»The Pit and the Pendulum»: A prisoner wakes up to find himself in a dark cell with a deep pit. «The Gold Bug»: A golden insect leads to an incredible discovery. «The facts in the case of Mr. Valdemar»: A patient is hypnotised minutes before he dies. Is he really dead? «The Fall of the House of Usher»: A man visits an old friend and finds himself in a house full of horrors! «Down in the Maelstrom»: A sailor describes a terrifying trip though the maelstrom. «The Masque of the Red Death»: No one can escape the red death-not even a prince! «The Oblong Box»: A traveller boards a ship to New York. What does he carry in the oblong box? Retold by Stephen Colbourn.