A Comparison of Alfred Hitchcock and Edgar Allen Poe

Fear, terror, and suspense are the most vivid emotions created by Edgar Allan Poe's stories and by Alfred Hitchcock's films. Besides those vivid emotions, there are several themes common to both writers: the madness that exists in the world, the double aspect of human nature, and the power of the dead over the living. The similar themes and narrative techniques can be seen clearly in "The Fall of the House of Usher" as well as …

…and Hitchcock is seen as the master of mystery movies. The resemblance of two of the most well known masters of terror and suspense is striking; as seen in Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher" and Hitchcock's Psycho. Not only are the themes similar in both men's work, but also the details through which each story is written and shown. Both men are fascinated by mystery, by horror, by madness, and by death.