Imagine my surprise to find this compilation of Edgar Allan Poe short films all based on short works of the great author. As an English teacher, I also love to read Poe stories with my classes, and the thought of showing a visual with these stories was fantastic. I eagerly purchased this, thinking this might be a great resource and future use in teaching the works of Poe.
Imagine my disappointment to find out that the stories are altered, and not very interesting. I was sold on the idea that they would be interesting and detailed, and authentic, especially is Christopher Lee, one of the renown horror geniuses, was host. But, alas, no such luck. Extra details are added in, extra characters are added in to make the stories more "dramatic" and many of the short films are more apt depicting some cheesy soap opera than a Poe work. These short films, for the most part, are devoid of imagination or terror, and are too bland for Poe's style. For instance, "The Masque of the Red Death" was quite a disappointment, even though Lee actually stars in the film!
Like some have said, this is nothing a teacher would want to show in class, namely because they aren't interesting enough for the purchaser to watch. A major disappointment here. Maybe one of these days someone will be able to accurately and successfully depict a Poe story on film.
If you want to view a film BASED on Poe, but not true to the story, you are better off checking out the few Vincent Price films, such as The Pit and the Pendulum or The Masque of the Red Death. These, although somewhat inaccurate, are far superior.
