Ray Ivey It’s POE-tober! Each week in October we’ll be featuring two films based on the works of the master of the macabre, Edgar Allan Poe. “The Tell-Tale Heart” (1953): One of Poe’s shortest stories becomes an unnerving short film with haunting animation and great narration by James Mason. Ted Parmelee, who a few years later had success directing Rocky, Bullwinkle and Dudley Do-Right, directs this very direct and straightforward version of the tale of madness, murder and guilt.
Oddly, there’s another short film based on this same Poe story that came out the same year, a live-action one featuring Stanley Baker. Now streaming on YouTube The Tell Tale Heart (1953) // via Vintage Animation Channel on YouTube “The Pit and the Pendulum” (1961): Here’s a very solid adaptation of one of Poe’s best stories. John Kerr stars as a young man who arrives at Castle Medina to learn more about his sister’s mysterious recent death.
Her very creepy widow (Vincent Price, naturally) welcomes him, but weird stuff starts to happen very quickly. This is another Roger Corman film which looks way more sumptuous than you’d expect considering its limited budget. The story is tight, the acting is good (including fun turns by Barbara Steele, Luana Anders and Antony Carbone).
It all leads up to a rollicking, scary and satisfying climax. Now streaming on Kanopy “His Three Daughters” (2024): Sometimes family history can create a lot of weight pushing down on your shoulders and y.