Stephen King has a lore all on his own when it comes to what directors he’ll allow to bring his books to on-screen life. After trainwrecks early in his adaptation career (we’re looking at you Stanley Kubrick), the author has understandably kept filmmakers interested in turning his novels into cinematic projects on a tight leash. While he’s never come right out and said it, you’d be hard-pressed to find a helmer more on King’s wavelength than Mike Flanagan who has found success in turning numerous works of the writer’s into theatrical productions. But now, King is flipping the tables and giving late (albeit well-earned) praise to Flanagan for a series that he adapted from a different author — The Fall of the House of Usher.
With a 91% critics’ approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the miniseries is one of the best pairings between Flanagan and Netflix. Serving as an adaptation of the story of the same name by Edgar Allan Poe, the title came out two years ago in 2023, with King admitting that he’s just jumping on-board and falling in love with it now. In a recent X post, the legendary genre author wrote:
“THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER (Netflix): I missed this when it bowed due to hip surgery, but this is a case of delayed gratification. Scary, involving, with writing that’s witty and moves the plot. There’s a case to be made for Mike Flanagan being the Quentin Tarantino of horror.”
Not only does Flanagan’s The Fall of the House of Usher turn Poe’s titular short story into a dark and haunting series, but it also weaves in other tales from the author’s lengthy catalogue, including The Masque of the Red Death and The Murders in the Rue Morgue. As we’ve come to expect from Flanagan’s works, numerous familiar faces fill the sprawling ensemble for what would be his final series pairing with Netflix, including Kate Siegel, Rahul Kohli, Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood, Zach Gilford, Mark Hamill, Mary McDonnell, Willa Fitzgerald, Samantha Sloyan, Henry Thomas, T’Nia Miller, and more.
Mike Flanagan’s Ongoing Collaborations with Stephen King
Flanagan and King first worked alongside one another through the 2017 Gugino and Greenwood-led Netflix film, Gerald’s Game, which served as an adaptation of the latter’s 1992 novel of the same name. From there, they joined forces once again on the severely underrated Ewan McGregor and Rebecca Ferguson-led The Shining sequel, Doctor Sleep, and, most recently, the incredibly heartfelt The Life of Chuck. Next, audiences will tune into Prime Video where Flanagan plans to put a unique series spin on one of King’s most beloved classics — Carrie.
Head over to Netflix now to stream Flanagan’s The Fall of the House of Usher.
