Horror Movies - Best of Coast to Coast AM - 10/28/25

The story begins with the narrator visiting Roderick Usher, who has been suffering from an unspecified illness. Roderick's sister, Madeline, is also ill and falls into deathlike trances. As the narrative unfolds, the narrator becomes increasingly entangled in the eerie and supernatural events surrounding the Usher family and their mansion. Roderick believes the house is alive and connected to the family's fate. The story culminates in the terrifying revelation that Madeline may have been buried alive, leading to the simultaneous deaths of the twins and the collapse of the House of Usher itself.

The Phantom of the Opera, written by Gaston Leroux, is a classic tale of love, obsession, and tragedy set in the late 19th century at the Palais Garnier in Paris. The story revolves around Christine Daaé, a talented young singer, and her interactions with the enigmatic Phantom, a disfigured musical genius who becomes obsessed with her. The novel explores themes of love, passion, and the darker aspects of human nature.

In Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Pit and the Pendulum,' an unnamed narrator faces the horrors of the Spanish Inquisition. Imprisoned in a dark cell, he confronts a series of psychological and physical torments. He narrowly avoids falling into a deep pit and then endures the slow descent of a razor-sharp pendulum. As the pendulum threatens to slice him open, he uses rats to gnaw through his bindings and escape. Just as the walls of the cell begin to close in, he is saved by the arrival of the French army. The story explores themes of fear, despair, and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of death.

Written in epistolary form, the novel tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant and ambitious scientist who, driven by Enlightenment-era ideas of progress and science, creates a living being from dead body parts. However, upon seeing the creature come to life, Frankenstein is horrified and abandons it. The creature, shunned by society due to its appearance, seeks revenge against its creator, leading to a series of tragic events. The novel explores themes of guilt, loss, and the emotional and moral consequences of scientific hubris, blending elements of Gothic and Romantic literature.

The novel tells the story of Count Dracula, a vampire who moves from Transylvania to England to spread terror and create more vampires. The story begins with Jonathan Harker, an English solicitor, who travels to Transylvania to finalize the sale of a property to Count Dracula. Upon discovering Dracula's true nature, Harker barely escapes with his life. Dracula then travels to England, where he targets Harker's fiancée, Mina, and her friend Lucy. A group of characters, including Professor Van Helsing, Dr. John Seward, and Quincey Morris, band together to hunt down and destroy Dracula. The novel explores themes of good vs. evil, modernity vs. tradition, and the fears and anxieties of the Victorian era, including immigration, sexual desire, and the role of women in society.