The Fall of the House of Usher

This is my commentary on a new show that is streaming. The title is the same as a movie from the 1960s with Vincent Price.

I thought I had found a new series to watch.

When I was young, we went to the movie theater to see horror movies - The Pit and the Pendulum, Premature Burial, and The Fall of the House of Usher were some of them. Vincent Price was the king of horror movies, and Ray Milland was the star of many. It was long ago, and I don't remember all the details of the movies. One major scene in The Pit and the Pendulum remains with me - Elizabeth locks herself in the Iron Maiden, and you see her eyes peeking out, the spikes inside the device inches from her eyes.

I loved The Outer Limits and Twilight Zone on TV. Sometimes, I viewed scary movies alone, in the dark, as a pre-teen. I'm still not frightened easily; I can be startled, but movies that people think are scary I many times find ridiculous. We watched The Ring movie with another couple who did find it scary, but I was laughing as she came out of the well.

When the name of a new series caught my attention, I tried it out: The Fall of the House of Usher, a series. I loved the first episode and evil incarnate in the family. The different characters were intriguing, and the new version is based on a family-run pharmaceutical company (sound familiar?).

No matter what research failures the family company soldiered on, the almighty dollar is the most important thing, and the family business had to be protected at all costs.

The show devolved from there. I wanted to see the characters continue their rich conversations and the plans to find out who ratted them out; please give me more of the scheming and conniving against one another. Show us the richness and depth of the family members.

Apparently, the writers felt that the viewers needed extreme sex scenes. Okay. Sex sells. Violence sells. Great. But it was not just anything for these particular writers. Nope, it was over-the-top, continuous, anything you can think of, and can get past the censors without being labeled an adult film.

I became bored and ran the show ahead, but my interest didn't peak again.

So, I wrote this.

I am neither a TV critic nor a prude, yet I value my time and feel the show wasted it.

When a bunch of us tried to watch the touted and Academy Award-winning movie "Everything, Everywhere All at Once," it became so weird we shut it off. I tried, I really did; I didn't turn it off immediately when it became weird. We kept watching for a bit but were done when the fingers came out. It was just crazy and nonsensical - the general consensus of all I asked. People younger than me didn't see the movie's point or understand the Academy accolades either.

I have found over the years that frequently when a movie has many rave reviews from critics, it will not be one that I like. What do they see in these movies they rave about? What am I missing? Maybe it is similar to a person gazing at a painting in a museum for an hour, pondering it, so interested in it - only - it is just some colors splashed across the canvas. People have different tastes; one person may like gothic paintings or landscapes, and another may prefer portraits or modern. There have been many strange artists through the centuries, creating weird and eccentric art as well as breathtaking masterpieces. It is all in the eyes of the beholder, yes?

Years ago, we regularly went to the movie theaters, and I would want to get my money's worth. I read some reviews and selected a movie that was action or adventure, sweet or funny, but in the A category, not a B-budget one. Now, please, don't be offended, some B-budget ones are very good and likable. My husband and I would have discussions about who was selecting the movie, and he veers toward B- or C ones; I prefer A- or B+ if you understand what I'm saying here! (He is getting better, having hung around with me for more years than you care to know.)

I have concluded that I need to read many critic reviews. Following that, I need to read the moviegoers' reviews. These days, moviegoers are reliable and often more reliable than professional critics. Balance the two and decide.

The Fall of the House of Usher had gratuitous crazy scenes of many types to keep viewers. Many were unnecessary - the event that occurred after the orgy was an interesting horror happening. Which could have occurred without the orgy. (I read some articles of spoilers and ran through the boring parts).

The streaming channels can go further than broadcast TV, so they compete with each other for thrills and shock. I am aware people are raving about the show.

I'm not.

Will I try it again? Poe-brably not.

There are so many things to watch and read. I've moved on.