The Fall of the House of Usher (2023) Character Guide
A cast and character guide to Mike Flanagan’s “The Fall of the House of Usher,” now streaming on Netflix.
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This is a character guide for Netflix’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” with character descriptions, quotes, names of actors, and more.
Please Note: This content contains pertinent spoilers; descriptions are updated as new information is presented; images are changed as better ones are captured; and this is not an exhaustive list of every cast member, guest star, or recurring role.
“The Fall of the House of Usher” General Information
| Network(s) | Netflix |
| Genre(s) | Horror |
| Created By | Mike Flanagan |
| Based On | Edgar Allan Poe stories, like “The Fall of the House of Usher,” “The Raven,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” and more |
| First Aired | October 12, 2023 |
| Executive Produced By | Trevor Macy, Mike Flanagan, Michael Fimognari, Emmy Grinwis |
| Showrunner | Mike Flanagan |
Synopsis
“The Fall of the House of Usher” combines different Edgar Allan Poe stories and puts them in a modern setting of corruption, sex, scandal, and plenty of murder. The horror mystery is told by Roderick Usher, the billionaire CEO of a corrupt pharmaceutical company who is also haunted by his grim and gory past. Mr. Usher reveals his sins and terrors to an attorney who seeks to prosecute him. Each episode takes place in the current year and features flashbacks from Roderick and his sister’s past. As Roderick Usher continues to talk, we learn how each of his six children met their mysterious and brutal deaths.
Groups and Organizations
- Fortunato Pharmaceuticals (Episode Introduced: 1.1): The title of Usher’s pharmaceutical company and empire that is arguably responsible for the addiction and deaths of millions of people. Roderick started the company in honor of his ill mother and as a way to change the world.
Other Noteworthy Information
Each episode is named after an Edgar Allan Poe story.
Series creator Mike Flanagan utilizes many actors from his past productions like “The Haunting of Bly Manor,” “Midnight Mass,” and “The Midnight Club.”
Episode Listing
Notable Episodes
- 1.1 “A Midnight Dreary”: The introduction to the Usher Empire, the family, and the murder.
- 1.2 “The Masque of the Red Death”: Demonstrates the murder of one of the children and introduces the mystery behind Verna.
- 1.8 “The Raven”: The End
Season 1
| Episode Number and Title | ||
| Episode 1: A Midnight Dreary | Episode 2: The Masque of the Red Death | Episode 3: Murder in the Rue Morgue |
| Episode 4: The Black Cat | Episode 5: The Tell-Tale Heart | Episode 6: Goldbug |
| Episode 7: The Pit and the Pendulum | Episode 8: The Raven | |
Roderick Usher (Bruce Greenwood)
A rich, calculating, and often ruthless businessman and father. Roderick pushes his children to earn the name Usher, a name he fought hard to build into a billion-dollar pharmaceutical corporation. Roderick parents as if he is running a business and often cares more about his stock prices than the health of his kids. Yet Roderick’s world crumbles as his children die one by one, and the horrors of his past come back to haunt him.
Additional Information
- Introduced In:1.1 “A Midnight Dreary”
- The actor is also known for their role in “St. Elsewhere,” their role in “Being Julia,” and their role in “Doctor Sleep.” Greenwood also voices Batman in a variety of animated projects.
Quotes
“We’re at battle stations; I’m the commanding officer; I don’t want to hear anything but, ‘Sir, yes, sir.’ You get me?”
Madeline Usher (Mary McDonnell)
Roderick’s twin sister, who can be just as cunning and ruthless. As children and young adults, Madeline is more pragmatic and prepared to fight dirty to get what they want. While Roderick is interested in advancements in medicine, Madeline is more invested in technological advancements. Both siblings make a promise to themselves to change the world.
Additional Information
- Introduced In: 1.1 “A Midnight Dreary”
- The actor is also known for their role in “Dances with Wolves,” their role in “Independence Day,” and their role in “Donnie Darko.”
Frederick Usher (Henry Thomas)
As Roderick’s eldest child, Frederick is next in line to inherit his father’s business and wealth. Frederick takes on the appearance of a family with a wife and child, but Frederick also has a nasty temper, and when he’s forced to take responsibility, he cracks under pressure.
Additional Information
- Introduced In: 1.1 “A Midnight Dreary”
- The actor is also known for their role in “E.T. The Extra Terrestrial,” their role in “The Haunting of Hill House,” and their role in “Doctor Sleep.”
Tamerlane Usher (Samantha Sloyan)
As Roderick’s eldest daughter, Tamerlane is focused on a fitness empire with her husband. She’s determined to launch her new fitness product and schedules every moment of her day. Even her orgasms and her special kink of watching her husband roleplay with a proxy version of her are scheduled. But as her launch day approaches, her marriage becomes rockier.
Additional Information
- Introduced In: 1.1 “A Midnight Dreary”
- The actor is also known for their role in “Midnight Mass,” their role in “Scandal,” and their role in “Grey’s Anatomy.”
Quotes
“You are a face; you’re not a mouthpiece, so just smile and shut the fuck up.”
Victoria LaFourcade (T’Nia Miller)
Victoria is Roderick’s eldest illegitimate child. She’s a supposed gifted surgeon who is willing to take moral and ethical shortcuts to succeed in medical advancements. When Victoria finds a human subject willing to test a new pumping heart mechanism, she becomes blinded by her potential success.
Additional Information
- Introduced In: 1.1 “A Midnight Dreary”
- The actor is also known for their role in “Witless,” their role in “Years and Years,” and their role in “The Haunting of Bly Manor.”
Camille L’Espanaye (Kate Siegel)
Another one of Roderick’s illegitimate children, Camille is media-savvy and responsible for the Usher family’s image. She understands the importance of public perception but cannot fully grasp human interaction, as she only interacts with assistants who obey her every word.
Additional Information
- Introduced In: 1.1 “A Midnight Dreary”
- The actor is also known for their role in “Oculus,” their role in “Hush,” and their role in “Midnight Mass.”
Quotes
“You start thinking any of this is reality; you start sinking into the abyss.”
Leo Usher (Rahul Kohli)
A self-centered playboy, drug dealer, and video game producer. Leo only met his father at age 18, has no strong connection with most of his siblings, and is willing to lose his inheritance. But Leo enjoys his celebrity status more than the others and uses his money to get anyone or anything he pleases.
Additional Information
- Introduced In: 1.1 “A Midnight Dreary”
- The actor is also known for their role in “iZombie,” their role in “The Haunting of Bly Manor,” and their role in “Midnight Mass.”
Prospero Usher (Sauriyan Sapkota)
The youngest, wildest, and most reckless of the Usher children. Prospero enjoys drugs, parties, and orgies, and wants to be known for throwing the most elite parties. Prospero often feels like an outcast for being an illegitimate child, but he’s eager to prove himself as the future of the Usher empire.
Additional Information
- Introduced In: 1.1 “A Midnight Dreary”
Quotes
“Nobody sucks or fucks until the rain starts.”
C. Auguste Dupin (Carl Lumbly)
A lawyer and prosecutor of the Usher family, Dupin has been seeking to incarcerate Roderick Usher for decades. They may at some point have been allies, so while Dupin and Roderick have respect for each other, they are also each other’s foes.
Additional Information
- Introduced In: 1.1 “A Midnight Dreary”
- The actor is also known for their role in “Doctor Sleep” and their role in “Justice League: Unlimited.”
Arthur Pymm (Mark Hamill)
Arthur is Roderick’s right-hand man, muscle, and attorney. He does anything the family requests of him. Arthur is a soldier ready to go to war for the Ushers every minute of every day.
Additional Information
- Introduced In: 1.1, “A Midnight Dreary”
- The actor is also known for their role in “Star Wars” and voicing The Joker in various animated Batman projects.
Verna (Carla Gugino)
A mysterious stranger that the Usher twins meet at a bar on New Year’s Eve. Verna haunts the family decades later. She moves as a supernatural spirit that teases and torments each Usher child.
Additional Information
- Introduced In: 1.1, “A Midnight Dreary”
- The actor is also known for their role in “Watchmen,” their role in “The Haunting of Hill House,” and their role in “Spy Kids.”
Quotes
“There are always consequences. Take you, for instance. Someone, a long time ago, made a little decision, then another, then a big one, then one of absolutely no importance. And then by and by, you were born.”
