Have you ever noticed how one person's interpretation of a story is unique to that of another person who has heard the same story? This I think is the case of the directors of "The Tell Tale Heart." I also think that the differences and changes made in the films were put in to add depth and drama, as well as help create the vision of the maker. One difference I will be talking about is the difference in lighting and how it affected the mood of the story. Plus, I will speak of the similarities in the actions of the man pertaining to the murder of the old man.
The first difference I saw was in the lighting. One movie was done in the dark while the other was in the light. The movie done in the dark appeared to be older and was in the classic black and white horror movie style. Therefore, having the movie done in the dark fitted the fashion in which it was made. The lighted film showed more detail in scenery and in the actors, in that you could actually see them. Darkness made the first show more suspenseful and scary, while the lighted (although easier to see) kind of dulled the mood of the story.
In both movies the man decides to use abed mattress as his weapon of choice. I think this was used as a way to hide evidence of the murder in a discreet manner. Using a mattress is ingenious in that no blood was shed and there was no clear proof of a struggle. It was the perfect crime.
Another likeness between the to films is the time- period before the murder was committed and the conduct of the man during this time. The man waited a week before killing the old man and was very kind to him during that duration. The reason I think he was nice to the old man was because he actually liked him, but just grew a hatred toward his eye. I think the allotment of time before the murder was not purposeful, but a time to convince himself to kill the old man by sneaking into his room to see his eye.