Dudley Dursley, nevermore. Harry Melling (The Queen’s Gambit, The Old Guard) stars as celebrated author and poet Edgar Allan Poe in Scott Cooper’s upcoming gothic thriller The Pale Blue Eye. Based on Louis Bayard’s 2006 novel of the same title, the movie reimagines Poe’s days as a young cadet at West Point in 1830 when he’s called in to help investigate a series of murders. Christian Bale, Gillian Anderson, Lucy Boynton and Charlotte Gainsbourg are also set to star. 

As part of a new series at New York City’s Paris Theater, Cooper has picked out six movies that helped shape The Pale Blue Eye. Warning: These aren’t for the faint of heart. 

Bram Stoker’s Dracula

What it’s about: Based on the 1897 horror classic by Bram Stoker, this adaptation by Francis Ford Coppola stars Gary Oldman as Count Dracula, the 15th-century knight-turned-bloodthirsty vampire. Keanu Reeves plays Jonathan Harker, a British lawyer called to Transylvania to serve as counsel to the mysterious figure. Things immediately get weird, but nothing can prepare Harker for Dracula’s instant infatuation with his fiancée, Mina (Winona Ryder), the spitting image of his dead wife. 

What Cooper loves about it: “I first discovered Bram Stoker’s Dracula as a teenager. It remains a favorite. Coppola’s heavily stylized and unique version is great fun and a descendant of [F.W.] Murnau’s masterful Nosferatu. From production and costume design, to cinematography, makeup and editing, this Dracula is an undisputed classic. Iconic imagery and mood, mood, mood from one of my favorite filmmakers.”

Don’t Look Now

What it’s about:  Based on a 1971 short story by Daphne du Maurier, this thriller stars Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland as a couple trying to work through their grief after the death of their daughter. When work takes them to Venice, Italy, they encounter two sisters who claim that their daughter is trying to contact them from beyond the grave. 

What he loves about it: “A personal favorite. With rare depth of character, a remarkably disturbing plot, and a lush Venice setting, Nicolas Roeg transports us into a world of haunting eroticism, family tragedy and technically remarkable editing. A truly brilliant film, with one of the great endings in horror that I revisit annually.”

Gosford Park 

What it’s about: This movie is the answer to the question: “What if you crammed some of Britain’s finest actors in a grand house and called, “action!” Maggie Smith, Eileen Atkins, Charles Dance, Michael Gambon, Helen Mirren, Kelly Macdonald, Clive Owen, Jeremy Northam and more star in this murderous whodunnit that’s basically Clue with the flair of Downton Abbey. In fact, Downton creator Julian Fellowes penned the script, and the upstairs/downstairs dynamics will be instantly familiar to fans of the show. 

What he loves about it: “An audacious whodunit as only the great Robert Altman could deliver. What’s not to love about a rich gallery of characters, all with something to hide? Delicious in every sense.” 

Nosferatu

What it’s about: Arguably the original vampire movie. Nosferatu stars Max Schreck as Count Orlok, a terrifying vamp whose obsession with his estate agent’s wife eventually leads to his downfall. And if you think a hundred-year-old movie can’t give you nightmares… just wait. 

What he loves about it: “It was 100 years ago that F.W. Murnau gave us this masterpiece. The prototype for virtually all vampire films to follow, my father took me to see it at a local Virginia university when I was 12. I have never forgotten it.” 

Rebecca

What it’s about: Daphne du Maurier’s tale of a newlywed grappling with the ghost of her husband’s first wife has captured imaginations since 1938. This adaptation, directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine, earned a best picture Oscar at the 13th Academy Awards.

What he loves about it: “Masterfully gothic, this ghost story examines how the dead still haunt us; it greatly influenced my latest, The Pale Blue Eye. As usual with Hitchcock, things are rarely so simple as they appear, and no one appreciated this more than Edgar Allan Poe — a central figure in my film.”

The Haunting

What it’s about: Fans of The Haunting of Hill House will definitely want to check out this classic adaptation of Shirley Jackson’s novel. For 80 years, Hill House has devoured all who’ve lived there. Curious about the phenomenon, Dr. John Markway (Richard Johnson) invites a team of paranormal experts to help him investigate. 

What he loves about it: “What’s not to love about a team of psychic investigators who move into a haunted house that destroys all that live there? Examining lurid death and insanity, Robert Wise immerses us in suspense and atmosphere that we seldom enjoy. A classic in every regard.” 

Learn more about the Paris Theater’s Directors Select series here. 

The Pale Blue Eye: What Was Life Like Back Then?What was life really like during the early 1800s, when The Pale Blue Eye is set?