SHERBURNE – The Sherburne Music-Theater Society will bring the works of horror masters Edgar Allan Poe and H. P. Lovecraft to life in its performance of performance of Tales to Chill the Soul on Friday, October 30 at 7 p.m. in the Sherburne Public Library. The reading will feature “The Black Cat” by Edgar Allen Poe and “The Hound,” “From Beyond,” and “The Last Statement of Randolph Carter” by H. P. Lovecraft dramatized by cast members Michael Moren, Keven Simmons, Mike Tefft, and Rick Thormahlen.

These two writers, both of whose works reached far greater acclaim after their death, are considered by many to be the earliest and most influential practitioners of what is now referred to as the horror genre.  Many of Poe’s works are readily recognized by title; stories such as “The Pit and the Pendulum,” “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Cask of Amontillado” have had various adaptations and retellings over the years, and his narrative poem “The Raven” remains as one of the most recognizable works in American literature.

 H.P. Lovecraft, while perhaps less well known than Poe, delved far deeper into the horror genre, focusing on themes of alien and unnatural forces beyond human understanding.  Although Lovecraft's readership was limited during his life, his reputation has grown over the decades, and he is now commonly regarded as one of the most influential horror writers of the 20th century.  Commenting on the influence of Lovecraft, Stephen King has said,  “Now that time has given us some perspective on his work, I think it is beyond doubt that H. P. Lovecraft has yet to be surpassed as the twentieth century’s greatest practitioner of the classic horror tale.”