I've read quite a bit of Edgar Allan Poe and watched many of the film adaptations of his stories. By the time I discovered Roger Corman’s Poe films, they were in syndication, so I was watching them on television rather than when they first appeared in theaters.
Roger Corman’s Poe cycle included eight films released between 1960 and 1964: House of Usher (1960), The Pit and the Pendulum (1961), Tales of Terror (1962), The Premature Burial (1962), The Raven (1963), The Haunted Palace (1963), The Masque of the Red Death (1964), and The Tomb of Ligeia (1964). Tales of Terror was an anthology featuring three stories: “Morella,” “The Black Cat,” and “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar.”
I have a soft spot for these old films, and over the years I have found myself drawn to them more than many of the horror films I come across today. Part of the appeal is the atmosphere, but I also love the poetry woven in from Poe’s work. Vincent Price often recited Poe’s words, and his voice seemed to belong right alongside those dark, imaginative tales.
The Raven from Poetry to Film
I decided to see if I could find one of the films to watch again. That is when I came across The Raven (1963), starring Vincent Price, Boris Karloff, and Peter Lorre, with a young Jack Nicholson also appearing in the cast.
The Raven seemed hokey to me watching it today, but I was thrilled to see the cast again.
One of my favorite parts of the film is the opening, when Vincent Price recites the first stanza of Poe’s famous poem, “The Raven.” His voice was perfectly suited to those words, and I could have happily listened to more. His recitation brought the words to life in a way that simply reading them on the page sometimes doesn't.
Boris Karloff was in this film and is another familiar face from the classic horror films I watched growing up. He is best known for playing Frankenstein’s monster in the 1931 film Frankenstein, a role that helped establish him as one of the most recognizable figures in horror movie history. Having Karloff, Price, and Lorre together made The Raven an especially interesting find.
And then there was Jack Nicholson! I had completely forgotten he appeared in this film until I watched it again. It was a pleasant surprise to see him in one of his earlier roles, long before his unforgettable performance in the 1980 psychological horror film The Shining, based on Stephen King’s novel.
There’s something special about the creativity behind these older productions, even when they look quite different by today’s standards. Some of the visual tricks were inventive for their time, and watching that scene reminded me of techniques and effects I would later recognize in other films.
The transforming objects: A snake becomes a scarf, which turns into a bat and then a fan.
The magical attacks: Knives, hatchets, and other objects fly through the air.
The floating chairs: Both actors appear to rise into the air during their magical confrontation.
The magical light effects: The glowing beams of light used during the duel bring to mind the lightsabers that audiences would see years later in Star Wars.
Watching The Raven brought back memories of my younger days.
For me, a little Poe, a wonderful Vincent Price recitation, and a gathering of classic horror actors made this return visit worth the time.
