The Fall of the House of Usher Ending Explained

The Fall of the House of Usher ending explained. Feeling confused after watching the new Mike Flanagan Netflix Horror Series? Find the answers to many questions right here! *SPOILERS*

How about that The Fall of the House of Usher​ ending?! Actually, the whole series by Mike Flanagan is amazing. If you have as many questions as we did after watching the new horror series on Netflix, then we can help. If you want answers, facts, or just more details about this crazy series, then check out our FAQ below. Including many facts, details, explanations, and spoilers galore (obviously!).

Please note, that the below really is full of spoilers for The Fall of the House of Usher. If you’re simply looking for a review, then click here to read our The Fall of the House of Usher review >

Okay, let’s get to that The Fall of the House of Usher ending and details about the universe of the new horror series from Mike Flanagan.

Who or what is Verna?

According to Gugino, she’s not the devil. “Poe never really believed in God and the devil per se. She’s not even evil,” she clarified. To her, Verna is simply just an executor of fate and karma.

Verna is also an anagram for raven, which I suspect we all know is very Edgar Allan Poe.

Verna is neither a bird nor a human. Instead, she’s a shape-shifter who moves “in and out like smoke and appears to each of the Usher heirs right before their gruesome deaths”. Throughout the series, we see Verna morphing into different characters. Everything from a security guard to a homeless woman and even an ape.

What did Roderick and Madeline do on New Year’s Eve in 1979?

At the New Year’s Eve party in 1979, Madeline and Roderick murdered the Fortunato CEO Rufus Griswold. They put a paralytic – as well as cyanide – in his drink and led him to the basement. Here they bury him alive behind the brick wall.

With Rufus gone, they plan to take over the company with Roderick as the new CEO. “This is a hostile takeover,” Madeline even tells Rufus.

What deal did Madeline and Roderick make with Verna?

Verna guarantees that their crime is never discovered. They can claim their birthright as the king and queen of Fortunato. Furthermore, they never have to worry about being punished for any crimes in their lifetime. They can get away with it all!

The price for this guarantee will be “deferred,” she tells them.

“Let the next generation foot the bill,” she goes on, before clarifying. “At the end of it all, just before you would’ve died anyway,” she tells Roderick, “your bloodline dies with you.”

Who accepts the deal with Verna first?

Verna says that Roderick will live a pretty long life (though not mentioning the vascular dementia) and that the twins will die together. They’ll live a life of privilege until the end comes.

As the deal is made, Roderick already has two children, so Madeline doesn’t want to make the decision as she never plans on having any children. Roderick, on the other hand, doesn’t even seem to hesitate before accepting the terms and condemning all current and future Ushers of his direct bloodline.

Why does Roderick buy the sapphire eyes of the Pharaoh Twosret for Madeline?

Roderick adores his sister and he wants to send Madeline off into immortal life. That’s why he cuts out her eyes and replaces them with Queen Twosret’s sapphires.

“You’re Madeline f**king Usher. You’re a queen,” he tells her. It’s a gesture of love, but Madeline is still alive in the basement afterward.

Blinded, she comes thumping up the stairs. She hears Roderick say “nevermore” which enables her to find him and strangle him to death. The house [their childhood home] then falls down on top of them, burying them in their tomb.

What happened to Arthur Pym?

Verna offers Arthur Pym a deal. Much like she did to Roderick and Madeline back in 1979 when they needed it most. Now, Arthur Pym is facing a whole heap of problems after helping the Usher family with crimes throughout the years.

However, Arthur Pym simply thanks Verna for the offer and declines. Something she respects completely.

Arthur Pym spent the rest of his life in prison.

What happened to Juno Usher?

Having no Usher blood in her veins, Juno was never part of the deal with Verna. She survives the ordeal unscathed and inherits the Usher fortune. The last thing Roderick managed to do was to tell Juno some ugly truths about why he married her; She could take more of his beloved Ligodone drug than any other human being. This fascinated him, so he didn’t want to support her getting clean.

Juno had her revenge by dissolving the Fortunato company immediately upon inheriting it. With the money, she started the Phoenix Foundation to help those affected by Ligodone. She also got off Ligodone herself.

What happens to Annabel Lee?

Annabel Lee (mother of Frederick and Tamerlane Usher) leaves Roderick after finding out what he did at the deposition. Instead of fighting the drug company, he sided with them to further his career. Something he knew Annabel would never condone, so he didn’t tell her.

For Annabel Lee, Roderick was no longer the man she fell in love with. With his new fortune, he wins over their children, Frederick and Tamerlane, which is something Annabel Lee couldn’t live with. She didn’t want a life without her children.

We see the ghost of Annabel Lee at the funeral, and her death is revealed to be self-inflicted. She has a gunshot wound to the head.

What happened to Morelle Usher in the end?

Morelle Usher was the wife of Frederick Usher, the firstborn child of Roderick, and also the mother of the only grandchild in the Usher family. The young Lenore, whom Roderick adored because she reminded him so of his first wife, Annabel Lee.

Morelle inherits a part of the Usher’s wealth and donates most of the money to domestic abuse charities. Also, she opened a non-profit in her daughter’s name that goes on to save countless lives. In fact, it ultimately results in millions of lives saved.

We know this because Verna tells Lenore Usher before taking her life. Verna has to kill Lenore Usher per her deal with Roderick and Madeline, but it’s a gentle death with the knowledge of her mother’s very positive future.

Who texted Roderick in the end, if Lenore is dead?

The sentient AI bot Madeline had made of Lenore was activated. It was an AI based on Lenore Usher who had been texting Roderick all night. Appropriately with a very Edgar Allan Poe-inspired message: “Nevermore”.

Which Edgar Allan Poe stories are used in “The Fall of the House of Usher” series on Netflix?

The short story “The Fall of the House of Usher” is, obviously, the core of the Netflix series. Also, we get elements of the following:
“The Raven”
“The Masque of the Red Death”
“The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket”
“Annabelle Lee”

Also included in Mike Flanagan’s Netflix series are characters and elements taken from other Poe stories such as:

“Metzengerstein”
“Tamerlane”
“The Spectacles”
“The Murders in the Rue Morgue”
“The Premature Burial”
“William Wilson”
“The Pit and the Pendulum”
“The Black Cat”
“The Tell-tale Heart”
“The Goldbug”
“The Cask of Amantillado”

Will there be a season 2 of “The Fall of the House of Usher”?

No. This is the last production Mike Flanagan will make for Netflix as his contract has ended. Instead, he has made a deal with Amazon’s Prime Video for upcoming projects.

Do you have more questions about the The Fall of the House of Usher ending?

Or just things you’re wondering about?! Feel free to reach out and we’ll update this page with your questions or input – and our two cents as well.