The Fall of the House of Usher follows the narrator as he visits his childhood friend Roderick Usher, who lives in a decrepit, eerie mansion. The tale explores themes of madness, family decay, and supernatural influence, culminating in the literal collapse of the house and the death of the Usher family line.

Set during the Spanish Inquisition, this story describes the terrifying ordeal of a prisoner who faces psychological and physical torture, including the threat of a swinging pendulum blade and the peril of falling into a deep pit.

This tale explores guilt, violence, and the supernatural through the eyes of a narrator who becomes increasingly abusive and violent under the influence of alcohol, culminating in the murder of his wife and the haunting guilt symbolized by a black cat.