As Halloween approaches, the quest for spine-chilling shows is at its peak.
Netflix, with its vast collection of horror content, presents The Fall of the House of Usher as a fresh offering this season. Created by Mike Flanagan and inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s 1839 masterpiece, the series is drawing massive attention, not all of which is for its gripping storyline.
The eight-episode drama showcases Roderick Usher, a corrupt pharmaceutical magnate, grappling with the horrifying deaths of his children. With a commendable 91 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, the series appears to be hitting all the right notes.
However, critics have been quick to applaud the nuanced adaptation. "Poe’s narratives and Gothic conventions provide the skeleton of the show...," praises the Financial Times, emphasizing the show's strong thematic undertones.
Check out the trailer for The Fall of the House of Usher:The Chicago Sun-Times adds to the chorus, stating, "There are numerous scenes that elicit instant goosebumps..."
But there's a twist. A specific scene from the series has stirred up a storm on social media platforms, especially on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
The particular episode in the limelight is 'The Black Cat,' which dives into the mysterious death of Leo Usher, Roderick's third child. The episode, intertwined with themes of cat adoptions, mysterious gifts of dead rats, and an intense mutilation scene, has caused some viewers to raise alarms.
One disturbed viewer tweeted, "This is the only thing I’ll say about The Fall of the House of Usher so far, but what does Mike Flanagan have against cats, my guy, stop it."
Others cautioned potential viewers, with sentiments like, "If u have a severe reaction to cat abvse/cat d3ath/lots of g0ry imagery of cats dont watch House of Usher btw."
To put an end to the spiraling controversy, Mike Flanagan stepped in to clear the air. In his clarifying tweet on X, he explained, "In MY version, the killing of the cat is revealed to be a hallucination. In MY version, the cat is alive and well. So who hates cats?"
Flanagan, seemingly eager to absolve himself of any cat vendetta, emphasized that the traumatic cat scene was a mere hallucination.
The series, while earning accolades for its chilling atmosphere and robust plotline, clearly is not for the faint-hearted. And for those sensitive to specific themes, viewer discretion is heavily advised.
This Halloween, as you choose your horror fix, The Fall of the House of Usher stands out as a remarkable, yet intense, contender.
