The Tell-Tale Heart cover art

The Tell-Tale Heart

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The Tell-Tale Heart

By: Edgar Allan Poe
Narrated by: Mr. David Ian Davies
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About this listen

 Actor David Ian Davies' telling of Poe's Gothic horror tale "The Tell-Tale Heart" captures this classic narrative of the unnamed murderer in all its exquisite vileness, its self-effacing insanity that poses rationality where none exists.Public Domain (P)2006 One Voice Recordings Anthologies Anthologies & Short Stories Classics Horror Short Stories Suspense Thriller & Suspense Scary Fiction

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Editor reviews

Voice actor David Ian Davies captures the petrifying nuances of American horror master Edgar Allan Poe’s classic short story "The Tell-Tale Heart". He interprets the chilling prose with fervor, bringing the monstrous character to life. The first-person narrator, a murderer, rants and raves about how he killed an old man for no other reason than distaste for a pale blue eye. He works hard to conceal his deed - dismembering and concealing the corpse - but his clever measures are no match for his guilt.
All stars
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Headline says it all, really. I loved it. Fascinating from a psychological point of view. The sound of the heartbeat was evidently a manifestation of his guilt.

Excellent atmospheric story and bravura performanc

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The voice acting is very good. maybe recorded a long time ago but still very good.

very well read

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If you want to get Poe this is the story to go to. I had heard it performed years ago and I still shudder but this was very different. Still it is exactly gripping the point of the story and brilliantly read with the bonus that there won’t be sleepless nights and night terrors. Hopefully 😎

Well read and convincing

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The readers performance had me enraptured the whole time. I also love Edgar Allen Poetry and this is one of my favorite short stories.

Great Performer.

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guy seems nuts to me he says he is not but I'm not convinced

good

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I would love to know why this sounds like somebody cued up a microphone to an old cassette tape machine and pressed play. It’s a shame, because I do really like this short story of Poe’s and it deserved a bit better in terms of audio mastering.

David Ian Davies is a talented narrator, but unfortunately I was somewhat put off by his attempts to almost impersonate the legendary Vincent Price, which lead to some dramatic moments coming off as rather silly. 3/5

A classic, but…

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I wasn’t familiar with this short story, I enjoyed it, brief as it was. The narrator was like someone from old horror movies, lots of texture and tone to give you a feel of the story meaning.
It’s different but good different

Different!

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This was absolutely great! Loved the reader, he really brought The Telltale Heart to life.

Fantastic narration

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I've loved Edgar Allen Poe stories since I was a child. I really did enjoy this mini classic and the narration was truly brilliant and very atmospheric. Loved it!

FANTASTIC NARRATION

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For a tale regarded as a classic, I can't really say I'm impressed.
Just a bit naff overall.

A bit naff

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