"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.