Maybe I was missing something....

but Poe is creepier in his story choices while Hawthorne is more soul-searchingly melancholy rather than scary.

(However, HAWTHORNE is much better looking!)

He pretty much invented two genres: subjective supernatural stories AND more objective detective fiction. I always think of the X-Files and the way Mulder and Scully reflected this duality.

Love both authors!

Hawthorne is good for reading dark romance in a foretaste of Lovecraft Country's towns and cities. But for a tale to curl up with on a dark and stormy night, give me Poe every time!