In 1935, Boris Karloff starred in a movie called "The Raven" - a movie that had little to nothing to do with Edgar Allen Poe's poem. Fast forward 28 years. In 1963, Boris Karloff starred in a movie called "The Raven" - a movie that had little to nothing to do with Edgar Allen Poe's poem. Let's talk about the '63 version.
Your first thought about a movie called "The Raven" (and that stars Vincent Price and Peter Lorre, along with Karloff) is that you're going to find a horror movie, or at least a decent mystery or suspense thriller. Those expectations are dashed quickly. This is, after all, directed by Roger Corman. There's nothing frightening or mysterious about this. Instead the movie goes for laughs, as two rival sorcerors/wizards/magicians (Price and Karloff) go head to head with each other, with Lorre stuck in the middle - sometimes a raven, sometimes a man, sometimes a bit of both. Yes, it's a rather silly movie, which unfortunately creates expectations by being named after Poe's poem. From time to time it works in that it brings forth a few chuckles - but it doesn't accomplish much else.
To give them credit, the cast seemed to take this seriously enough and played their parts well, although I understand from what I've read that the three leads did recognize the sheer silliness of it all and had their share of fun while making it. But a few chuckles and a decent cast aside, this just isn't a particularly good movie. In the end, what's most interesting about it is probably an appearance by a very young Jack Nicholson as the Lorre character's son. In terms of quality, his performance wasn't notable, and to be honest I didn't even recognize him until I saw his name in the closing credits. That, along with the team of Price, Lorre and Karloff) makes this movie a curiosity, but it doesn't make it good. (3/10)
Your first thought about a movie called "The Raven" (and that stars Vincent Price and Peter Lorre, along with Karloff) is that you're going to find a horror movie, or at least a decent mystery or suspense thriller. Those expectations are dashed quickly. This is, after all, directed by Roger Corman. There's nothing frightening or mysterious about this. Instead the movie goes for laughs, as two rival sorcerors/wizards/magicians (Price and Karloff) go head to head with each other, with Lorre stuck in the middle - sometimes a raven, sometimes a man, sometimes a bit of both. Yes, it's a rather silly movie, which unfortunately creates expectations by being named after Poe's poem. From time to time it works in that it brings forth a few chuckles - but it doesn't accomplish much else.
To give them credit, the cast seemed to take this seriously enough and played their parts well, although I understand from what I've read that the three leads did recognize the sheer silliness of it all and had their share of fun while making it. But a few chuckles and a decent cast aside, this just isn't a particularly good movie. In the end, what's most interesting about it is probably an appearance by a very young Jack Nicholson as the Lorre character's son. In terms of quality, his performance wasn't notable, and to be honest I didn't even recognize him until I saw his name in the closing credits. That, along with the team of Price, Lorre and Karloff) makes this movie a curiosity, but it doesn't make it good. (3/10)