Other Poe Stories You May Enjoy

Those who attended Giles Davies's one-man Poe show seemed to particularly enjoy the renditions of two of Poe's more humorous works: "Never Bet the Devil Your Head" (featuring Toby Dammit) and "The Angel of the Odd." These two stories are available online as follows:

Never Bet the Devil Your Head [ link to full text ]
A spoof of a morality tale: The narrator, presented as the author himself, is dismayed by literary critics saying that he has never written a moral tale. The narrator then begins telling the story of his friend Toby Dammit. Dammit is described as a man of many vices, presumably at least in part due to his left-handed mother flogging him with her left hand, considered improper. Dammit often made rhetorical bets, becoming fond of the expression "I'll bet the devil my head." Though the narrator tries to break Dammit of bad habits, he fails. Nevertheless, the two remain friends until they reach a covered bridge.

Now if you would prefer to watch the 20-minute movie from 2007, which looks either like an excellent production by high school students or a very cheap production from professionals.

Angel of the Odd [ link to full text ]
The story follows an unnamed narrator who reads a story about a man who died after accidentally sucking a needle down his throat. He rages at the gullibility of humanity for believing a hoax. He vows to never fall for such odd stories. Just then, a strange-looking creature made of a keg and wine bottles appears. The creature announces in a heavy accent that he is the Angel of the Odd - and that he is responsible for causing such strange events.