The Raven is a 1963 "horror" comedy (not really much horror) starring Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff, Jack Nicholson, Hazel Court, and Olive Sturgess. It's loosely based on the poem by Edgar Allen Poe, but the key word there is "loosely."
Dr. Craven (Price) is a sorcerer in the 15th century who lives in a big damn castle with his daughter Estelle (Sturgess), and mourns the loss of his wife Lenore (Court), Estelle's stepmother. One night a raven flits into his room and perches on a bust of Pallas. Craven asks whether it is a messenger from beyond, and whether he shall ever again hold a sainted maiden whom the angels named Lenore.
Quoth the raven, "how the hell should I know?"
The raven, as it happens, is actually another sorcerer named Dr. Bedloe (Lorre), transformed by the evil Dr. Scarabus. Craven manages to turn him back, and Bedloe notes that he's seen Lenore in the castle of Dr. Scarabus. Craven, who up to this point wanted no part in sorcerer politics, decides this demands his attention, and he, Bedloe, Estelle, and Bedloe's son Rexford (Nicholson, in one of his very earliest roles) head out to confront Scarabus (Karloff).
So, reportedly, Richard Matheson, when given the task of writing a movie based on "The Raven" realized that it was a stupid idea and just leaned in to the comedy, and holy shit, it worked. Everyone in the movie seems to be having fun (with the possible exception of Lorre, who just seems cranky, but it still works), and Vincent Price is an amazing physical actor. The cheap camera tricks and graphic effects representing magic just make the whole thing cheesy as hell, but everyone commits, which is often the difference between a shit cheap movie and a good one. The fact that it all leads up to a punch line that should have been followed by a sad trombone noise somehow makes it all perfect.
My Grade: B+
Rewatch Value: Medium-high
Next up: Ravenous
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