In 1954, UPA Studios released this haunting animated short of Edgar Allen Poe’s classic tale of madness and murder, The Tell-Tale Heart, told from the point of view of a man who finds himself altogether very sane.

Perhaps best known for characters like Mr. Magoo and Gerald McBoing Boing, UPA Studios were a group of restless, innovative animators who broke away from the classicist confines of Disney Studios and pioneered a new animation style that reflected the spirited experimentation of post-war California Modernism. Inspired by jazz and modern abstraction, their influence can still be seen in animation today.

Their animation work was so innovative and well-done, even former employer Disney aped the animation style in the 1950s with such shorts as Toot, Whistle, Plunk, and Boom.

In contrast to their usual bright, cheerful color palette and sharp line quality, The Tell-Tale Heart’s painterly and darkly atmospheric imagery (inspired by Surrealism as much as Modernism) was accompanied by narration from the redoubtable James Mason. This is an annual Halloween favorite and just too cool.

Learn more about UPA Studios at the UPA Legacy Project.