The Fall Of The House Of Usher: The Masque Of The Red Death Explained
Contains spoilers for Season 1, Episode 2 of The Fall of the House of Usher
Mike Flanagan has done it again with the critically acclaimed "The Fall of the House of Usher." A daring and increasingly unsettling take on some of the most famous tales and poems by legendary horror scribe Edgar Allen Poe, the Netflix horror series rivals Flanagan's best work in previous efforts like "The Haunting of Hill House," "Doctor Sleep," and "Midnight Mass."
However, for those who are less familiar with Poe's writings, some of the stories and references can easily go over their heads. This may be the case with "The Masque of the Red Death," a chilling classic story from the macabre author that explores the hubris of the wealthy and entitled and, much like "The Fall of the House of Usher" itself, takes particularly nasty glee in handing them their comeuppance.
The story follows Prospero, who is played by Sauriyan Sapkota of "The Midnight Club" in "The Fall of the House of Usher," as he and his fellow nobles hide from the Red Death, a disease that is currently ravaging Europe. As the uncaring upper crust has an extravagant ball while those outside die horrifically, an unexpected visitor comes to join them in their festivities: the Red Death itself.
Things end much the same for those in Poe's original story
When a masquerade attendee appears dressed as a victim of the Red Death, Prospero flies into a rage and threatens to have them killed for their insolence. However, when Prospero finally catches the masked figure and reveals their identity, he dies instantly, and the Red Death itself infects everyone who is attending the ball, forcing them to die the same agonizing death as those outside their safe haven.
This story is mirrored pretty closely in the second episode of "The Fall of the House of Usher." As we eventually learn, the Usher family made billions from the opioid crisis and have very much been living high on the hog off of the misery of millions of dead as a result.
This seems to be the parallel when Prospero Usher has his decadent sex rave in "The Fall of the House of Usher," as a red-robed figure in a death mask arrives with a foreboding sense of dread. Sure enough, it is revealed that the old property is a place where the Usher pharmaceutical company was storing a dangerous chemical in its water tank, and when the sprinklers are activated, everyone is showered in the chemical and dies. The message for the Usher family is very much the same as in "The Masque of the Red Death." You can't celebrate while the less privileged are dying without it eventually catching up to you.