeymcchoas3511]

What episode was the mirror in?

[@karlfoster3205]

Auguste Dupine is a recurring character in Poe’s detective works (which he at least helped popularise - if not outright create)

[@liamdamon]

Yes! Dupine was the detective who solves the mystery in The Murders in the Rue Morgue, where the killer is discovered to be a gorilla. The series uses a chimpanzee for the episode with that title.

[@sydryi3086]

this series ..... honestly don't know what to say it was bloody brilliant.

[@dbob3405]

The assistant being called Toby Dammit is clearly a reference to the 1968 movie that was a screen adaptation of several Poe stories directed by A-list directors. Toby Dammit is a character from the section directed by Fellini in which Terrance Stamp plays a dissolute actor named Toby Dammit

[@charnellalexander199]

Has anyone pointed out how each of Roderick's children represented 6 of the 7 deadly sins? Prospero = Lust. Camille = Anger (Verna literally asks her why she's always so angry) Leo = Sloth (just laying around playing video games and drinking) Victories = pride (She refused to admit her heart sleeve didn't work) Tamerlane = Envy (She was so jealous of Verna) Fredrick= Gluttony (He kept putting more and more drugs into his body) & finally Roderick himself represented Greed. This show was so well done!

[@journeysands2622]

I'm on episode 6 and I just realised Carla Gugino's character is straight up a crossroads demon.

[@ashiaku9864]

You miss a point. The Fall of the House of Usher was writted by Edger Allen Poe. He also wrote, the cask of amontillado, which a person buries a person who insulted them in the catacombs alive. But instead of cyanide, they just get him super drunk. The Count of Monte Cristo was also mentioned. I think the person who wrote this loves Edger Allen Poe or this is a love note to him. My favorite piece written by him was actually the Cask of Amontillado. It's so dark and disturbing. I think you can find a play of it on KZbin.

[@ndubitably]

I think every episode title (aside from the first) is the name of one of his stories.

[@ScottShedd123]

Also The Tell Tale Heart ❤️

[@L0rdjaggi]

binged in 2 days

[@AccordingtoJexi]

After watching your video it occurred to me another important message in this show. The way we treat drug addicts. We push them aside, blame them for their addictions, and view them as less then people. Junos character got in a car accident and was given a super high dose of meds with the understanding that it would be for life. When she discussed wanting to get off of it, they essentially tried to talk her out of it. She then spent a hard 3 years and fought for her own life back and then wanted to help others. She represents so many regular people and although her character is the one that represents the most real number of people, shes barely talked about.. She's the one who actually survives because although she seen as the one that's immoral she has the strongest moral compass out of all of them. She made normal people "bad" decisions. It's just another great aspect of the show

[@kittib3266]

This was posted 2 months ago, so I'm assuming that if I read through all the comments, someone has already said this. BUT, Dupin is from Poe's stories "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", "The Mystery of Marie Roget" and "The Purloined Letter". He's considered the first fictional detective in the first true detective story, since he appeared in print in 1841, 46 years before Sherlock Holmes. Almost EVERY major and even supporting character's name can be traced to a Poe story or poem. Even Juno is from the poem 'Eureka' where Juno is the name of one of the passing asteroids - passing by the earth, but not really connecting or affecting. Even the never-seen chemist who created ligadone is named from a Poe character. Flanagan really went deep for this series!!!

[@V-vk7vo]

Verna may be a character based on Laverna. In Roman mythology, Laverna was a goddess of thieves, cheats and the underworld. She was propitiated by libations poured with the left hand.

[@ButterCookie1984]

Just finished this series. I'm utterly speechless.❤

[@gregwickham9841]

Verna is not diabolical -- she shows empathy, deals on the up-and-up, and keeps her promises.

[@oyeaurashu]

Just finished one of the best show of this year.

[@OneWingedMaia]

I have a few characters you missed that are from Poe’s works. Prospero is the main character from Masque of the Red Death, Auguste is the detective from Murders at the Rue Morgue, and Frederick is from Metzengerstein. I’m sure there are more but those are the only ones I caught that you didn’t mention.

[@rowlaanbennett7296]

Never realized that’s the same little girl from ouija and Annabelle creation 😮 man time flys! I caught the oculus mirror on the wall in the “Deal making “ bar scene

[@noahstanley5891]

As always well done Paul. This series contained some of my favorite actors.

[@tk_wanderlust]

I'm in the middle of watching it and gosh darnit I am so convinced she's Some kind of Crossroads goddess (like the Morrigan). She gives each of them a chance, like she's there at the crossroads, showing them an alternative way. But, then each of them chooses their own fates. And with all the raven imagery, it just keeps seeming to me like she's the Morrigan. I'm freakin loving it so far!

[@tk_wanderlust]

Oooh, but now after I've finished it, I kinda think she's Fate or Karma, going through the ages dispensing karmic justice. And after an eternity of doing it, she likes to have a bit of fun with it 😅 And if she was Karma or Fate personified and been around for a while, then I could totally see her inspiring the mythology of the Morrigan lol.

[@tk_wanderlust]

But the ONE thing that gets me is....if she was just going to be killing the entire bloodline anyways, for the deal they made. Why give them all the choice before their deaths? If they had chosen a better path, would they have survived? What does that mean for Lenore though, then? Who didn't do anything and took the better path? I wonder what would have happened if any of the children had taken the better path before their deaths

[@drea2578]

​​@@tk_wanderlustthey would probably die peacefully without regrets like Lenore or like a simple natural death without being labeled as crazy and psychotic and without affecting the people around them. She did mentioned to Frederick that she would give him something like a simple death but he chose to torture his wife so she let him die slowly.

[@TheRealMoanmyname]

​​@@tk_wanderlust I think because that specific deal was made by their father. She was giving them a chance to at least save themselves. It wouldn't be fair to them that a deal was made to sacrifice them and they did not have a say in it. But just like the seven deadly sins, they had to live up to the names.

[@Lola-rn2jj]

Their fate was already chosen for them. But Verna did try to help them make choices that would determine how they died. For instance, Camilles' death was inevitable, but it could've happened another way, less horrific than being mauled by a chimpanzee. Actually, Verna was probably waiting for Victorine that night. That would make much more sense.

[@hannahmalaran9690]

The story reminds me so much of Dr. Faustus the man who sold his soul to the devil. He bargains his life to be powerful and the devil comes back years later to carry his soul away.

[@KicsiKittus]

Ancient Egypt is mentioned several times during the series. The raven symbolises the guide of souls to the afterlife in Egyptian mythology, so I think Verna might be that.

[@Kristine_202]

It was brilliant! Not that I'm surprised, Flanagan never misses. I'm torn. "Haunting of Hill House" will always be my #1, but "Midnight Mass" was a close second....Until now. "Usher" may take over the second spot. I have to give it some thought. I'm a Poe fan and have read almost everything he's ever written (I have my degree in English Lit, so it was a requirement), and I REALLY appreciated how much of his work that they used. At least this one didn't make me cry. (Although I was close during the last episode.) "Midnight Mass" had a scene that made me cry hysterically and the ending of "The Midnight Club" was almost too much to handle. I also love that he uses the same actors. I get very attached to them. LOL Some people would probably complain that he casts his wife in everything, but she's usually one of my favorite characters. I was so bummed that she died early, I wanted her to stick around longer.

[@RThyrring]

In some mythologies, the personification of Death and Fate is basically opposite sites of the same coin - which is definitelly what I got from the character of Verna / The Raven, as a metaphorical symbolic embodiment of both Death and Fate. Also, C. Auguste Lupin was a detective character created by Poe, which laid the groundwork for later detective stories including Sherlock Holmes.

[@jedodedo]

Frederick's wife Morella came from Edgar Allan Poe's short story "Morella" about the wife hated by the husband, fell ill but before she died, she gave birth to a daughter. Soon, her daughter grew up to be just like her mother and the husband soon found out that Morella's tomb is empty. The teeth thing came from his short story "Berenice".

[@cheekster777]

Thank you Paul.

[@nekograce7914]

I rewatched Hill House the other day and all I did was cry. Nothing was frightening any longer except for the bowler hat man (he is terrifying), because I’d been through it already. Now it’s just heartbreaking. But it’s definitely the one I go back to. I rewatched Bly as well and did not realize how many references to the window in the Red room there was.

[@LatimoreJacobes]

One thing I would like to point out is the resurrection of their mother Eliza in episode 1 and Madeline's episode 8 was in reference to "Lazarus and the Rich Man" a parable in the Christian bible. Each time they tried to entomb a loved one in the end they were resurrected. I believe this was because, in the end, they tried to live their lives like the Egyptians who worshiped material things and were buried with those material things because they wanted to take their riches with them to the afterlife in hopes it would gain them favor among the god Anubis. The whole moral of the story is worshiping and living for material possessions in one's life is seen as a waste of life to the divine. In the end, you cannot take earthly possessions with you they have no value to divine beings; the only things they value are your merits and your deeds. I would also like to point out that in Exodus God destroyed the Egyptian gods one by one by sending locusts, plagues, death, and frogs, and turning the Nile red with blood showing that God is more powerful and divine than each of the Egyptian Gods. In the end, the fall of the Ushers was because they worshiped not only material possessions but because they worshiped the wrong Gods. To me, I believe Verna does represent the Christian Devil while also simultaneously embodying death. Let me explain; when one forfeits their eternal soul to the devil for material possessions they perish for all eternity. Meaning instead of receiving the gift of eternal life from God they are instead tortured for all of their mortal sins and deeds for all of eternity. You hear this from Verna in episode 8 when she and Roderdrick are having their final conversation and she says "It's eternal". Most people would think that she is referring to his legacy when instead she is actually referring to the consequences of his actions and the decision he made to accept her deal. I would also like to point out that Madeline and Roderick had the option to actually do good with the deal Verna made with them; she said in episode 8 "I just want to see what you do or become" (loosely translated). They could've gone in a completely opposite direction but instead, they chose the easier route disregarding all value for human life. I LOVED THIS SHOW watched it damn near three times and I am not done analyzing it at all.

[@TheRMF1]

Someday, Flanagan will get the wider recognition he deserves. Ever since Hill House, I will watch everything he makes.

[@kellykelley2649]

She reminded me of the The Fates - they come up in Greek mythology and some Shakespeare .... she makes is clear when they ask her - when she offers them the deal - the sister says " what do you get our souls" .. she laughed and said no that is not me, not interested .. although you gave that up when you bricked up the wall" the fates stand out of time... they keep ones "fate" or they play with fate.... She looked like she was in pain when she "took" Ushers granddaughter .. she made sure to tell her all about her mother and the lives she saves ... she was gentle and quick. She didn't seem tied to heaven or hell as Death or Angel - but curious, interested .... I believed her when she told Mark Hamill (sp) that it was a pleasure to talk to him. He surprised her. ** So much Poe in all of it - way beyond Usher - as a Poe fan - I loved this.

[@carpetfire3060]

Mike Flanagan came out of no where for me and just kept coming out with masterpiece after masterpiece ! Always look forward to his shows every Halloween season, last few years has been nice to depend on them. One of my favorite all time story tellers.

[@tomlewis807]

Regarding Verna's identity, I see her more like a Fury from ancient Greek myth- the bird motif, stalking oath-breakers, carrying out multi-generational curses, fixation on justice, etc. Also, Fall of the House of Usher very much reads like a Greek tragedy with how the curse takes down every family member, so the Fury identity fits.

[@Loki_Yogi]

Being a big fan of poetry, I immediately picked up on all the Poe references. Plus, being a recovering opiate addict myself, this show really spoke to me on many different levels. 10/10 🙏