PopHorror Let's Get Scared
When it comes to filmmaking, how does one do Edgar Allan Poe stories justice? Start by making your film an anthology and name it Tales of Poe. Gather up some amazing directors and writers such as Bart Mastrondi and Alan Roe Kelly – people who have the talent to take Poe’s work and not only make it modern but make it their own, as well. Of course, it helps to add an all star cast of legendary scream queens. Add these ingredients together and find out how Tales of Poe has a 7.3 out of ten on IMDb.com.
Tales of Poe bring to life three separate stories from the The Tomahawk Man. The first is based off of The Tell Tale Heart and is my favorite out of all three. Debbie Rochon plays the part of the narrator/nurse perfectly. Her bone-chilling performance is utterly brilliant. The story follows Rochon’s character, a nurse who has been sent to a mental institution, as she tells her tale of how she got there. She had once been a live-in nurse who took care of the elderly. Rather than an old man, the part was changed to an aging actress named Miss Lamarr (Kelly). This was the shortest story of the three. However, this is the one with the most suspense and just the right amount of gore for this horror hound.
The next tale, based off of Poe’s Cask of Amontillado, is the horror short The Cask. This story and the way it was filmed had the feel of something straight from George A. Romero’s Creepshow (1982). This one is about Fortunado Montrsor (Randy Jones) and Gogo (Kelly once again), an older couple who finally get married and are having a party to celebrate – however, Gogo has ulterior motives. It’s not really that suspenseful as we have seen this story before. However, what sets it apart from the others is the superior acting of Randy Jones as Fortunato Montresor, giving this film a reason to watch for his performance alone.
The third and final story is Dreams, the most poetic and visually stunning of the three. It is about life, death and what lies in between. There is no dialogue. The parts are acted out to the words of Poe, which are narrated by the masterfully talented Amy Steele (Friday the 13th part 2 1981). Dreams is such a beautiful depiction of what we might see on the other side. Good vs. Evil: which will triumph?
The costumes were gorgeous. When I spoke to Angel of Dreams actress Caroline Williams (Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 1986) a couple of weeks ago, she said, “I loved my costume so much. The really cool thing about it was that it was all hand sewn. They did a beautiful job and the story is amazing.”
The filmmakers also utilized the talent of the wonderful scream queen Adrienne King (Friday the 13th 1980), who portrayed duel roles as a private nurse and the Queen of Dreams. The make-up was so well done that I didn’t even recognize her as at first. Even with all of the amazing scream queens in this sequence, the stand out performance for me was that of debuting actor Cartier Williams as Kharon. He was so eloquently frightening, I will not soon forget him and can’t wait to see what else he has up his sleeve in future projects.
Final Thoughts:
What is so cool about this movie is that it was created by two minds with just the words of Edgar Allan Poe. All three stories are so vast and different from each other. If you are a fan of Poe’s, then this film will not disappoint. If you are seeking your next anthology fix, look nevermore! Tales of Poe is a must see. You can check this one out of Amazon!
