Edgar Allan Poe’s horror-infused catalogue is a perennial favourite at the Fringe, thanks to its tempting mix of period detail and creeping gothic unease. And conceptually, this particular version couldn’t be simpler: across two hour-long shows we hear a quartet of Poe’s stories, their unedited text recited on an uncluttered stage by solo actor Stephen Smith. But there’s deep richness in how the stories are told, and how the four narrators are portrayed – making this, perhaps, the definitive Fringe interpretation of these already much-loved works.

The highlight, for me, is The Pit And The Pendulum, which leans heavily into the vivid horror of the original text. Evoking Poe’s psychologically sadistic (and wildly fictional) vision of the Spanish Inquisition, Smith’s physical performance is exceptional; he totters as he gropes in darkness, his eyes roll as he succumbs to drugs. The focus is thrown on every one of Poe’s words, as we share in the protagonist’s struggle against madness and discover the deadly layout of his pitch-black cell. This is, ultimately, a story about human spirit, and you couldn’t hope for a more spirited telling.

Madness of a different kind is at the centre of The Tell-Tale Heart and The Black Cat, both of which feature a murderer undone by supernatural reminders of their guilt. The latter, especially, is a fascinatingly creepy character study, of a man who at first resembles a respectable clerk but is all too aware of his own darkly brutal side. A sparse but effective soundscape enhances this and the other stories, while convincing make-up – which Smith applies on-stage as fascinating bonus feature – draws us further into each disturbing world.

The tone’s a little different for The Raven, the only one of the four pieces to be performed in verse. Smith’s interpretation of the narrator as a posh, elderly, slightly-distracted academic fits well with the repetitive structure of the poem, while the raven itself on the soundtrack offers a snappy, almost comic counterpoint. Humour’s used sparingly but well throughout the four pieces, sometimes to relieve the tension and sometimes to flesh out complex characters; at the same time, the protagonist’s transition from intrigued delight to grief-stricken anger is particularly effectively portrayed.

The four pieces together are well-chosen: different enough to hold our interest, yet similar enough to pick out themes. And what links them all is Smith’s immersive, imaginative characterisation, from the physically-broken victim of The Pit And The Pendulum to the coolly-detached madman of The Tell-Tale Heart. With each tale building to a finely-pitched climax, it’s a show that builds on Poe’s creative genius – and the memories it conjures may live for evermore.