Hitchcock and Poe, masters of thrill and fear, do not possess occult powers that would explain their success in engaging audiences with their potent displays of horror. Instead, they focus on one simple technique that, while seemingly insignificant and trivial, produces results more satisfactory than those of flamboyant special effects or abstruse language. In Hitchcock's Rear Window and in Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher," both storytellers use a first person point of view to build apprehension and suspense. This restraint establishes a connection in which the audience is accordant with the main character; they become harmonious in both their knowledge and perception of events, and are therefore left suspended in breathless anticipation.…
