Edgar Allan Poe


Poet, father of macabre fiction, and author of such gothic works as "The Raven," "Cask of Amantillado," "The Pit and the Pendulum," and "Tell-Tale Heart," Edgar Allan Poe's troubled life and his debilitating addiction to opium are examined in the biographical study Famous Authors: Edgar Allan Poe, a series that examines the men and women behind the words that brought them literary kudos.
The poet and short story writer from an impoverished background ultimately became the toast of American literature. He excelled with horrific narratives such as "The Tell-Tale Heart," which were often narrated by untrustworthy characters in the stories.
With "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," he even created
a new style of fiction: the detective story.
If Poe in his professional life exhibited a willingness to depict the darker side of humanity, his private life, too, was troubled. He invited criticism when he married his 13-year-old cousin, and he suffered from alcoholism.
One of the all-time great authors though he never lived to see fame like H. G. Wells and Jules Verne did during their lifetimes with their tales of classic science fiction, fantasy, and horror.

* TV and movies have been made based on Poe's works. Even an episode of The Simpsons (the annual Halloween episode) had James Earl Jones reading Poe's "The Raven." For complete biographical video list, click on the following link: Poe Book & Video List. Or read Edgar Allan Poe's many works yourself

Click here if you want to hear a tell-tale heart right now

Here's a list of video available based on his works:
John Astin as Edgar Allen Poe ~

  1. Murders in the Rue Morgue (1986) starring George C. Scott, Rebecca DeMornay, Val Kilmer
  2. The Tell-Tale Heart (1943), starring Sam Jaffe
  3. The Black Cat (1934), starring Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi
  4. Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932), Bela Lugosi
  5. The Black Cat (1941), Basil Rathbone, Broderick Crawford, Bela Lugosi
  6. Spirits of the Dead (French or Italian, English subtitles)
    Note: the following videos may not be available at this time, but we can email you when they are again available
  7. The Telltale Heart (1960)
  8. The Tell-Tale Heart (1962)
  9. The Gold Bug, Anthony Michael Hall, Roberts Blossom, Geoffrey Holder
  10. The Oval Portrait, Barry Coe, Wanda Hendrix, Giselle MacKenzie
  11. Murders in the Rue Morgue (1971) Jason Robards, Herbert Lom, Michael Dunn
  12. Pit and the Pendulum (1961), Vincent Price
  13. The Raven (1963), Vincent Price, Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, Jack Nicholson
  14. Tomb of Ligeia (1964), Vincent Price; the 8th 1960s Poe film
  15. The Pit & the Pendulum (1991), Oliver Reed
  16. The Oblong Box (1969), Vincent Price, Christopher Lee

And of course Hollywood continues to look for books they can turn into movies. Adaptations of Poe stories have turned up on tv in The Twilight Zone and Night Gallery,
Boris Karloff's Thriller, Lights Out and Tales of Tomorrow,
Monsters/Tales From The Darkside,
Tales From The Crypt and Good vs Evil,
even the Avengers and Wild Wild West episodes have borrowed from Poe's vivid stories.

Return to Monstervision listings for Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror & Suspense, or Sci-fans.com

Or would you prefer to hear the Phantom of Monstervision play Toccata And Fugue on his Pipe Organ?

To hear Poe's best creepy poems in Real Audio, try this guy's website

Turner Classic Movies Turner Classic Movies has more than 350 movies a month, click here to see if any classic horror films are currently scheduled!

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