Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Fall of the House of Usher.

Summary

• The Fall of the House of Usher ranks below The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor in of scares and thrills.
• The Fall of the House of Usher is on par with The Midnight Club in delivering scares, but both focus more on storytelling than genuine scares.
• The Fall of the House of Usher has a more gothic and thematic horror, exploring themes of grief, guilt, morality, and the impact of material success and the opioid crisis.

Mike Flanagan has often been credited for creating some of the most compelling horror shows of modern times, but is his latest outing, Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House. Since then the showrunner has not only earned praise from the King of Horror, Stephen King, but has also created one hit horror series after another.

While some of his shows have acquired more critical acclaim and commercial profits than others, Flanagan has consistently proven that his ability to craft gripping horror shows is second to none. Owing to the director's impressive line of work, it is hard not to wonder if his take Edgar Allan Poe's works delivers what it promises. Hence, here is breakdown of where The Fall of the House of Usher ranks compared to other terrifying Mike Flanagan shows, especially when it comes to its scare factor.

House Of Usher Isn't As Scary As Flanagan's Haunting Or Midnight Mass Shows

The Fall of the House of Usher is Mike Flanagan's fifth foray into horror television after The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, and The Midnight Club. Given how each show created by the horror auteur adopts a unique tone and set of themes, it would be unfair to draw shallow comparisons between them. However, in of pure chills and thrills, The Fall of the House of Usher seemingly ranks below The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor since both shows in Mike Flanagan's Haunting series present well-timed jump scares and bone-chilling twists that perfectly capture the inescapable dread felt by their respective characters.

The Fall of the House of Usher is arguably a better overall series than The Midnight Club because, despite adopting a similar anthology format, it seems to have a better sense of continuity and even boasts a superior production value. However, when it comes to actual scares, The Fall of the House of Usher seems to be on par with The Midnight Club since both shows take Flanagan's "story within a story" framework more seriously than his previous outings but focus less on delivering genuine scares. Both shows also take a fair share of risks — while The Midnight Club pokes fun at jumpscares by including 21 of them in its first episode, The Fall of the House of Usher drops a multitude of subtle nods to Edgar Allan Poe's works.

While these risks give these shows a unique identity and allow them to stand out among other formulaic horror shows, they keep them relatively low on the terror spectrum. Midnight Mass, too, is arguably in the same league as The Midnight Club and The Fall of the House of Usher when actual scares are considered. However, Midnight Mass gets brownie points for its atmospheric setting and the shock factor of its chilling church scene that stays a viewer long after its credits start rolling.

The Fall Of The House Of Usher's Horror Is More Gothic & Thematic

Although all Mike Flanagan shows have gothic undertones, The Fall of the House of Usher enhances this element by depicting decaying settings and themes of the macabre surrounding grief, guilt, morality, and mortality. Netflix's The Fall of the House Usher also harps on humanity's primal fears with its depiction of body horror, which is not scary in the typical sense but can often leave viewers feeling uneasy and disgusted. Apart from that, The Fall of the House of Usher also draws more real-world allusions compared to other Mike Flanagan shows by painting a clear picture of the cost of achieving immeasurable material success and the impact and cause of the opioid crisis in the world.