In 1845, Edgar Allen Poe published a short story on the form of a poem titled, “The Raven.” It’s about a man who descends to insanity when the titular bird torments him. 118 Years Later, the late Roger Corman & Richard Matheson collaborated again adapting yet another Edgar Allen Poe work since “House of Usher.”
Released in 1963, (same year The Avengers made their comic book debut) The Raven was a commercial success. Anyway, it’s officially Halloween Month. I’ll be watching and posting Horror movies throughout October. Some are top-tier and others are plain dull.
It doesn’t matter if SPOILERS are present. It’s not a good Horror Comedy.
Lifted & Cursed Aspects
Lifted: Vincent Price, Peter Lorre & Boris Karloff both did a fair job for their respective performances.
Jack Nicholson appears as Bedley’s son. This is before the former made it big as a movie star. I don’t blame him partaking in his dud. We gotta start somewhere in show biz.
Special Effects at the time were authentic.
Only one good part. The battle between Craven & Scarabus conjuring their magic.
Cinematography’s shot in stable condition.
Running Time’s 85 minutes long. A slight improvement from of the last movie, “The Pit and the Pendulum.” Which is approximately 80 minutes long.
Fun Facts
Bedley shouts, “You idiot!” Billy West confirmed Ren’s (from Ren and Stimpy) voice and catchphrase is based on Peter Lorre.
First time I heard of The Raven was on The Simpsons’ very first Halloween episode, “Treehouse of Horror.” Bart’s role is the titular bird driving Homer crazy.
Random Thoughts
- Angry Video Game Nerd/James Rolfe praised The Raven. Too bad he’s a troglodyte, due to his inability to comprehend old movies that did not aged well. He prefers crappy classic Horror movies over “The Dark Knight,” “Pulp Fiction” & “The Big Lebowski.”
- Fellow movie critic, BloggedByEric requested me to review The Raven via Discord. Shame, he’s never seen my favorite Horror movie franchise, “Scream.”
- I’m not a big fan of classic Horror movies from the 1930s-1960s. My preferences are ones from the 1990s-Present Day in terms of characterization and a cohesive structure.
Cursed: Roger Corman didn’t do pretty good job directing.
Richard Matheson ( I Am Legend, What Dreams May Come True) didn’t do a good job turning Edgar Allen Poe’s short story poem into a faithful full-length movie. It’s not easy adapting a short story. He had the same problem with The Pit and the Pendulum.
Scare Factor lacks tensions and legit terror. I wasn’t petrified.
Jokes weren’t funny at all.
For a short movie, Pacing’s a slow burn. Boring as heck.
A dumb fight scene Bedlo using a cape like he’s in a bullfighting match.
A matte painting of the castle recycles the exact same one from The Pit and the Pendulum. Plus, a carriage heading to the castle features a beach and ocean waves.” Laziness with a capital L.
Bedley remains as a raven at the end. He doesn’t become human again.
The Final Verdict: D-
The Raven’s an unfunny Horror Comedy. I was this close to giving it my lowest grade, an F, FOR FAKER. The positive stuff like Jack Nicholson, special effects and the final battle were good. Sadly, Mr. Nicholson couldn’t save it. Skip this piece of crud in favor of a legit Horror Comedy like “Shaun of the Dead.” It’s a billion times better than The Raven. Heck, I’d rather see a solo movie based on my third favorite superhero, Raven from Teen Titans.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 