Edgar Allan Poe{see picture above} is described as the Father of modern horror and the inventor of the detective fiction ,though some may argue Mary Shelleys works are an influence?
Edgar Allan Poe (born Edgar Poe, January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849 in Boston Massachussets his last years wer spent living in the Bronx area where he lived in a small cottage.He died in mysterious circumstances in Baltimore ,October 7, 1849 age 40. He was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic.
He married his young cousin when she was aged 13 or 14 and she died at a very young age. His second wife suffered illness.
He had a fear of being buried alive as he was clostrophobic.He was also an Alcoholic.
He was a very tragic character.
Most of his stories were based around loss and tragedy due to those events in his life. He wrote the story the Raven (January 1845).He also wrote the tell tale heart published in 1843.He also wrote the pit and pendulum and based stories around bad dreams,though made his Characters believable to the general public.
He also had a drug habit and made the media believe in his stories.. Another story he wrote was the Great balloon hoax, along with another famous story which was made into a film, the Rue Morgue. The Book being published in 1841.
He also influenced the Sherlock Holmes detective Character..He influenced later writers such as HP Lovecraft who incorporated Beasts and the religious side of things into his stories.. Both Edgar Allan Poe and HP lovecraft certainly influenced modern horror such as in the era of the 1980's.These films featured iconic characters and the films wer quite brutal. Anamatronics effects were used in the 80's for instance whereas in the 2000's cgi effects are used for special effects .
Saul Bass was it appears very influenced by Poe's work.Saul Bass having used minimal shape in his work , silhouette and textualised animation.Gothic elements were also used in his work. The Film version of the Tell tale heart (1953 Warner Brother's) is a prime example of having incorporated this style .
Hanna Barbera's early work could aslo have been influenced by Edgar Allan Poe's work,though later of course Hanna Barbera's work was best known for cartoons rather than horror.
Edgar Allan Poe certainly has an influence on Modern horror films after all these years, beyond a shadow of a doubt.
The Pioneer, Vol. I, No. I, Drew and Scammell, Philadelphia, January, 1843
