The Raven (1963)

While mourning the loss of his wife, a sorcerer is confronted by a raven who claims that another sorcerer is behind a series of occurrences around his house, and upon learning of his true intentions behind the events challenges each other into a showdown for the ultimate sorcerer.This is one of the more obscure Vincent Price films that brings in the right amount of humor and comedy. That is one of the best part of the movie, which is the highly unexpected comedy that is incredibly prevalent in the film. Among the best parts of the comedy here is the fact that this has a lot of those lines that aren't exactly funny, yet they are due to the present situation, as the scenes of the sarcastic raven hopping around his chamber, that he wants to challenge him to a duel of magic, but only if he was sober which he rarely was, how he kept referring to his son as a brain- dead idiot and the utterly hilarious chants and spells being cast in common, identifiable Latin phrases that are totally the opposite of what they're intended to be was pretty funny and was the key to it's humor. We even got some great physical humor, complete with people bumping into walls, slamming into each other, or other forms of slapstick that are featured regularly enough that it makes for quite a truly hilarious effort that comes as a great surprise here considering this isn't exactly from a master comedy director. Another great aspect here is that this is one of Corman's few films where he is able to use mood and atmosphere very well. This is nowhere more apparent than in the beginning of the movie, while recapturing the opening lines of the poem the entirety of the events play out exactly as they are written which is a fine opening and gets some solid suspense out. This also works nicely for the final confrontation between Karloff and Price as well as the magic used to combat the other was very inventive and was realistic at how two sorcerers would fight each other, and even the special effects used in the fight were a nice surprise. Considering the time that the movie was made, it looks good the way that they filmed it's special effects which are the perfect combination of cheesiness and finely attuned black magic that works well in the large, impressive Gothic castle while making for a few laughs as well. These here are what really help this one while there's only a few minor elements to be held against it. The main thing about this one is the opening of the movie is Vincent Price reciting the Edgar Allen Poe poem of the same name. Even though it fit with the movie, I thought that it was merely an uninteresting way to start the movie. Price has a fine voice, but all it did in the scene was to provoke dreariness for one of the few times even in a Price movie. Corman could've thought of any number of ways to make the scene better. Some people might even be upset because the only references to the Poe story are the raven and Lenore, and the comedy as well might bother some looking for a more serious outing, but otherwise it's all personal preference for those issues.Today's Rating/PG: Mild Violence

Magician Erasmus Craven (Vincent Price), enough of a talent that he can make magic with mere hand gestures, is visited one night by Adolphus Bedlo (Peter Lorre), who's been transformed into the title animal by Craven's rival, the nefarious Dr. Scarabus (Boris Karloff). After Bedlo has been turned back to human form, they travel to the castle of Scarabus, as Bedlo has told Craven that he has seen a woman there who resembles Craven's late wife Lenore (Hazel Court). Accompanying them on this adventure are Bedlo's bumbling son Rexford (Jack Nicholson) and Craven's lovely daughter Estelle (Olive Sturgess).As envisioned by author / screenwriter Richard Matheson, and realized by producer / director Roger Corman, this entry in Corman's series of Edgar Allan Poe related films is a delight. It's a spirited blend of horror and comedy, taking a playful jab at the entire Gothic horror genre. The pacing is rather deliberate, but the script & performances generate some hearty laughs. Clearly the actors are having a good time. Price and Lorre didn't make much sense of the script, and opted to play the material as broadly as possible. They also did a fair amount of improvising, which contrasted with the more meticulous approach that Karloff took. All of the ladies (including Connie Wallace as a maid) are ravishing, and Nicholson is fun to watch. The animation effects add to the goofy charm of the film. The major highlight, naturally, is the climactic sorcerer's duel between Price and Karloff. Price was very afraid of the boa that had to be draped around his neck at one point.The music by Les Baxter perfectly matches the mood of each scene, and Corman's collaborators, production designer / art director Daniel Haller and cinematographer Floyd Crosby, bring their A game as usual. Almost all of the credits are saved for the final few minutes.Followed by the subsequent (and far more serious) Corman/Price combo, "The Haunted Palace".Eight out of 10.

The magician Dr. Erasmus Craven (Vincent Price), who does not belong to the brotherhood of magicians, grieves the loss of his beloved wife Lenore (Hazel Court) and lives in a castle with his daughter Estelle (Olive Sturgess). One day, a raven knocks on his window and Dr. Craven learns that the bird is actually the magician Dr. Adolphus Bedlo (Peter Lorre) that was turned into a raven after challenging the powerful magician Dr. Scarabus (Boris Karloff) that was an enemy of his father. Dr. Craven makes a potion to turn Dr. Bedlo back to the human form and Dr. Bedlo tells that he has seen Lenore in the castle of Dr. Scarabus. Dr. Craven decides to go in his coach with Dr. Bedlo to visit Dr. Scarabus but Estella and Dr. Bedlo's son Rexford (Jack Nicholson) decide to go with them. They find an amicable Dr. Scarabus that invite them to stay for the night. Was Dr. Craven's father wrong about Dr. Scarabus?"The Raven" is a delightful movie about ambition, treachery and magic, with a wonderful duel of magicians and lots of humor. The raven is hilarious and it is impressive his training with participation in many scenes. The special effects are simple but impressive for a 1963 movie. The cast is excellent with Vincent Price, Peter Lorre and Boris Karloff and it is curious to see Jack Nicholson in the beginning of his career. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "O Corvo" ("the Raven")

Perhaps the most popular of the Corman Poe movies. Certainly the funniest. If you're new to the world of Roger Corman's Edgar Allan Poe movies, let me tell you upfront that this is only related to Poe in the loosest sense. They stick a raven and a woman named Lenore in there but beyond that it's a completely new story dreamed up by Richard Matheson. Meek magician Vincent Price is approached for help by a colleague (Peter Lorre) who has been turned into a raven by evil magician Boris Karloff. Once restored to human form, Lorre informs Price that his wife, believed to be dead, is actually alive and living with Karloff. He rushes to Karloff's castle, which is just what the evil magician had hoped for.The cast is excellent and the script tongue-in-cheek. Peter Lorre is especially fun. Jack Nicholson plays Lorre's son. Lovely Hazel Court plays Price's wife Lenore and is clearly enjoying herself. There's a certain degree of cheapness about the production (it was Corman, after all) but it kind of adds to the film's charm. I enjoyed this one a lot. It's one of Corman's best. Fans of his or the stars involved will surely love it.