Watch Extraordinary Tales

Extraordinary Tales is an animated anthology film that brings five chilling Edgar Allan Poe stories to life. The film showcases the work of five legendary directors and features the talents of Christopher Lee, Bela Lugosi, and Julian Sands as voice actors. The five stories featured in the film are The Fall of the House of Usher, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar, The Pit and the Pendulum, and The Masque of the Red Death. Each segment is directed by a different filmmaker and is presented in a unique animation style, which gives the film a fascinating visual diversity.

The first story, The Fall of the House of Usher, is directed by Raul Garcia, and features the voice of Christopher Lee. The segment follows the tale of a man named William who visits his friend, Roderick Usher, in his decaying mansion. As Roderick deteriorates mentally and physically, William realizes that there is something terribly wrong with the house.

The second story, The Tell-Tale Heart, is directed by Alberto Vazquez and tells the story of a man who murders an elderly man and hides his body under the floorboards. But the sound of the heart still beating drives him to madness.

The third story, The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar, is directed by Raul Garcia and stars Julian Sands. The segment follows the tale of a hypnotist who places a man on the verge of death in a trance to investigate the dying process. But things take a turn as the hypnotist realizes he may have gone too far.

The fourth story, The Pit and the Pendulum, is directed by Jan Balej and tells the story of a man who is imprisoned during the Spanish Inquisition. Tortured and slowly losing his mind, he must find a way to escape before a deadly pendulum swings down to end his life.

The final story, The Masque of the Red Death, is directed by Raul Garcia and features the voice of Bela Lugosi. The segment follows the wealthy and depraved Prince Prospero as he hosts a masquerade ball, while a deadly plague ravages the land outside his castle walls.

Overall, Extraordinary Tales is a film that pays homage to Edgar Allan Poe’s masterful storytelling with its visual and audio elements. The animation directors’ styles range from traditional 2D to rotoscope to puppet stop-motion animation, which enhances and interprets each story in its own unique way. Additionally, the use of famous voice actors like Christopher Lee, Bela Lugosi, and Julian Sands draws the audience even closer to the world of Poe.

While the film is visually stunning and the voice acting is superb, some viewers may find the segments to be too short and not fully developed. However, the film’s focus on Poe’s storytelling and how each director interpreted the tales is an interesting take on the classic work.

In conclusion, Extraordinary Tales is a visual and audible feast that captures the essence of Edgar Allan Poe’s macabre tales. Directed by five talented animation directors and featuring legendary voice actors, this anthology film brings Poe’s timeless stories to life in a way that is thrilling, haunting, and truly extraordinary.

Extraordinary Tales is a 2015 horror movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 10 minutes. It has received moderate reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.4 and a MetaScore of 59.