With Halloween right around the corner, there is one thing on this writers mind: Horror. One of the more overlooked genres of storytelling, horror is often characterized by just a few select authors. At the top of them all is the true founder of the genre, the horrifying Edgar Allen Poe. Almost anyone with even a mediocre interest in literature knows his name but few ever get to truly dive into the depths of his broken heart that allowed him to make such terrifying stories. To help out anyone interested, here are my personal 5 favorite works by Edgar Allen Poe.
5. Fall of the House of Usher
My first encounter with this Edgar Allen Poe short story about the ailing Usher siblings and their paranormal home was a play that I saw when I was 15 based off of it. I remember it as being remarkably well performed and I eventually read the story myself. While it is not, in my opinion, one of Poe's best stories, it still is quite frightening and holds a special place in my heart.
4. The Pit and the Pendulum
This great short story by Poe was loosely based on the Spanish Inquisition. It follows a man who has been sentenced to death and faces an obscure form of punishment in which he slowly awaits and narrowly avoids death from various schemes by those who have condemned him. It is an exquisitely crafted story with fantastic symbolism and other literary devices heavily used.
3. The Masque of the Red Death
This was the first Poe story that I ever read and it had me instantly hooked on him. This story that describes the elaborate measures a king and his court take to escape an outbreak of a dangerous disease is a beautiful tale that shows the true power of death as the great equalizer it is while also being riddled with that classic Poe Symbolism.
2. The Raven
You simply can not talk about Poe without talking about The Raven. It honestly is a contender for the greatest American poem ever and once you have given it a read you will feel its chill and will find yourself unable to escape the words of the mysterious black bird. Nevermore.
1. The Cask of Amontillado
I usually am not a big fan of revenge stories, but this is the exception. By the time you are halfway through this story you will be making your own schemes on how to murder Fortunato, thought I doubt anything you can think of will live up to how Montresor deals with his old "friend". It is a must read and should be on any writer/reader's bucket list.
