This film adaptation is a direct interpretation of Edgar Allan Poe's chilling short story. It tells the macabre tale of a wounded traveler who takes refuge in a desolate, abandoned château. While recovering, he becomes mesmerized by an oval portrait of a young woman in his bedchamber. As he reads an accompanying text, he discovers the horrifying story behind the painting: an obsessed artist, consumed by his work, gradually drained the life from his beautiful bride as he captured her essence on canvas, ultimately leading to her death the very moment the portrait was complete. The film often expands on Poe's brief narrative, showing more of the artist's descent into madness and the tragic decline of his subject.
