That pesky “Oculus” mirror can sometimes be hard to spot — out of focus or hidden in the background. Such is the case in “Fall of the House of Usher,” where it can be found in the back of Verna’s bar in flashbacks to a certain fateful New Year’s Ever. When Roderick and Madeline sit down at the bar, look between them and you’ll see the Lasser Glass, quietly working its malevolent magic. Keep an eye out for it around the 46-minute mark in episode 1, “A Midnight Dreary.”
Without giving too much away, it’s eventually revealed that this bar isn’t entirely a natural place — which makes it the perfect place to hang the mirror. Flanagan’s original short film explained that the origins of the cursed object are unknown, but it first appeared in the possession of a man called Philip Lasser in 1754, which is where it got its name. Sometime after hanging the mirror over his fireplace, Lasser was found burned to a crisp in the fireplace.
Since then, the mirror has changed hands hundreds of times, leaving a bloody trail in its wake. Some people simply waste away in front of it, as though it stole their life force (“lasser” is a French verb, meaning to make weary). Others were seemingly driven mad by it, killing their loved ones and mutilating their own bodies.
It’s not exactly the kind of mirror that set decorators can just casually hang up in a bedroom or dining room without spoiling some of its mystique. So, if you’re searching for cameo appearances in Flanagan’s works, keep your eyes peeled during scenes set in the creepiest places: attics, basements, and abandoned hotels …
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