The 1963 adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s gothic poemThe Ravenstarred some of the mosticonic horror actors of the 1960s, and was one of eight Poe-inspired movies released in just five years. As Poe is most famous for writing horror, it might be surprising to learn that he also wrote comedy, which usually featured puns.The Ravenmovie also mixed horror with humor, making its gothic horror movie premise into an early horror comedy. WhileThe Ravenbombed among critics of the time, it became a cult hit, earning an 83% Rotten Tomatoes score.
The Ravenis about a trio of rival sorcerers.Horror legend Vincent Priceplays Erasmus Craven, who is mourning the death of his wife, Lenore. Its titular raven is Dr. Bedlo, a sorcerer under a spell, and played by Peter Lorre, who often ad-libbed the funnier lines. Boris Karloff is the final member of the trio, playing the evil Scarabus, who cast the spell on Bedlo and possibly kidnapped Lenore. Writer Richard Matheson found it difficult to make a poem into a movie, so he made it a comedy, and the resulting campy atmosphere makesThe Ravena must-watch.
The Raven Unites Several Horror Legends
The Raven Also Features The Shining Actor Jack Nicholson In An Early Role
Vincent Price is still one of the most iconic horror movie actorsof all time, having acted in 37 horror movies, including other adaptations andmovies inspired by Poe’s horror stories.Price was at the peak of his career in the 1960sand uniting him with Karloff, already famous for playing both The Mummy and Frankenstein’s monster, ensured audiences of many ages would want to seeThe Raven.Early “scream queen” Hazel Court played Lenore in her second Poe adaptation, and even the young Jack Nicholson appeared inThe Ravenin a very early role.
The Ravenwas Jack Nicholson’s second horror comedy, as he appeared inThe Little Shop Of Horrorsin 1960.
Jack Nicholson has acted in relatively few horror moviesthroughout his long career, but, his performance as Poe-like tortured writer Jack Torrance in the psychological horror movieThe Shiningis often considered one of his most career-defining moments. Nicholson began his acting career starring in Westerns, low-budget movies, and the occasional horror movie, and appearing alongside a cast of established horror movie legends inThe Ravenmight have been daunting. However, he was likely in good hands, asNicholson was playing Rexford Bedlo, the son of veteran actor Peter Lorre.
The 1963 Movie Is The Second Adaptation Of The Raven With Boris Karloff
Both The Raven Adaptations Are Worth Watching, But Extremely Different
In 1935, director Lew Landers made his own adaptation ofThe Raven,which, while very different from the later version, also starred Boris Karloff.Karloff plays a bank robber on the run from the police, who meets a very dangerous doctor. This doctor is a Poe devotee, who conducts surgery on Karloff’s character, and he is played by veteran horror actor Bela Lugosi, who was best known for playing Dracula. The1930sThe Ravenis still scary today, despite being 90 years old, and does not feature the comedy elements later seen in the 1963 adaptation.
1935
79%
1963
83%
Horror comedy
Neither adaptation ofThe Ravenis faithful to Poe’s poemabout a man who is visited by a talking raven while mourning the death of “the lost Lenore.” 1963’sThe Ravenhas a talking raven and a “lost” Lenore, but is a horror comedy, unlike the poem. The 1935The Ravenfeatures Poe staples like horror and mutilation, but no raven. Still, bothThe Ravenadaptations are creative and worth watching in their own right. The all-star horror cast of 1963’sThe Ravenis especially compelling for the glimpse of the young Nicholson alongside so many horror movie legends.
The Raven
Cast
The Raven is a 1963 gothic horror film directed by Roger Corman. It follows a magician transformed into a raven, who seeks assistance from a retired sorcerer to restore his human form. The film blends elements of comedy and supernatural intrigue, featuring performances by Vincent Price and Peter Lorre.
