The Raven

If a man looks ugly he does ugly things!
So utters poor Boris Karloff just before he becomes disfigured in a deliberately botched operation by the one and only mad doctor Bela Lugosi. "The Raven" is a famous title for a not so famous classic horror film teaming of two of the greats, Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff. It has used the title of a poem by Edgar Allan Poe but there the resemblance ends and what we have is a very chilly tale about a Mad doctor , Dr. Richard Vollin who has an obssession with the writings of Poe and who in his spare time recreates the torture instruments employed in some of his short stories and poems such as "The Pit and the Pendulum". The role of the mad doctor is a field day for Bela Lugosi who has rarely had such a showy part as this after his famous role as Dracula.

The film literally reeks with creepy goings on and Boris Karloff once agin proves his worth as an actor in the role of Edmond Bateman a bearded fugitive newly escaped from San Quentin who comes to Dr. Vollin's in the hope of getting...

A Classic Shocker
Many horror films tend to loose steam over the years--but not The Raven, which in spite of changing styles and tastes retains considerable "squirm" effect. The story, which concerns a doctor who goes mad and determines to kill off his imagined enemies according to various devices found in Poe's works, is more than a little farfetched, but Bela Lugosi and company play out the plot with considerable conviction, while classic Universal Horror cinematography lends considerable atmosphere to the tale. Ultimately, however, it is the scenes in which Lugosi prepares to torture and kill his victims that remain in the memory--and very disturbingly so. One of the best examples of 1930s horror.

Bela at his best..without a shadow of a doubt!
'The Raven'...along with 'Son of Frankenstein'....are Lugosi's two best films....by far in my opinion! We need to forget literary allusion here. We also need to overlook other cinematic criteria such as...other members of cast, production values, makeup...even dare I say it? Plot. The film refers and alludes to Poe...(ie. the torture chamber, the talismanic stuffed crow, the 'Lenore' stuff and also perhaps even a very subtle reference to Poe's own personal demons)....invoked in the Vollin character? Who knows?. For me the 'Black Cat' simply left me cold....too wordy, and nowadays feeble as horror. Its biggest letdown was not featuring Lugosi's talents. Karloff is technically a masterful actor...but he simply does NOT exude menace! Thus any film which gives Karloff the beefier part is doomed to fail. I actually fell asleep during the Black Cat. 'The Raven' is...by the country mile....a much superior vehicle for both Bela and Boris. We have here the perfect blend of both...

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