Mike Flanagan’s collaborator Carla Gugino breaks down her character, Verna, in The Fall of the House of Usher and how she connects to Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven.” The Netflix horror is based on the short story of the same name by Poe. However, the gothic horror series isn’t a straightforward adaptation of Poe’s short story but more of a mash-up of all his works. Hence, Verna is inspired by the poet’s arguably most famous work, “The Raven,” and is even an anagram for the symbolic raven in the story.

In an interview with Tudum by Netflix, Gugino delved deeper into Verna’s significance in The Fall of the House of Usher. Gugino has worked with Flanagan in The Haunting of Hill House and Gerald’s Game. However, she described Verna as her most challenging role yet, as Verna shapeshifts into a different person in each episode. She is not a human or bird, but similar to Poe’s raven, a symbolic figure. The biggest challenge for Gugino was differentiating every version of Verna. Check out her statement below:

It was such a surreal experience. I doubt I will ever get that opportunity again. Gerald’s Game was one of the most incredible opportunities I’ve ever had, and I never thought [Mike] could come up with something possibly even cooler than that. I think [it’s] perhaps the most daunting project that I’ve ever had, in regards to just figuring out how to whittle it down to something manageable. What I was really interested in is a character who isn’t of this world, but is able to seamlessly be in this world. Once I found their voice and where they sit in my body, I was able to quickly change on set and be able to jump back and forth

Verna’s parallels to the raven in The Fall of the House of Usher are established early. In addition to her name, Verna functions similarly to the bird in “The Raven,” as she always seems to arrive close to the moment of death. This series follows the Usher family, led by patriarch Roderick Usher (Bruce Greenwood and Zach Gilford), the corrupt CEO of a pharmaceutical company. Things take a dark turn for the family when the Usher heirs begin dying in quick succession. Verna is the mysterious shapeshifter who appears before their tragic deaths.

Verna is active in both the past and present of The Fall of the House of Usher, seemingly unchanged by the passage of time. It is soon unveiled that she is a supernatural entity who makes deals with people. In the case of the Ushers, she made a deal with a young Roderick and his sister, Madeline (Mary McDonnell and Willa Fitzgerald). She offered them the chance to escape immediate consequences for their criminal actions by passing the price onto the future generations of Usher, condemning them to early and gruesome deaths, while Roderick and Madeline temporarily lived wealthy lives.

Poe’s “The Raven” is a story about the inescapable grief and its long-lasting impact. Meanwhile, The Fall of the House of Usher is about the consequences and how someone else always pays the price of corruption. In a way, Verna isn’t even a true villain in the show but merely the representation of justice. She gave Roderick and Madeline an opportunity, but the siblings ultimately agreed. Gugino’s character in The Fall of the House of Usher is a unique interpretation of the raven who symbolizes justice rather than grief and loss.