Tasha’s Reviews > Gothic Tales > Status Update

The Masque of the Red Death, like Metzengerstein, has an abrupt ending that feels unearned and even a little silly.

All the typical Poeisms are present, but the story just left me empty. On to The Masque of the Red Death.

Finished Metzengerstein. And there’s a reason that this is Poe’s lesser known works. My first thoughts were “WHAT?!!” And “That’s it?!?” A story about long-lasting rivalries between two noble families, a prophecy, and a horse should have been more interesting. Or rather, had a better ending since I was interested until the punch line.

I’m kicking off October with three short stories from the King of Horror himself: Edgar Allan Poe. Metzengerstein is the only story in this collection I haven’t read, but it’s been decades since I’ve read Masque of the Red Death and The Tell-Tale Heart. I’m looking forward to it. Mwahahaha!