The project is described as an epic tale of greed, horror and tragedy. Poe’s short story “The Fall of the House of Usher”, which serves as the basis for the show, features themes of madness, family, isolation and identity. The modern re-telling of the Edgar Allan Poe story also draws on other Poe works.
The synopsis for the series reads: “In this wicked 8-episode limited series based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe, ruthless siblings Roderick and Madeline Usher have built Fortunato Pharmaceuticals into an empire of wealth, privilege and power. But past secrets come to light when the heirs to the Usher dynasty start dying at the hands of a mysterious woman from their youth.”
The ensemble cast includes Carla Gugino (Gerald’s Game, The Haunting of Hill House), Mary McDonnell (Scream 4), Carl Lumbly (Doctor Sleep), and Mark Hamill. Gugino told Tudum.com last year during production, “It’s batshit crazy in the best possible way. It has quite a lot of very dark humor, but also really touches the soul.”
The series also stars Michael Trucco, T’Nia Miller, Paola Nuñez, Henry Thomas, Kyleigh Curran, Samantha Sloyan, Rahul Kohli, Kate Siegel, Sauriyan Sapkota, Zach Gilford, Willa Fitzgerald, Katie Parker, Malcolm Goodwin, Crystal Balint, Aya Furukawa, Daniel Jun, Matt Biedel, Ruth Codd, Annabeth Gish, Igby Rigney and Robert Longstreet.
Mike Flanagan and Michael Fimognari each directed four episodes of the series. Netflix has announced the series will premiere on October 12th, 2023.
