[Berenice](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL15645808W) [Cask of Amontillado](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL41016W) [Descent into the Maelstrom](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL273476W) [Fall of the House of Usher](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL41078W) Gold bug [Imp of the Perverse](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL15481077W) Ligeia Man of the crowd [Masque of the Red Death](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL41050W) Narrative of A. Gordon Pym [Pit and the Pendulum](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL273550W) [Purloined Letter](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL41065W) [William Wilson](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL16088822W)
Severity reflects intensity, not value — “central theme” means a warning is a core part of the book, not that the book is bad.