The Raven

1963

Action / Comedy / Drama / Fantasy / Horror

28
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 88% · 17 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 64% · 2.5K ratings
IMDb Rating 6.5/10 10 15379 15.4K

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Plot summary

A magician who has been turned into a raven turns to a former sorcerer for help.

Director

Top cast

Jack Nicholson as Rexford Bedlo
Leo Gordon as Grimes
Aaron Saxon as Gort
Vincent Price as Dr. Erasmus Craven
1080p.BLU
1.23 GB
1920*1080
English 2.0
G
23.976 fps
1 hr 26 min
Seeds 17

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by tmdb76622195 2 / 10

Welcome to one of the few negative reviews

Welcome to one of the few negative reviews of this film. There is a fine line between cheesy, campy, crappy horror film, and funny horror film. This falls into the former category. The plot concerns three sorcerers who try to outdo each other after they visit the gothic castle home of one. The plot gives way to humor that makes Adam Sandler at his worst look like Oscar Wilde. So many people find this stuff hilarious, but the lack of laughs makes this painful to watch. Corman did one masterpiece film, "Frankenstein Unbound," but his penchant for no budget and little thought to scripts have resulted in films on the level of Ed Wood. No one dares speak of this, however, because Corman is revered for giving up-and-comers their starts and always making a dime. Anyone can make a dime off a celluloid pile that costs a nickel. "The Raven" features Boris Karloff, Vincent Price, and Peter Lorre, and they are all terrible. They mug for the camera, and do not deliver one laugh. Jack Nicholson, young and fit, shows up in time to give no proof he would ever win Oscars. Corman's direction is standard, and Richard Matheson's screenplay seems like it was composed as the film progressed. I would put "The Raven" out for the night.
Reviewed by Wuchak 6 / 10

_**The origin of the ‘Sorcerer Supreme’ (no, not

_**The origin of the ‘Sorcerer Supreme’ (no, not Dr. Strange)**_ In 1506, a former sorcerer (Vincent Price) aids a lesser magician who has been turned into a raven (Peter Lorre) by a great wizard (Boris Karloff). When he learns that the ghost of his beloved dead wife (Hazel Court) has been seen at the castle of the great wizard, they venture there to find out, along with the sorcerer’s daughter and magician’s son (Olive Sturgess & Jack Nicholson). Directed by Roger Corman and written by Richard Matheson, “The Raven” (1963) is a horror comedy inspired by Edgar Allen Poe’s poem, spoofing Corman’s Poe flicks that were popular at the time. It’s amusing in the manner of the future “Young Frankenstein” (1974), yet in lush color. The trained raven is effective while the stunning Hazel Court is a highlight on the feminine front. Meanwhile there’s Nicholson as a strapping young lad. Despite being a comedy, fans of Marvel’s Dr. Strange might be interested in “The Raven” since some of the concepts clearly inspired Stan Lee & Steve Ditko in the creation of that comic book character. For instance, the idea of a sorcerer supreme and the look of Dr. Strange, who initially resembled Price, as well as the mystic mêlée of the sorcerers at the close, which features not only bolts of magic energy but ‘shields’ to thwart opposing energies. Dr. Strange’s debut in Strange Tales #110 was on the racks a few months following the release of “The Raven.” After the film was shot in 15 days, the superbly eerie sets were still available for a few days before demolition. Thus Corman acted quickly to concoct a script via Leo Gordon and enlisted Karloff & Nicholson for the quickie project, which turned out to be “The Terror,” released five months after this one. Boris said it was amusing the way Roger dashed around with him & the other actors filming scenes just a couple of steps ahead of the wreckers. Unlike the goofiness of this film, “The Terror” is a thoroughly serious Gothic Horror in the mold of spooky Hammer flicks, à la “Dracula, Prince of Darkness” (1966). So if you want to see a serious early 60’s horror movie utilizing the same superb sets, check it out. It’s impossible to compare the two since they’re so different in tone, but I favor “The Terror,” which features a young Francis Ford Coppola’s early directorial work in the formidable section shot in Big Sur, California. The film is trim at 1 hour, 26 minutes, and was shot in Los Angeles. GRADE: B-
Reviewed by ma-cortes 7 / 10

Fun horror /comedy with an exceptional quartet : Price , Karloff , Lorre and Nicholson

Amusing , delightful film produced by American Iternational , James H. Nicholson-Samuel Z. Arkoff , with a monumental team of terror all-star-cast as Price , Lorre and Karloff . This supreme adventure in terror and humor deals with a magician (Peter Lorre) who has been turned into a raven and turns to a former nobleman sorcerer (Vincent Price) for help in this film loosely based on the Edgar Allen Poe poem , though takes only the title . Lorre asks Price to change his raven form into human and he helps him by a mixture of jellied spiders , bat's blood and dead man's hair . Then the two sorcerers , Price hypnotized by the memory of his dead second wife (Hazel Court) and his unfortunate associated go to a storm-surrounded castle inhabited by a rival wizard (Boris Karloff excels as an old sorcerer ) , the wickedest one of all . It gets funnier when our two friends along with their sons (Jack Nicholson as secondary in an enjoyable acting though you'd never guess he'd end up a superstar from his interpretation here , he had previously played ¨Little shop of horrors¨ in another comic performance ) pitting their magic wills against the nasty wizard . And the end takes place a funny duel between Price and Karloff including primitive but effective FX .This is more of a satire than a true terror movie , it is immaculately staged , stylishly realized , very literate , confidently made and plenty of eye-popping scenes . Terror has strangely been more skillfully spoofed than in this agreeable horror/comedy Corman directed . The picture packs usual Corman's striking scenarios including mists rise the ground , lugubrious castle , shrieks come from gloomy coffins , waves pound open the shore and vague shapes move behind the dismal mansions gone to the bad . Despite the original and incredible X certificate , most children will like this enormously fun film . Colorful cinematography by the series usual , Floyd Crosby . Frightening and atmospheric musical score by Les Baxter .The motion picture is well directed by Roger Corman and based on Richard Matheson's screenplay . It belongs the successful adaptation Edgar Allen Poe series . After his poverty-budget horror stories deemed many of them minor cult , Corman made the cycle of ¨Tales of Terror¨ which gave huge profits from minimal budgets . This Corman terror period during the 60s with classical horror adaptations also includes writer as H.P. Lovecraft with ¨The haunted palace¨ and result to be the following : ¨Tales of terror¨ , ¨The premature burial¨ , ¨Pit and pendulum¨ , ¨House of Usher¨ and on the sets and leftover from ¨The raven¨ was directed ¨The Terror¨ also with Boris Karloff and Jack Nicholson . All of them with a great sense of characterization and period , eerily staged , specially in the scenes where heroes and heroines are lured by spirits , spectres or black cats . In these movies repeat the same technicians , assistants as Monte Hellman , musician composers as Ronald Stein and Les Baxter , Daniel Haller as production designer , cameraman as Floyd Crosby , among others . They were realized as vehicles for Vincent Price with the exception of ¨The premature burial¨ with Ray Milland and Hazel Court which was less successful . The last two pictures in the series , ¨The masque of death red¨ and ¨The tomb of Ligeia¨ were filmed in England to combat rising costs . Corman shot some exciting movies after these , but nothing remotely as interesting .
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