Edgar Allan Poe is a name synonymous with horror. Rather than re-reading his stories, here are a few books and movies based around Poe’s life.

Books:

The Raven’s Tale by Cat Winters follows a young Edgar Allan Poe as he heads off to college. But Edgar is plagued by his muse, whom he names Lenore, and who appears in physical form, freaking everyone out.

Of Monsters and Madness by Jessica Verday is less biographical and more fantastical, wherein a young girl named Annabel Lee arrives in Philadelphia to live with her scientist father, and meets her father’s apprentices Edgar and Allen. There’s a bit of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde mixed in here along with plenty of Poe references.

Mrs. Poe by Lynn Cullen is the most historically accurate of the books here. While Poe’s wife Virginia is ill, he pursues an unhappily married poet, Frances Osgood. As with The Raven’s Tale, this book attempts to show how wildly Poe’s reputation suffered at the hands of his biographer and biggest critic, Griswald.

Movies:

The Raven (2012) stars John Cusack as Poe himself in a last few days of his life, as he tries to solve a series of murders based upon his own works.

What’s your favorite Edgar Allan Poe story?