the raven

Ein Schauspielerkonzert der Horrorklassiker - des legendären Vincent Price, des nervigen Peter Lorre, des großartigen Bösewichts Boris Karloff und des jungen Jack Nicholson. Aber das Beste an The Raven ist die Atmosphäre, eine wunderschöne gotische Atmosphäre, die durch Musik und herrliche Kulissen erzeugt wird. Roger Corman mag vielleicht ein B-Klasse-Regisseur sein, aber er ist definitiv ein Meister der B-Klassen Filme. Und von dieser Komödie kann ich nicht genug bekommen! (21.04.2018)

... or: what happened next. The whole snag with this nonsense is that it’s nothing more than forgettable claptrap, although it’s entertaining and not boring. It all stands on Boris Karloff and especially Vincent Price. Corman should kiss their feet. Without them it would have gone under straight away. But they are here and so even this version of the Raven that must have made Poe turn in his grave has its place under the sun. (20.04.2008)

Vincent Price was in incredibly likable guy who could sell even the dumbest line with his charisma and 26 year old ear Jack Nicholson was .... well still a rookie, although he does show his proverbial devilish sparkle in one scene. Corman vehemently rapes Poe's short story, treating it more like a grotesque (the duel of the wizards at the end is hugely entertaining and by far the best thing about the whole film) and fleshing it out into laughable drivel, all within the B-movie confines he was never able to leave. (31.12.2016)