The fifth entry in B-movie maven Roger Corman’s eight adaptations of works by Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven (1963) is inspired by the titular 19th-century author’s most famous poem. The film begins with a voiceover recitation by Dr. Erasmus Craven (Vincent Price) of Poe’s classic, which is set on a cold December night as a man mourning the loss of his love is visited by a decidedly pessimistic bird.
Poe’s “Raven” is haunting; Corman’s is yuk-yuk-yuk. When Craven opens the window to admit the tapping raven and asks whether he will ever again see his beloved Lenore, the feathered wisecracker replies, “How the hell should I know?”
In short order, Craven learns that the raven is actually a magician named Dr. Bedlo (Peter Lorre), who was transformed earlier that evening by the reputedly evil Dr. Scarabus (Boris Karloff) following a magic competition that went awry.
When magician Craven restores Bedlo to his human form, the latter claims that he saw Craven’s Lenore at Scarabus’s fortress and enlists the woebegone wizard in a scheme to storm Scarabus’s castle and take revenge, with Craven’s daughter (Olive Sturgess) and Bedlo’s son (Jack Nicholson) joining their fathers for the mission. After being welcomed inside the fortress, everyone adopts an air of hospitality while busily scheming away behind closed doors, culminating in a special-effects-laden prestidigitation battle between Craven and Scarabus.
Although there are a couple of jumper moments, Richard Matheson’s (The Incredible Shrinking Man) script announces from the beginning that The Raven is a comedy, a tone that is heavily reinforced by Les Baxter’s whimsical music score. The powerhouse trio of Price, Karloff, and Lorre (who improvised some lines) clearly revel in the slapstick, while Sturgess and Nicholson play it straight, and bosomy Hazel Court as Lenore is an effective magnet chick.
The Raven makes its second appearance on Blu-ray with a fine digital transfer and extras that include audio commentary by film historian David Del Valle and archival interviews with Corman and Matheson. One of the most entertaining films in Corman’s Poe cycle, this is recommended.