Edgar Allan Poe and Guillermo del Toro go together like peas and carrots, and we will get to see this winning combination courtesy of an animated indie horror anthology titled Extraordinary Tales, for which the Hellboy-helmer will narrate one of the segments, according to Variety. Check out some stills and clips from the film’s official Facebook page below!
Extraordinary Tales is a 65-minute omnibus feature based on five of Edgar Allan Poe’s most famous stories, all told in a different, striking animated style. The passion project is the brainchild of Raul Garcia, a former Disney animator who also co-directed and co-wrote the 2008 Spanish animated movie The Missing Lynx. Garcia has spent the last eight years developing the project, which is modestly budgeted at $2.5-million.
Del Toro is lending his voice to “The Pit and the Pendulum,” a segment which mimics mid-19th century photography and centers on a man who is being tortured during the reign of the Spanish Inquisition. In addition to del Toro, Garcia has already scored Hammer horror staple Sir Christopher Lee to narrate “The Fall of the House of Usher” and Warlock star Julian Sands to voice “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” (which features an animated Vincent Price). Frequent Poe adapter Roger Corman will voice Prince Prosper in a segment based on “The Masque of the Red Death,” which he himself directed a much-praised version of for American International Pictures in 1964. “The Tell-Tale Heart” will be presented in black & white animation.
Produced by Melusine Productions, R&R US and Spain, The Big Farm and Les Armateurs, Extraordinary Tales is nearly finalized and is being shown at the AFM Film Market tomorrow for international sales.
