Was The Pale Blue Eye inspired by a true crime Poe helped solve?

You know how sometimes great books don’t always translate into equally great movies? That doesn’t appear to be the case with The Pale Blue Eye, which writer-director Scott Cooper adapted from the novel of the same name by Louis Bayard. The horror mystery thriller opened in theaters on Dec. 23, 2022, and has been getting consistently good reviews, landing itself on many best horror movies of 2022 lists. (Including ours.)

The film version stars Christian Bale as detective Augustus Landor who’s called in to investigate a murder at West Point in 1830. But the veteran detective finds himself up against uncooperative cadets, except for one. A young man who the world will one day come to hail as the inventor of detective fiction, Edgar Allan Poe.

Did Poe really help to solve a crime during his time at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, in 1830? Is that why he was drawn to writing about mystery and the macabre? Let’s unpack whether The Pale Blue Eye was based on a true story or any part of Poe’s real life.

The Pale Blue Eye Synopsis

The military initially contracts detective Augustus Landor to investigate the murder of a cadet whose body is found left in the forest with his heart ripped out. Landor ends up enlisting the help of another cadet, Edgar Allan Poe, with the case. Sorcery magic, a second victim, and the disappearance of a third man connected to the two victims eventually lead to an unlikely suspect with a thirst for revenge.

Poe’s Time at West Point

I only knew two things about Edgar Allen Poe before looking into him more for this post. One, he was a writer. Two, he was born in Boston, Massachusetts. (Info gleaned during a jaunt to Boston, where I may or may not have —okay, I did— squeal out loud in delight when we came upon a fantastic statue erected in his honor.)

But I had no idea he’d ever served in the military or that he’d ever attended West Point. Given the nature of the murders in The Pale Blue Eye, could an actual true crime have inspired Poe’s short story, “The Tell-Tale Heart”?

Not in all likelihood.

While Poe was actually enlisted at the United States Military Academy in 1830, when The Pale Blue Eye takes place, that’s as far as any “real” connection goes. There were no gruesome murders involving cadets’ hearts being removed from their bodies. Poe never assisted any detective in solving such a case.

However, it’s both clever and fun to see him included in a fictional story like this, isn’t it?

The Pale Blue Eye Trailer

For More Info

The Pale Blue Eye starts streaming on Netflix on Jan. 6, 2023.

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Did you know Edgar Allan Poe attended West Point, or did that surprise you too?

Courtney Mroch

Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.

Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.