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Friday 10 April 2015

An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe (1970)

Vincent reciting actual Poe, not just starring in a film inspired by him. Thank you, AIP. There are four stories, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Sphinx, The Cask of Amontillado, and The Pit and the Pendulum, in that order.
The first one eclipses the others by a huge margin. The setting is a room like the one in the story itself. Vincent takes on the role of sole narrator. He’s masterful. He’s doesn't just narrate, he lives every heart-pounding minute of it with a flawless sense of timing. It’s the finest one-man TV play I've ever witnessed. The music and camera each help draw out the most tension.
Pendulum is the next best and in any other collection would be a highlight itself. The middle two stories are just average. They aren't Poe’s best work, so there's only so much can be done with them.

5 realities of terror out of 5

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“Where we’re going, we don’t need ________”
A) Mom’s permission. B) Roads. C) Pants.