A white-robed horseman heralded by flocks of ravens rides through a medieval European kingdom, causing instant death to all who see them.

After being serenaded by a red-attired jester mocking death, the nobles begin a masquerade ball, only to be surprised by a beautiful woman they have not seen before.

[5] Some cite it as a potential influence on Terry Gilliam's Monty Python and the Holy Grail, specifically the plague ridden landscape.

[6] Film critic Ralph Stephenson described it as "perhaps the most impressive translation of Poe's ghostly world into the cartoon medium".

[7] Due to its innovations in the use of background by mixing painting textures, collage and drawings,[8] it was included in the anthology Art in Movement.