There are dozens of contenders for the title of best horror TV show, from long-running classics to stylish modern thrillers. However, for many horror fans, committing to a full series – let alone multiple seasons – can be daunting. The genre thrives in a tight runtime, and it’s often easier to go for a 90-minute feature-length scare than a 30-hour journey.

Thankfully, one of the best horror TV shows of the last decade doesn’t require that kind of time. It tells a complete story in just eight tightly written episodes. Each chapter adds something essential, and by the time the finale hits, everything ties together with brutal clarity. It’s one of the most digestible, satisfying horror stories ever made for the small screen.

It also comes from Mike Flanagan, one of the greatest minds working in horror TV today. With a 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a blend of gothic visuals, social commentary, and unforgettable characters, The Fall of the House of Usher should be considered essential viewing for every modern horror fan.

The Fall Of The House Of Usher Is One Of The Best Horror Shows In Recent Memory

A Twisted Gothic Tale Of Family, Legacy, And Death That Hits Hard In Just Eight Episodes

2023’s The Fall of the House of Usher is a horror TV show that reimagines the works of Edgar Allan Poe into a modern, bloody, and wildly inventive story about a powerful, corrupt family. It centers on Roderick Usher (Bruce Greenwood), the CEO of a pharmaceutical empire, as his adult children start dying under increasingly bizarre and violent circumstances.

Each episode focuses on a different member of the Usher family, showcasing their dark secrets, personal downfalls, and the eerie figure known as Verna (Carla Gugino), who seems to appear at every major turning point. Her presence is deeply connected to a haunting deal made in the past – one that might be catching up to the entire bloodline.

The Fall of the House of Usher doesn’t just borrow from Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher.” It draws heavily from his entire literary canon, including “The Raven,” “The Masque of the Red Death,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” and more. The references to Edgar Allan Poe aren’t just surface-level nods – they’re intricately woven into the structure and themes of the show.

What makes The Fall of the House of Usher one of the best horror TV shows of the 2020s is how it blends classical gothic horror with modern critiques of power, greed, and moral decay. It’s sharp, fast-paced, and viciously effective. The blood and body horror are brutal, but the emotional weight is what hits hardest.

How The Fall Of The House Of Usher Compares To Mike Flanagan’s Other Netflix Shows

Flanagan’s Final Netflix Series Is His Darkest, Sharpest, And Most Complete Work

Mike Flanagan’s horror TV career on Netflix began with 2018’s The Haunting of Hill House, a deeply emotional ghost story that redefined horror on the small screen. It was followed by The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, and The Midnight Club. All were ambitious, character-driven, and filled with philosophical dread. However, The Fall of the House of Usher is the culmination of all those ideas, sharpened into something more focused – and more ferocious.

While Hill House explored grief through family trauma and ghostly hauntings, and Bly Manor used gothic romance to tackle love and loss, The Fall of the House of Usher is all about punishment. It’s a morality tale drenched in gore, with characters who know they’re damned but keep digging deeper. There’s no redemption arc – just judgment.

Compared to Midnight Mass, which took its time building a tight-knit community before unleashing its horror, Usher dives into chaos from the start. It doesn’t linger on sentiment or backstory unless it’s essential to understanding the eventual downfall. It’s leaner, meaner, and more biting than anything Flanagan’s done before.

2022’s The Midnight Club, Flanagan’s most recent series before The Fall of the House of Usher, played with anthology-style horror and emphasized hope, even in the face of death. Usher, by contrast, revels in its darkness. Its message is clear: actions have consequences, and some sins can’t be washed away.

Stylistically, it’s also Flanagan’s most confident work. The editing is slick, the performances are razor-sharp, and the dialogue blends literary flair with raw emotional power. His regular collaborators – Carla Gugino, Kate Siegel, Henry Thomas, Rahul Kohli, and others – deliver some of their best work as part of The Fall of the House of Usher cast too.

For fans seeking the best horror TV shows, The Fall of the House of Usher is the crown jewel of Flanagan’s Netflix catalog. It combines all of his signature elements – guilt, grief, addiction, mortality – into a show that’s ruthlessly smart and impossibly bingeable.

All Of Mike Flanagan’s Horror Shows On Netflix Are Worth Checking Out

Each Of Flanagan’s Series Adds Something Unique To The Modern Horror TV Landscape

Even though The Fall of the House of Usher is arguably Mike Flanagan’s most complete and aggressive horror story, every series he made for Netflix is worth watching. These aren’t just some of the best horror TV shows in recent memory – they’re some of the most emotionally complex and thematically rich shows on any platform.

The Haunting of Hill House is a modern classic. Its ghost story is terrifying, but it’s the exploration of grief and family trauma that truly makes it great. The Haunting of Bly Manor, while quieter, is equally affecting. It uses gothic horror to reflect on memory, love, and letting go.

Midnight Mass takes a bolder swing. It’s less about traditional scares and more about existential dread. Religion, addiction, and death collide in a small-town setting that builds to one of the most jaw-dropping climaxes in horror television.

Even The Midnight Club, aimed at a younger audience, is loaded with depth. It juggles multiple horror stories while focusing on terminally ill teens facing mortality. It’s tender, eerie, and full of surprises.

Mike Flanagan’s talent lies in combining fear with feeling. These aren’t just shows to scream at – they’re shows that linger, challenge, and reward. For anyone exploring the best horror TV shows of the 2020s, his work is absolutely essential viewing.