The series pays tribute to Poe's timeless poetry at several points in the story, reciting his verses verbatim from his memorable catalog. For instance, the opening moment of the drama shows the priest reading aloud a sermon as the family send off their last three offspring (Vic, Tam, and Freddie) in a joint service. The sermon in question seamlessly distills two of Poe's poems ("For Annie" and "Spirits of the Dead") as well as two of his stories ("The Premature Burial" and "The Imp of the Perverse"), the latter two of which are explored further in the episodes that follow. In episode seven, Verna also utters the verses of "The City in the Sea" to Madeline, while Roderick speaks aloud "The Raven" in parts as he works his way through his confession to Auguste.
