The Telltale Heart

"The Telltale Heart" is a 1941 short film adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's chilling short story, directed by Jules Dassin. This psychological thriller delves into the mind of a disturbed narrator, played with intensity by Joseph Schildkraut, who becomes obsessed with the "vulture-like" eye of an old man living in his household. Driven by his growing paranoia and madness, the narrator meticulously plans and executes the old man's murder, dismembering and hiding the body beneath the floorboards. However, his sanity unravels as he is tormented by the imagined sound of the old man's still-beating heart, which grows louder and more insistent, ultimately leading him to confess his crime to the police. The film uses shadowy visuals and a haunting soundtrack to amplify Poe's exploration of guilt, madness, and the inescapable nature of conscience, making it a compelling study of psychological horror.