I haven’t watched this one since I was a kid, so I thought it might be nice to do a little refresher viewing.
Halloween film #18 is Roger Corman’s comedic adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s… The Raven.
Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff, and Jack Nicholson all give the scenery a good gnawing. Although, this has to be one of Nicholson’s most restrained performances… ever?
Vincent Price is, as always, a steady stand-out performer. Knowing exactly how to tread the line between campy, creepy, and funny. The man was a bona fide acting genius and accomplished chef.
Since the film is ‘adapted’ from a poem… which is briefly recited in a truncated fashion… I won’t go too hard on the script.
Clearly some improvisations snuck into the world being built.
We get a nice axe attack:
A wild Jack Nicholson appears:
A horse drawn carriage races along at breakneck speeds:
The imagery is fascinating and it’s incredibly stylish considering they only had 15 days to shoot this fucker:
Its campy tone and overall silliness certainly won’t be for everyone.
Corman’s vision of horror-comedy must have had a major influence on Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein.
It ends with a 20 minute wizard duel that lasts longer than it should… until you consider that it yielded this shot:
So, all in all… worth it.
I’m not going to recommend this for full on horror or full on comedy fans, but if you like a nice weird lighthearted flick to watch in the background.
Get on it.
One dollar.
Currently streaming on Amazon Prime.
Recommendations for further viewing: The Masque of the Red Death (1964), The Pit & the Pendulum (1961), House of Wax (1963)
