Extraordinary Tales based on Edgar Alan Poe's short stories

Title: Extraordinary Tales

Year: 2015

Running Time: 70 min

Director: Raúl García

Screenwriter: Raúl García, Stéphant Roelants 

Music: Sergio de la Puente

Genre: Animation, fantasy and horror. 

This film is an animated anthology of five stories based on Edgar Alan Poe's short stories. Each story is done with a different artistic technique without abandoning the common ilustration elements that the director wants to perserve. The five stories form a unit with a common thread which is the author's own life characterized by darkness, grief, and fear and love towards death. Through these five stories, Poe reincarnated in a raven, will try to convince the death not to take him.

The five stories are the following ones:

The Fall of the House of Usher. Faithful and wonderful adaptation of the Poe's story, narrated by the great British deceased actor, Christopher Lee. The animation is characterised by 3D techniques, straight and poligonal elements, elongated and thin figures, and pale and emaciated faces, which remind us of the characters created by Tim Burton. It is important to point out, the beauty of the long planes with very detailed landscapes that manage to involve us in the magic and dark atmosphere of the stories by Edgar Alan Poe. 

The Tell Tale Heart. This short is the psychological portrait of a killer with apparent mental disorders which make him crazy due to his actions. Narrated by the deceased Bela Lugosi, a narration that was taken from the short story that he had related on a radio show, the short film is characterized by an animation made of ink based on graphic novels showing a disturbing black and white aesthetic.

The Facts in the case of M.Valdemar. Hispanic-French co-production that with a simple but effective animation that reminds us of comic vignettes, leads us into a dark and fancifoul story based on a scientist's paranoia. This scientist pretends to deceive death through a monstrous experiment of mesmerism. A stunning aesthetic accompanied by a bright and creepy soundtrack that remind us of the horror films of the 50's.

The Pit and the Pendulum. Short film narrated by Guillermo del Toro, which shows the tortures of a condemned by the Spanish Inquisition. Set in a dark context that brings out psychological terror, it is characterized by a surprisingly realistic 3D animation that we can quickly identify with videogames graphics. A very original and faithful adaptation of the Poe's short story. 

The Masque of the Red Death. A short film contextualized in medieval times, in the XII century, in a small Italian province affected by the devastating disease of The Red Death. To avoid contagion, Prince Prospero and his friends lock themselves in a sumptuous palace where they live their darker and more sinful pleasures. A very disturbing film, made of watercolor techniques that remind us of German expressionism, which shows us that the justice of death is the same for everybody.

In conclusion, this is an excellent film with exceptional voices, which brings great originality through the use of illustration showing different techniques that manage to intrigue and catch the viewer's attention. In addition, the soundtrack, which is marvellous, is the perfect complement of Poe's short stories, giving dark and tragic nuances, and playing with the emotions of the characters.