The plethora of terrifying tales originally penned by Edgar Allan Poe has shaped the landscape of the mystery and horror genres as we know them. Beginning with his startling works of literature and eventually making its way to the silver screen, Poe's influence is almost immeasurable. Mixing his trademark macabre elements with a somewhat witty sense of realism, his poems and short stories have spooked all kinds of readers for generations. His dedication to all things mysterious even followed him all the way to his unfortunate death, which remains a source of speculation to this day.
Since the genesis of horror films brought on by the German Expressionist artistic movement, adaptations of Poe's work have struck fear into the hearts of audiences. They accomplish this by utilizing visual effects and techniques that often add up to be as visually dark as the content of the stories themselves. Since the 1900s, these films have imagined these stories in increasingly modern (and often more harrowing) ways, often competing with one another to be regarded as the most celebrated retelling of a particular story. With that said, let's take a look at the most underrated Edgar Allan Poe adaptations, ranked.
7
Manfish (1956)
Based on "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Gold-Bug," Manfish is an interesting foray into the adventure genre. Off the coast of Jamaica, Captain Brannigan (John Bromfield) is awarded a ship called Manfish. A diving expedition reveals a skeleton guarding a secret stuffed into an old bottle. The Professor (Victor Jory), who wears a skull-and-crossbones ring, becomes entangled in the mystery as the two grapple to unravel the pirate lore that promises hidden treasure. This is a unique yet classic adventure film flavored with typical Poe calling cards, which of course means that it devolves into darker territory. It's worth a watch if you're in the mood for some slow-building suspense.
6 Extraordinary Tales (2013)
This animated film retells several of Poe's classic stories – "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Fall of the House of Usher," "The Masque of the Red Death," "The Pit and the Pendulum," and "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar." The anthological style of Extraordinary Tales allows for a ton of creative wiggle room and audience digestibility. This shines through even more with its rotating ensemble cast of narrators and voice actors, which includes Guillermo Del Toro, Christopher Lee, Bela Lugosi, and Julian Sands. Conjuring up an overall unsettling atmosphere, each of these stories brings a new dark viewpoint upon these timeless tales, interpreting them for a new generation as one of the more recent films on this list.
5 The Raven (2012)
The Raven is a conglomeration of classic Poe elements, taking its title, of course, from Poe's celebrated poem. With John Cusack playing Poe himself, the story is a fictional retelling of the final part of the writer's life leading up to his mysterious death. In the film, Poe is summoned to solve a string of murders whose perpetrators seem to be spurred on by his works. Drawing upon inspiration from "The Murders in Rue Morgue," "The Masque of the Red Death," and other stories, these killings look like the work of a crazed fan. The film has both been heralded as an homage to Poe, and criticized for its haphazard nature that attempts to do too much. A New York Times review reads, "The film’s heart is in the right place (which is to say beating insistently under the floorboards)... But if Poe was the drunken, tragic bad boy of American letters, he was also a meticulous and disciplined craftsman."
4 Two Evil Eyes (1990)
Two Evil Eyes is directed by Dario Argento and George A. Romero, cementing that this is a deeply spooky story from the very start. The film retells two of Poe's short stories: "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar" centers around a man hypnotized as he faces death, and "The Black Cat" follows a mysterious feline who exacts his revenge from beyond the grave. Both of these fabled happenings are brought smashing into modern-day Pittsburgh, putting a new spin on these otherwise old tales. The film's double-feature style has drawn some criticism, but also well-deserved praise. It was also recently restored to 4K quality. A Dread Central review stated, "The concept is pretty thin at times, but it’s there: two very different 'evil eyes' of horror looking at Poe through their own very singular visions."
3 Terroir (2014)
Set against the lush backdrop of Tuscan wine country, Terroir is named for the natural growing environment that aids in a fine wine's development. An adaptation of the Poe story "The Cask of Amontillado," this film positions this classic cautionary tale within modern times. In search of the source of the elusive Oroboros wine, detective Victor Borgo (Gaetano Guarino) follows close behind Jonathan Bragg (Keith Carradine), a winemaker with seemingly nothing to hide. As the two delve deeper into the underground realm, Borgo is horrified to find a wine-obsessed cult – but if you know Poe, you know this is not your average subterranean sip club. Terroir is an excellent and effective re-imagining, capturing the beautiful believability that it creates.
2 Tell-Tale (2009)
Obviously, Tell-Tale is a retelling of "The Tell-Tale Heart." But, as if the original story wasn't dark and thematic enough, Ridley Scott takes the helm with his brother Tony Scott as producers under Scott Free Productions. Set within modern Providence, Rhode Island, Terry Bernard (Josh Lucas) is the thankful recipient of a donated heart until he uncovers that his donor was murdered. With death on his own tail, Terry has to quite literally listen to his heart – despite increasingly scary symptoms from his donor popping up in his own body – in order to find the killer. This film is a pulse-pounding thriller, and absolutely worth a watch if you're a fan of Poe's haunting original work.
1 The Mystery of Marie Roget (1942)
This original adaptation of Poe's short story "The Mystery of Marie Rogêt" is perhaps the most important entry on this list because of its tragic basis in true crime. The Mystery of Marie Roget is regarded as the very first murder mystery story with roots in reality – the untimely death of Mary Rogers, a teenage girl from New York City who was found floating in the Hudson River. Full of twists and turns, the film does divert the truth from the original story and takes lots of creative liberties. Marie Roget (Maria Montez) is painted as a starlet who has a hand on the other side of the murder. Although it's been severely reinterpreted, the legacy of the story overall and its impact on the genres it straddles can't be overlooked, making it one of Poe's most underrated adaptations.