Taking inspiration from Edgar Allan Poe’s stories, Netflix has released its newest gothic horror, The Fall of the House of Usher. Starring Bruce Greenwood, this mini-series was aired in October 2023.
The plot centers on Roderick Usher, the head of the Usher family, who’s the CEO of Fortunato Pharmaceuticals. Along with his twin Madeline, Roderick made sure that the Ushers were the richest around, even if it meant killing innocent people, committing fraud, and hiding the results of their drug research.
Roderick’s somewhat peaceful life faces the risk of ending after he starts seeing a mysterious stranger named Verna everywhere. One by one, all of Roderick’s children start dying in brutal and unexpected ways, urging Roderick to come clean about his past.
Besides Bruce Greenwood as Roderick, the cast includes Carla Gugino playing Verna, Mary McDonnell as Madeline, Henry Thomas playing Frederick, Kate Siegel as Camille, Rahul Kohli as Napoleon, Samantha Sloyan as Tamerlane, Victorine is played by T’Nia Miller and Sauriyan Sapkota as Perry (Prospero).
The Fall of The House of Usher: Filming Locations
With cinematographer Michael Fimognari, filming for Fall of The House of Usher began in January 2022, with it wrapping up by early July of the same year. Major filming for this Mike Flanagan series took place in British Columbia, Canada.
Vancouver, British Columbia:
Known for its laidback atmosphere and scenic views, Vancouver is a popular filming destination for many movies and TV shows. Places like the Holy Rosary Cathedral can be spotted early on in the House of Usher.
Located in the Downtown part of Vancouver, this is a late 19th-century church that has stunning gothic architecture. We also see scenes of Roderick Usher and his family at the church in a few episodes.
Holy Rosary Cathedral’s beautifully intricate architecture makes it a perfect place for shooting scenes for a gothic horror like House of Usher.
While shooting for this Mike Flanagan show seems to have been reserved mostly at the studio, we do see other Vancouver streets and buildings pop up once in a while.
Besides House of Usher, Vancouver was used as a filming location for projects like Totally Killer, Supernatural, Goosebumps (2023), and Prison Break. The Haunting of Hill House, which is another work by Mike Flanagan, also happened to be shot in Vancouver.
The Bridge Studios, Burnaby, British Columbia:
Located at 2400 Boundary Road, Burnaby, The Bridge Studios is a go-to spot for filming any kind of movie or series in Canada. With almost 15 acres of free space, it easily offers a large blank slate for producers and crews to operate in.
The name of the studio comes from the previous owners of the place, which was the Dominion Bridge Company, a steel bridge construction workplace. Once they left the building in the 1970s, it was permanently converted to a movie studio by 1987.
Since then, The Bridge Studios has served as a filming location for many movies, including Once Upon A Time, Yellowjackets, The Midnight Club, and It. Most of House of Usher’s scenes have been filmed entirely at these studios.
Flanagan is known for always keeping his cast and filming locations similar, which is why The House of Usher and The Haunting of Hill House share so many filming locations.
Fall Of The House Of Usher: About The Mini-series
While this series is loosely inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s work, it is Mike Flanagan’s brilliant storytelling skills that make House of Usher a show worthy of appreciation. Roderick Usher, the CEO of the corrupt Fortunato Pharmaceuticals, has to face his past after a series of grim and mysterious events start killing his heirs one by one.
The events of Roderick’s life are shown through a confession that he gives to C. Auguste Dupin, an attorney who wants to give justice to all of the victims of the Usher family. Fighting for the Ushers is Arthur Pym, a family attorney who’s played by the Luke Skywalker actor Mark Hamill.
What forces Roderick to reveal his wrongful doings is a woman named Verna, who seems to be an incarnation of death itself. Almost all of the characters of House of Usher are inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s stories, although this mini-series takes a more entertaining and interesting approach, owing to Flanagan’s creativity.
For now, all episodes of The Fall of The House of Usher are available to watch on Netflix globally.
