In this episode, we discuss the short story The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allen Poe, its many interpretations – from institutional decay, to psychology and health, to imagined realities – and the real-life history the story is said to have been based on. We then talk about What Moves the Dead, a retelling of Poe’s short story, and whether or not it accomplished what it set out to do.

Along the way, we also get into what makes a good adaptation and differences between gothic and horror genres. We also talk a bit about the recent Netflix adaptation The Fall of the House of Usher by Mike Flanagan.

Shelf Discovery:

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

The Empusium: A Health Resort Horror Story by Olga Tokarczuk

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