Poe is by most consensuses the first name of Gothic Horror
in literature and in our minds. Wells, Lovecraft, Shelly, Stoker form a list
that goes on including omitted others and continuing into our times. These
author’s works have been adapted to film, television, radio and the stage. The
scary story is great in any form and we are born with the gene that loves the
thrill, rush and fascination a scary telling provides. The masters of horror
are many but it is Poe that always guarantees a “good read,” a delight of the
mind, a shutter of the soul.
In the nineteen fifties an animation studio; UPA (creators
of the original Twilight Zone opening) chose to
adapt Poe to their medium. Their short film The Tell-Tale Heart proved to be a
perfect choice. It is an infectious and sufficiently eerie presentation of one
of Poe’s best “Tells.”
Edgar Allen Poe goes well with the month of October; it’s
goblins, shadows and chills. The UPA animation featured here is to enjoy. Let the
alchemy of Poe be an enchantment and guilty thrill for you and your haunts in the season of treats and tricks.
