This post contains spoilers forThe Fall of the House of Usherand other Mike Flanagan works.
Ad content continues below
Theres still time, coos Verna after removing her mask.
When Prospero asks what she means, Verna responds, Time to stop this.
Everything has consequences, she promises.
The Fall of the Trauma Horror Genre
The 2022 surprise hitSmilehas an irresistible visual hook.
Before meeting their doom, victims develop a crooked smile, aggressive and menacing in its insistence on happiness.
But instead of trusting the metaphor to do its work,Smileinsists upon pounding audiences with its themes.
Americas national sins crept into tales about Indian burial grounds and the unconquerable King Kong.
But these movies work because they never skimp on the horror when telling stories about trauma.
Too many modern horror movies use trauma as a shortcut to quality.
Take the aforementioned scene inSmile.
Finn shoots the oner with total control, moving the camera gracefully along the key elements of the room.
Its handsomely lit and well-framed, supported by Cristobal Tapia de Veers unsettling score.
Even the jump scare with the ringing phone startles us.
But whats the point?
These techniques use the language of horror to tell us that Rose still hasnt processed her mothers suicide.
Not only does this approach fail to say anything worthwhile about mental illness, but it cheapens the scares.
Shirley wants to know why Theo tried to seduce her husband and stays steadfastly on the subject.
I needed… Theo stumbles, trying to explain.
I couldnt see him, if that makes any sense.
You just dont know what Im dealing with, Theo continues, but Shirley isnt having it.
Weve all been dealing, she barks.
And we somehow managed not to fuck each others spouses.
The argument roars louder, with each sister willfully misreading the other.
Suddenly, a ghostly visage juts from the backseat and roars, her scream distorting on the soundtrack.
This jump scare works to upsetHouseviewers, but not just because a loud noise startles us.
It works because Flanagan integrates the scare into the conversation and into the series overall themes.
Flanagan approaches all his scares to meld theme and form.
Each and every one of these scares involves trauma in some way.
But they remain scares that work out of context and grow more rich and chilling within context.
His victims have opportunities for repentance and ways to show grace to one another, even within their hurt.
Dans trauma hurts him.
It costs him most of his adult existence and cuts his life short.
All eight episodes ofThe Fall of the House of Usherare available to stream on Netflix now.
