Being a huge Edgar Allan Poe fan, I awaited this movie anxiously for weeks after watching the trailer. The plot line was simple: someone was taking Poe’s gruesome tales of murder and using them for their own crimes.

Now, if you’ve read anything from Poe, you’d know the amount of evil involved in bringing his stories to life. So naturally, I anticipated a spine-tingling thriller, especially because the movie is R-rated. Unfortunately, that’s not what the movie consisted of, and instead it was a lot of close-ups of John Cusack looking confused and upset.

Speaking of John Cusack, I really wished they could have found a different actor for the lead role in this movie. I pictured a more respectful character, someone that demanded attention and contained plenty of charisma, and I don’t get that vibe from Cusack. Then again, that could be the point because Poe seemed to be considered a poor, drunk poet to some people.

The stories were very accurate and the plot was definitely a twist and I enjoyed that. I also appreciated the thought that it took to tie everything together, it gave the movie the suspense that it needed. The main detective was my favorite character because of his trust in Poe and the determination he showed in finding the killer.

All in all, the movie was worth the $9.00 even if it wasn’t as dark and creepy as I expected it to be.