GamerTab That was an excellent one.

Fluentiama Perfect cast and a good story

FeistyUpper If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Leofwine_draca The credits for this film read like a role call of famous names. Samuel Z Arkoff, responsible for churning out billions of products in the '50s and '60s, is a producer while the screenplay was directed by none other than Richard Matheson, a famed horror writer. Roger Corman directed the film, and even non-horror fans will instantly recognise his infamous name. The story is loosely (very loosely) based on an Edgar Allan Poe poem, which Price reads over the credits at the beginning. With production values like this, as well as an excellent ensemble cast, you have on your hands a sure-fire hit. THE RAVEN doesn't disappoint.Those expecting straight Gothic horror, however, will be disappointed, as the horror is virtually non-existent, taking a back seat to the numerous laughs on display here. I found some of the humour to be a bit laboured but not overly so. Price hams it up in his usual style and the role is perfect for him, as he plays the noble count (what other title would suit him?). Peter Lorre is also perfectly cast as an unlikeable man who is turned into a raven, and his snivelling role is at times rather tragic (note his reliance on alcohol) yet amusing. Karloff brings a true sense of menace as the evil conjurer, showing us he hasn't lost the sinister magic, while Hazel Court is on hand for the glamour aspect, surprisingly playing a villain this time around. Jack Nicholson ironically has an under-played supporting role, and we can see that he is still learning the ropes here and there is none of his over-the-top excess so typical of him, in fact his wooden acting is somewhat laughable.The special effects are also amazing for the time this film was made. Animation features heavily, and doesn't even look as dated as some films of the 1980s (CHILDREN OF THE CORN for example), as well as strings, wires, pulleys, fire, and many over tricks. At one point it looks like some kind of prism was used to shine light across the film (when the magicians are shooting their 'rays'). The production values are typical, with most money being spent on lavish costumes and a fiery climax (again, what else?). If you want to see a superb cast playing out a Poe film for laughs, then look nowhere else.

john_vance-20806 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.

Scott LeBrun Magician Erasmus Craven (Vincent Price), enough of a talent that he can make magic with mere hand gestures, is visited one night by Adolphus Bedlo (Peter Lorre), who's been transformed into the title animal by Craven's rival, the nefarious Dr. Scarabus (Boris Karloff). After Bedlo has been turned back to human form, they travel to the castle of Scarabus, as Bedlo has told Craven that he has seen a woman there who resembles Craven's late wife Lenore (Hazel Court). Accompanying them on this adventure are Bedlo's bumbling son Rexford (Jack Nicholson) and Craven's lovely daughter Estelle (Olive Sturgess).As envisioned by author / screenwriter Richard Matheson, and realized by producer / director Roger Corman, this entry in Corman's series of Edgar Allan Poe related films is a delight. It's a spirited blend of horror and comedy, taking a playful jab at the entire Gothic horror genre. The pacing is rather deliberate, but the script & performances generate some hearty laughs. Clearly the actors are having a good time. Price and Lorre didn't make much sense of the script, and opted to play the material as broadly as possible. They also did a fair amount of improvising, which contrasted with the more meticulous approach that Karloff took. All of the ladies (including Connie Wallace as a maid) are ravishing, and Nicholson is fun to watch. The animation effects add to the goofy charm of the film. The major highlight, naturally, is the climactic sorcerer's duel between Price and Karloff. Price was very afraid of the boa that had to be draped around his neck at one point.The music by Les Baxter perfectly matches the mood of each scene, and Corman's collaborators, production designer / art director Daniel Haller and cinematographer Floyd Crosby, bring their A game as usual. Almost all of the credits are saved for the final few minutes.Followed by the subsequent (and far more serious) Corman/Price combo, "The Haunted Palace".Eight out of 10.

David Ferguson Greetings again from the darkness. It's been more than 50 years since this one was released, so it seems a good time to offer up some thoughts and observations. Let's start with the fact that you probably read Edgar Allen Poe's poem "The Raven" in high school. Director Roger Corman and writer Richard Matheson take Poe's work as a starting point in a most unique story of their own.If you aren't familiar with Roger Corman, he is one of the most prolific and entertaining "B" movie makers of all time. His writer here, Mr. Matheson, is best known for his work on numerous episodes of "The Twilight Zone". Poe - Matheson - Corman would be enough, but we also get Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff, Hazel Court and Jack Nicholson. Price is always a treat to watch (especially in horror films), Lorre appeared in 3 of the greatest movies of all-time (M, The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca), Karloff is the master of monster, Ms Court was one of the first stars of Hammer Films, and of course, Nicholson (fresh-faced here) went on to become one of the most successful actors in movie history.Price, Karloff, Lorre and Nicholson offer up four of the most unique voices ever heard in movies, and they each partake in the fun provided by Corman here. Yes, I said fun. This is almost slapstick comedy, and at a minimum, it's a parody of the much darker series of Poe films. If you consider it as an influence of the 1960's "Batman" TV series, you wouldn't be wrong. Even the music (heavy on the tuba) has an air of comedy.Watching Peter Lorre as a matador is pretty funny, and some of the back-and-forth with he and Nicholson as father and son is clearly ad-libbed, but the classic comedic sequence occurs when Price and Karloff take their wizardry duel to the death and turn it into a special effects highlight reel.This may be the only time you hear the phrase "precious viper" used to describe a woman, and if that, combined with all of the above reasons, isn't enough to motivate you to seek this one out, then maybe you will never discover why so many adore the films of Roger Corman. Compared with films of today, this style is nevermore.