One of the true marks of a horror artist is to create something that is at once completely terrifying and utterly fascinating. It's not about blood, guts, and gore, as anyone who's ever seen Psycho could tell you, but about suspense, story, and the characters themselves. Edgar Allan Poe's stories rank as some of the greatest horror ever written--and that's before the likes of Iggy Pop, Diamanda Galás, Abel Ferrara, and Christopher Walken (chilling, as he reads from "The Raven") got their hands--er, voices--on Poe's words. This two-disc compilation is a success if only for treating Poe's texts in the right manner, with subtle backing music and sounds and restrained, ominous performances from the readers (other fine readings come from Ken Nordine, Dr. John, and Jeff Buckley). One reason for the album's quality may be producer Hal Willner.

Tracklisting:
1. Alone - Marianne Faithfull
2. The Raven - Christopher Walken
3. The Tell-Tale Heart - Iggy Pop
4. The Conqueror Worm - Ken Nordine
5. The Black Cat - Diamanda Galás
6. For Annie - Gavin Friday
7. To Helen - Ed Sanders
8. The Haunted Palace - Ed Sanders
9. Ulalume - Jeff Buckley
10. Berenice - Dr. John
11. The City and the Sea - Deborah Harry and the Jazz Passengers
12. Annabel Lee - Marianne Faithful
13. The Masque of the Red Death - Gabriel Byrne
14. The Raven [Live Excerpt] - Abel Ferrara