It is difficult to see what this average film is trying to achieve. Lenore, an early relationship for Poe that dooms his life is unfortunately buried alive and committed to an asylum where dark deeds are perpetrated and a water and torture instrument filled cellar hide secrets of the owners. Essentially a long winded mission to rescue Lenore and defeat the owner, this has little of the gothic fatalism we associate with Poe, his life being a backdrop for an average horror thriller. Compared to the gothic Italian films of the 60s this is weak and Cesar Meredith doesn't dominate the film or have a strong presence. The story is confused and we never really know why the asylum owners are doing what they are, seemingly to solve the madness of Meredith's wife. This is revealed towards the end but is hardly surprise. There are moments of horror, Poe tied to a dias in the cellar as water rises, the mad wife, the dark corridors. However they do not actually amount to anything and overall it is a forgettable film, a shame when Poe was such an unforgettable person. 5/10.
Special Thanks to Mark Coyle for this Movie Review.