By Michael Avallone, Theodore D. Gottlieb, Edgar Allan Poe
1. [Pit and the Pendulum](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL273550W) • Nelson Olmsted 2. THE VAMPIRE SLEEPS • Boris Karloff (Michael Avallone) 3. BERENICE • Theodore (Adapt by Theodore Gottlieb) 4. THE GOLDEN ARM • Jackie Torrence (Public domain) 3. [Tell-tale Heart](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL41059W) • Nelson Olmsted (Edgar Allan Poe) 6. [Fall of the House of Usher](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL41078W) • Nelson Olmsted (Edgar Allan Poe) 7. SHADOW • James Mason (Edgar Allan Poe)
Severity reflects intensity, not value — “central theme” means a warning is a core part of the book, not that the book is bad.