11 Terrifying Tales of Edgar Allan Poe

There is no authority in the world of horror that is not protected under the influence of this American journalist, poet and writer. Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1848) is considered one of the great masters of universal literature and the father of horror stories. Tales of him have been the source of the most grotesque nightmares and, for generations, have inspired countless works of literature, fine arts, music, theater and film.

Today the awesome.club invites you to delve into the dismal work of this tormented author, recommending (no spoilers) your most terrifying stories, in case you lack one to read.

It is worth mentioning that each synopsis in this list will be accompanied by an illustration by the French artist Benjamín Lacombe, who with his melancholy and elegant style gave life to Macabre Talesa deluxe edition of Edgar Allan Poe’s stories, published by Edelvives in the year 2009.

It was first published in the American newspaper American Whig Review, in the year 1845. It tells the story of a doctor addicted to mesmerism who hypnotizes a terminally ill patient in order to keep him longer. The doctor’s goal is to get information about what happens in the subconscious when you are on the verge of death. The end of the story will leave you thinking for a while, breathless and shivering.

It was first published in 1842 in the American magazine Graham’s Magazine. A prince, his entourage and the nobility of the kingdom take refuge in an armored castle to escape an epidemic that unrestrictedly reduces the number of inhabitants of the city. It’s “the red death”, a strange disease
and contagious that causes the infected to bleed to death because of hematidrosis. After six months of isolation, the monarch offers a masquerade party to entertain his guests,
a celebration in which a strange character appears that had never been seen by the inhabitants of the precinct.

It was first published in 1835 in the American newspaper Southern Literary Messenger. It tells the story of a man who never loved his wife Morella, a beautiful, cultured and strange woman who spent hours reading books on magic, mysticism and practicing the dark arts. Morella died while giving birth to her firstborn, leaving her spouse and newborn baby alone. The man loved the girl madly, but as time passed he realized that something strange was happening to her: the soul of his late wife had been reincarnated in the daughter.

It was first published in Burton’s Gentleman’s Magazine in 1839. Roderick Usher is very ill, so he longs to see his childhood friend before he dies. The dying man sends his colleague a letter informing him of his state of health and inviting him to spend a few nights at his mansion. The guest, dejected by the news, settles in Usher’s house to take care of and keep his friend company. But it will be Lady Madeline, Roderick’s sister, who, late at night, will monopolize all the attention.

This story was published in July 1844 in The Philadelphia Dollar Newspaper. Through a structured chronicle, this brilliant text exposes the anguish and everything that goes through the mind of the narrator, a subject who, suffering from a condition called catalepsy, wakes up locked in the darkness of a suffocating coffin.

It was first published in the Southern Literary Messenger newspaper in 1835. In the story, a young man named Aegeus is madly in love with the beautiful Berenice, his cousin and future wife. Unfortunately, the girl becomes ill and deteriorates considerably, reaching the point where the only beautiful thing she keeps are her white teeth, pieces that become the object of the groom’s obsession.

Through meticulous description, the deployment of literary resources and a colossal mastery of language, in this story published in 1842 Poe is able to make the reader feel the suffering, despair, disorientation and panic suffered by a prisoner sentenced to death by the Spanish Inquisition. The unfortunate protagonist is tied to the bottom of a well from which a pendulum hangs with a blade that slowly lowers towards him.

It tells the story (published in 1843) of a young couple and their pet: a furry black cat named Pluto. The three of them live very happily until the man of the house gets drunk. One night, drunk, the guy murders his cat. After a few weeks, another black cat chases the man down the street, and he is missing an eye and has very strange attitudes. However, remorse for the crime perpetrated induces the protagonist to accommodate this new pet.

Also published in 1843, this Gothic story features a narrator obsessed with one eye of an old man with whom he shares his home. His hatred towards this particular eye is so sick that every night he spies on you while he sleeps in order to plan
your murder.

This short story published in 1842 tells the story of a painter whose greatest loves are painting and his wife. The couple settles each afternoon at the top of a tower, where the artist asks his model, against her will, to pose for him while he paints a portrait. The man becomes so obsessed with the perfection of the painting that he never thinks it is ready, so he takes the woman to the tower every day for many hours, days and months, seriously harming her health.

This is a tale of love, terror and death, published in 1838. The protagonist loses his wife Ligeia and tries to ease the pain by marrying another woman named Rowena. The widower thinks he can be happy again, but nothing is further from reality. Ligeia has not gone away: her presence continues to torment her beloved, who is pursued at every step by death and pain.

Although it’s hard to believe, the American master of horror has also ventured into humorous stories. If you were scared after reading “The Black Cat”, don’t worry, we’ve made a selection of Poe’s funniest stories so you can sleep a little better tonight!

A traveler and his companion decide to visit a decrepit asylum that towers above a French forest. The main reason for your visit is to learn about the innovative method with which they treat their inmates. The director of the psychiatric hospital says he has everything under control, but the protagonists warn that something very strange is happening behind these walls.

“If something can go wrong, it will” is one of the principles of Murphy’s law that Poe caricatures in the form of an angel, whose body is made up of barrels and bottles. In this funny story, a strange creature tries to convince the incredulous protagonist that, in addition to being real, he is the author of all the strange things that happen to human beings.

A group of scientists is tasked with examining a 5,000-year-old mummy. After doing some electrical tests on the embalmed body with a voltaic battery, she comes to life and starts talking to the researchers, showing signs of sarcasm. During the night, she talks about her life in Egypt and criticizes the modern lifestyle of her new friends.

In this tale told in a biographical way, we know the story of an intelligent man who turned the art of trickery into a business. This methodical guy discovered how to earn a lot of money by getting beaten up in the street to ask for compensation, charging for sending false correspondence, attributing himself to the repair of the sidewalks, among other follies.

“Those who dream during the day are aware of many things that those who dream only at night escape.”

Recognized worldwide for his dark and macabre stories, Poe, in addition to humorous stories, also wrote poetry, founded the detective detective genre and contributed to the beginning of science fiction.

Because he was an orphan at an early age and lost his first wife, he had a difficult and austere youth. He was forced to write stories in different newspapers and magazines to survive. In those difficult days, Poe never thought that he would become the greatest exponent of American Romanticism, and that, 170 years after his last story, he would be considered the undisputed father of terror.

Do you know of another Poe story you’d like to recommend? Which one scared you the most? Do you know other horror story authors to recommend?