The Raven

Several masters of horror and mystery gather here to have fun with Poe and the horror genre in general. The duel of the magicians is a hoot, and Peter Lorre in a bird suit is delightful. One of the best horror spoofs ever made.

The Raven - a fine nostalgic trip back in time where making a movie was still magic and vision and not all CGI. Based on a poem of Mr. Poe, directed by Roger Corman, including the great actors Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff and even young Jack Nicholson, The Raven is a fine mix of horror and comedy made in great colors. Great.

This is true magic. You will be shaking but not through horror. The Raven was made to amuse and it does. The magician's duel may lack 'modern effects' but for their day they were pretty impressive. And the warmth and humour shines out in all the characters. And yes, Peter Lorre dressed up as a Raven IS hilarious.

The Raven (1935) and The Raven (1963) are two completely different movies - one has nothing to do with the other. The Raven (1963) is not a remake of the 1935 film. The ONLY similarities between the two films are: Boris Karloff stars in both films, both are inspired by Poe's poem "The Raven" and both are good classic horror films - that's it! The stories of the two movies are quite different from each other. I forgot just how cute this film is until I watched it again! Quite a funny horror-fantasy film. Where else can we see Price dropping eggs on Karloff's head lol. Three legendary stars Lorre, Price and Karloff and an up and coming Jack Nicholson that show us their humorous side. Yes this is worth watching - if you like a good comedy-horror and fantasy film classic! 8.5/10

There was period of time in the late 50s to mid 60s where the horror/comedy movie became quite popular. These Karloff/Price/Lorre productions were excellent examples of this tongue-in-cheek genre and The Raven may been the best of them. As others have noted, the only commonality with Poe's work is that there is a raven in the movie (I guess it could be a crow, who can tell the difference). There are enough shock scenes to keep a 10 year old on the edge of his seat and enough cheesy comic relief to keep him from getting creeped out. By far the best part of the film comes with the lead actors who manage to blend the sinister with the silly in just the right balance to make the whole thing enjoyable. Very dated by today's standards, most kids wouldn't be impressed by the scares or the laughs. But for old folks who once spent a lot of Saturday afternoons at the local theater it's a wonderful visit to the past.