WTRW: The Works of Edgar Allan Poe

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​With Halloween quickly approaching I am in the mood to be spooked. I’ve never been a fan of gore but thrillers and good old fashioned ghost stories are fun for me! (It’s why I enjoy The X-Files so much). 

So today we thought we should share some classics written by the Master of Macabre: Edgar Allan Poe. 

The Tell Tale Heart

​A widely known story, and often parodied, The Tell Tale Heart is a story that of murder and guilt. It’s considered a classic Gothic story. 

I love this story because it has you wondering what is real and what isn’t. The narrator (also the murderer) isn’t the most reliable and can’t give us a good reason for the crime he’s committed.  The tension built through the story makes it a fun read for a fall night. 

The Pit and the Pendulum 

​In high school we had a competition in our English class to write a new ending for this Poe story, and I won. I don’t remember what I wrote at all but I do remember this story and the fear I felt while reading it. 

The Pit and the Pendulum is more of a thriller than a horror story to me. It tells of a man Sentenced to death by the Inquisition, Who wakes in a completely dark room. Through his explorations in the dark and good luck he finds a deep pit in the center of his cell. This is just the first of his many encounters with death in his cell. 

I love this story not only for the suspense that builds or because I won a contest associated with it, but because, despite the scary aspects of it, hope is at the center of the story. It makes it different than other Poe stories. And adds another layer to the story. 

The Raven 

​Arguably one of the most famous poems in existence, The Raven tells the story of a man tormented by a talking raven. The raven only repeats “Nevermore” to the man as he laments his lost love Lenore. 

The Raven has a lyrical quality that keeps you intrigued by where the story’s headed. It has elements of the supernatural without being an outright ghost story. Like The Tell Tale Heart it leaves you with an uneasy feeling of trying to figure out what was reality and what wasn’t. 

Poe had a masterful way with words and if you love these three works you’ll probably enjoy more of his stories and poems. 

So are you going to read Poe this Halloween season? What other scary or suspenseful books do you love? Let us know in the comments below!