The Tell-Tale Heart has been the subject of dozens, if not hundreds of comic book and film adaptations. One that is near and dear to my heart is the animated short film from 1953, directed by Ted Parmelee (Rocky and Bullwinkle) and narrated by the great James Mason (Stanley Kubrik’s Lolita.) The real brilliance of the film, however, lies in the outstanding design work of Paul Julian, who also went on to work with Roger Corman on Dementia 13 among other films and animations for Warner Brothers.
Nominated for an Academy Award in 1954, this was the first animated feature with an X rating to be granted such an honor. The rating of X only applied in Great Britain and was imposed by the British Board of Film Classification. While the MPAA existed in the United States, films were still being shot under the censorship of the Hayes laws and at the time a ratings code was redundant. Alas, the film lost to a short film by Walt Disney.
In a long trail of events including many collectors searching for the animated classic, in 2001 The Tell-Tale Heart was deemed “culturally significant” and was finally archived in the United States Library of Congress.
Many of you are lucky enough to already own the film whether you realize it or not, as Guillermo Del Toro included it as a bonus feature on the original release of the Hellboy double disk set. And for the rest of us, and as it is now in public domain, a film lover has posted the short on youtube.
Happy Halloween!
About The Author:
I'm an illustrator currently creating art for graphic novels. I have most recently finished work on the graphic novel Quarantined. Been a fan of comicbookmovie for ages and just getting off my ass now to create an account. Feel free to message me if you want to check out any of my work.