No doubt that Mike Flanagan has done it again with his newest Netflix series that had everyone talking this fall, adapting many works of Edgar Allan Poe into a twisted, creepy, spooky multidimensional and multigenerational story that was an instant hit. The show was such a masterpiece and tribute to E.A.P., and every single character, storyline, name, and more were pulled from references in Poe’s published work or his real life. Being one of the first credited author’s in his genre, I believe that this production did amazing justice to his legacy, and as a fan, I am so incredibly impressed. And Episode 2 will live in my mind forever whether I like it or not.

I found this list originally from an article off Google but here’s my quick reference guide to everything mentioned in the series from Edgar Allan Poe’s collection of work:

• The Raven: “Verna” is an anagram for “raven”, and this also references the name Lenore (the granddaughter) and her texts saying “NEVERMORE”
• The Fall Of The House of Usher: Roderick and Madeline’s names and baseline story and deaths
• Annabel Lee: Roderick’s wife’s name and he recites this throughout the series
• Ligeia: The inspiration for Ligedome
• Landor’s Cottage: A reference to Landor Pharma
• The Cask Of Amontillado: The character Fortunato becomes Fortunato Industries.
• Metzengerstein: Frederick’s name
• The Pit And The Pendulum: Outline of Frederick’s death
• Morella: Frederick’s wife
• Berenice: The reference story for Morella’s teeth extraction
• Tamberlane: The second sibling in the Usher family
• The Gold-Bug: A reference to Tamberlane’s company
• William Wilson: Tamerlane’s husband and references to her death
• The Premature Burial: Victorine LaFourcade’s name and one of many stories that could have inspired Roderick and Madeline’s mother’s death
• The Tell-Tale Heart: Inspiration for Victorine’s death
• The Politian: Victorine’s partner’s name, Dr. Alessandra Ruiz
• The Spectacles: Napoleon’s name
• The Black Cat: Leo’s death
• The Journal Of Julius Rodman: Leo’s partner’s name
• The Murders In The Rue Morgue: Camille L’Espanaye’s name and death
• Never Bet The Devil Your Head: Camille’s assistant Toby (Toby, Dammit)
• The Masque Of The Red Death: Prospero’s name and inspiration for death
• Lenore: Again, the only granddaughter in the Usher family
• The Narrative Of Arthur Gordon Pym: The lawyer’s name and his voyage referenced
• The City In The Sea: Spoken by Verna in the series
• Spirits Of The Dead: Read at funerals in the series

I’m know there are more that I’m missing but this is most of them and it was so much fun to find all these hidden references as well as read the original stories that inspired one of my new favorite shows. I also loved that each sibling got their own color at their time of their death, bringing in a beautiful spectrum across themselves.

I will definitely be revisiting this series from time to time.

Thanks for reading!