"Terrifying and Gripping": Stephen King Rarely Praises TV Shows, But He Called This One a Horror Masterpiece

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Stephen King rarely makes public viewing recommendations, but when he praises a horror series, his endorsement is definitely worth taking seriously.

That's exactly what happened with Mike Flanagan's "The Fall of the House of Usher" — a Netflix project that the writer called "scary, gripping" and even compared the director to Quentin Tarantino.

A Poe-style story with a modern twist

The plot revolves around Roderick Usher — owner of a pharmaceutical empire whose six children die one by one. Meeting with lawyer Auguste Dupin, he tells how the family found itself in a deadly trap.

Each episode is a reimagined story from Edgar Allan Poe's original tales, woven into the overall narrative. Flanagan uses the writer's dark motifs but adds satire and family drama.

Critics are raving

On Rotten Tomatoes, the series boasts an impressive 91% "fresh" rating, while viewers rate it 7.9 on IMDb.
The Fall of the House of Usher trailer
Publications are competing to write that "The Fall of the House of Usher" is one of Netflix's best horror projects. The Mercury News called it "one of the platform's most chilling and spectacular series," while IGN noted its "maximally dark and modern reimagining of Poe."

Why the Tarantino comparison

wrote about the series on his X account: "Scary, gripping, with a witty script that keeps you on edge. You could say Mike Flanagan is the Quentin Tarantino of horror."

While King doesn't directly explain why he compares the director to Tarantino, we can assume the writer saw in Flanagan's work the same boldness as in the films of "Kill Bill" creator: authorial style, unconventional structure, and the ability to deconstruct genres.
Writer Stephen King in glasses and red shirt smiling, on the right a man stands next to an old house
Stephen King and a frame from The Fall of the House of Usher
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Instead of cheap jump scares, viewers get a tragedy about a destroyed family, where behind every dinner and every confession lies a new betrayal.

Viewer reaction

In their IMDb reviews, viewers admit they expected a simple adaptation of the classic but got much more. Many note unexpected twists, brutal scenes, and philosophical undertones. Some call the project "the best tribute to Poe," while others acknowledge the series' slow pace but admit this deliberate pacing makes the atmosphere maximally oppressive.

"The Fall of the House of Usher" isn't your typical Netflix horror. It's more of an intellectual thriller with gothic overtones that shows the real evil in this story isn't ghosts — it's greed and vanity. Earlier on zoomboola.com, we explained why Stephen King is praising the horror film "Weapons."