Yahoo News Fall Of The House Of Usher Creator Responds To Viewers' Complaints About 1 Grisly Scene
Carla Gugino as the mysterious Verna in episode two of The Fall Of The House Of Usher
Warning: This article contains spoilers for Netflix’s The Fall Of The House Of Usher.
The storyline of The Fall Of The House Of Usher may rely on a quick succession of gruesome deaths, but one in particular has left fans demanding an explanation.
Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s short story of the same name, Netflix’s new gothic horror TV miniseries stars Carla Gugino, Mark Hamill, Kate Siegel and Bruce Greenwood, and follows two siblings looking to secure their future and build a family dynasty before (spoiler alert), the heirs die off one by one.
Creator Mike Flanagan, who previously directed The Haunting Of Hill House and The Haunting Of Bly Manor, is often inspired by the works of American writer and poet Edgar Allan Poe.
His shows are known for their dark, twisted horror and terrifying jump scares, along with Mike’s integration of gothic elements from the author’s oeuvre – including the deaths.
But one death in particular left fans beside bereft, leading Mike to reveal a detail that most viewers missed.
— Netflix (@netflix) October 13, 2023
After the demise of Pluto the cat, one viewer wrote to the director on X (previously known as Twitter): “WHAT DID CATS EVER DO TO YOU???”
Mike replied: “Okay. So... The Black Cat was written by Edgar Allan Poe. In HIS version, a cat is killed. In MY version, the cat is... (spoilers)...”
He continued: “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.”
Okay. So... "The Black Cat" was written by Edgar Allan Poe. In HIS version, a cat is killed. In MY version, the cat is...
(spoilers)
... 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? :) https://t.co/3EyukDXiYB— Mike Flanagan (@flanaganfilm) October 12, 2023
Another fan then responded to this asking for clarification from the director about exactly when it’s revealed that Pluto’s death was a hallucination.
Mike insisted: “That’s why we made such a big deal about the fact that Pluto was wearing a Gucci collar, and the new cat was not.
“Look at the cat in the final shot of the episode, who is wearing the collar... and the empty bathtub, which means ALL of the animal violence was imagined.”
The series heavily borrows elements from various Edgar Allan Poe tales, including The Black Cat, The Raven, The Tell-Tale Heart and The Murders in Rue Morgue.
If you’re confused by the ending of The Fall Of The House Of Usher, you can find it unpacked and explained here.
