Paul Celano (chelano) So Dario Argento and George Romero decided to make some movies based off of Edgar Allan Poe. This was tough since it was two movies in one because one movie couldn't ruin the whole feature. The first film was "The Facts in the Case of Mrs. Valdemar". This was Romero's film. I enjoyed this film and how it was done. The cast was half and half though. Ramy Zada was good and so was Jonathan James who played the zombie. Adrienne Barbeau on the other hand was not that good and didn't play her part well. The movie makes you wonder if there is life between reality and Heaven? If so, are they good or evil? The film had some moments that were not scary, but creepy. Where if you were in that situation, you would really be scared. The next film was "The Black Cat". This was Argento's film. The film started off strong, but faded by the end. The cat in the film got creepy after awhile. Harvey Keitel was the lead and at points seemed pretty good. But again, near the end, his acting faded. Madeleine Potter was getting on my nerves. First off I couldn't stand how she looked. It did not fit her character and her acting didn't really work either. Even though the film kind of left the good zone by the end, the whole background to the story was pretty interesting so I will give it that. So Romero wins and I guess you could say Argento was a close second.

TermlnatriX Romero's half is actually not bad. Seems to work with the expertise of his genre and Poe's story. Builds the suspense gradually and has a creepy tone to it. And then Tom Atkins shows up as a detective, puffin' a cigar while holding a gun. That's worth a watch alone.7/10 Argento's half ain't bad either. Nudity and visual trademarks are present. Thought Keitel's character wearing a beret alone was dumb, but at least that was something to laugh at. It had an unnecessary scene involving medieval times which added nothing. The third act turned into a parody of some kind, not to mention the kid that comes in for a session with the trimmed sleeves "he's lying, lying!" Retarded ending, but funny.6/10

MARIO GAUCI This two-part film was a project initiated by Argento, who invited Romero to make an anthology together in which each would direct his favorite story from the celebrated horror author's work. Incidentally, the fact that both these stories had already been incorporated into Roger Corman's own Poe compendium, TALES OF TERROR (1962), renders this a semi-remake of that film! The resulting mélange is tolerable but rather unsatisfying as a whole – it must be said, however, that both directors' careers had already started slacking by this point. Romero's decision to adapt "The Facts In The Case Of Mr. Valdemar" reveals perhaps why he feels such a strong affinity with the zombie subgenre; still, the results here are pedestrian and curiously uninvolving – though the zombie moans are decidedly creepy. The cast includes Adrienne Barbeau (ex-wife of John Carpenter, a contemporaneous genre exponent) and E.G. Marshall (who, memorably, had played an insect-hating businessman in a previous anthology Romero had directed by himself – CREEPSHOW [1982]).Even if it's an image of the undead Mr. Valdemar which made this film's poster, Argento's segment – yet another adaptation of "The Black Cat" – is actually more highly regarded; still, despite boasting some of the director's trademark visual flair, the segment is generally heavy-handed and overlong. Harvey Keitel brings his method training to the characteristically expressionist Poe landscape; this clash of styles lends the proceedings a welcome air of black comedy – especially in the star's openly hostile relationship with the ill-fated titular creature. It also provides irrelevant inserts of gory detail since Keitel is a crime-scene photographer named Rod Usher (Argento must have had his Poe stories mixed-up at this point!) where the murder victims, appropriately enough, have expired in the sadistic fashion typical of the author's work – including an unlikely and cumbersome pendulum device. There's a nightmare sequence, too, in which Keitel finds himself in medieval times and suffers an excruciating death lifted from the notorious CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST (1979) – and, needless to say, we're treated here to the usual cat-meowing-revealing-a-body-hidden-behind-the-wall ending! Martin Balsam appears as an elderly nosy neighbor of Keitel's, but his contribution doesn't amount to much.Pino Donaggio's score is most effective during the closing credits sequence; responsible for the gruesome effects in both segments is Tom Savini, a Romero regular (with the half-putrefied kitten at the end being a particularly inspired creation).

Michael O'Keefe Two adaptations of Edgar Allen Poe's dark tales. Two famed directors and recognizable stars. I was real eager to view TWO EVIL EYES, but it didn't take all that long and I was bored to death. Not enough action; not enough gore. George Romero directs THE FACTS IN THE CASE OF M. VALDEMAR, where a deceitful cheating wife(Adrienne Barbeau)plans on killing her husband(E.G. Marshall); and while he is in a vegetated state, she cashes in some of his major assets. Even a fully clothed Barbeau is gorgeous.THE BLACK CAT is directed by Derio Argento and tells the tale of a crime photographer(Harvey Keitel), who is haunted by cats after himself being involved with a murder. Keitel,who is known for playing some quirky roles, does not disappoint.Other stars involved in these twin tales: Sally Kirland, John Amos, Kim Hunter, Martin Balsam and Ramy Zada.