Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" Film Adaptation Guide

This resource is intended to accompany Annette Jung’s animated version and the 1941 short film adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart". This story is always one of the most memorable throughout the year!

In my 8th grade class, students would answer these questions individually to prepare for a Socratic Seminar or “Table Talk” discussion during the following class session within a Horror Unit that focuses on theme, imagery, suspense, and irony in multiple horror stories throughout the month of October. These questions are rigorous, but also interesting, engaging, and thought-provoking. These questions are intended to incite an in depth compare and contrast discussion over the original text and the two adaptations.

Youtube Links:

Annette Jung Cartoon Adaptation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDLLHTdVSgU

1941 Short Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlTCXIJEj-c

This activity addresses the following Common Core ELA Literature standards.

Grade 7: RL.7.7. Compare and contrast a written story, drama, or poem to its audio, filmed, staged, or multimedia version, analyzing the effects of techniques unique to each medium (e.g., lighting, sound, color, or camera focus and angles in a film).

Grade 8.7: Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to or departs from the text or script, evaluating the choices made by the director or actors.

Grades 9 &10: RL.9-10.7. Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two different artistic mediums, including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment . . . .

Grades 11 & 12: RL.11-12.7. Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e.g., recorded or live production of a play or recorded novel or poetry), evaluating how each version interprets the source text.