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The Raven [VHS]

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'The Raven'...along with 'Son of Frankenstein'....are Lugosi's two best films....by far in my opinion! We need to forget literary allusion here. We also need to overlook other cinematic criteria such as...other members of cast, production values, makeup...even dare I say it? Plot. The film refers and alludes to Poe...(ie. the torture chamber, the talismanic stuffed crow, the 'Lenore' stuff and also perhaps even a very subtle reference to Poe's own personal demons)....invoked in the Vollin character? Who knows?. For me the 'Black Cat' simply left me cold....too wordy, and nowadays feeble as horror. Its biggest letdown was not featuring Lugosi's talents. Karloff is technically a masterful actor...but he simply does NOT exude menace! Thus any film which gives Karloff the beefier part is doomed to fail. I actually fell asleep during the Black Cat. 'The Raven' is...by the country mile....a much superior vehicle for both Bela and Boris. We have here the perfect blend of both talents. Karloff bringing sublime pathos to Bateman.....(he brought a tear to a glass-eye with that....'hey i'm ugly but i really do have a heart routine'). A fantastic performance from Boris... I rank it one of his best. Ultimately though we are left to critique Lugosi playing the 'ultimate megalomanaical fruitloop'. And he does it like no other! I am very much a Lugosi fan but this video Rocks. Its simply his best..along with his Igor from Son of F. One scene in particular will be indelibly etched on my brain....prolly word for word. "Ill soon be krid of myee tortuure......krid of it".... then the eyebrows raise and the eyes become ecstatic. "THEN....ill be the sanest man who ever lived". Cue the maniacal laughter that only really Lugosi can do. Many have tried to emulate....there are none though like Lugosi are there? This film is simply a classic. Seminal viewing for horror fans and....although locked into the Universal themes of the day.....it's one worth buying and cherishing. It has set a standard for me. Go buy it NOW!!! Bwuhahahahahahah....lol.

So utters poor Boris Karloff just before he becomes disfigured in a deliberately botched operation by the one and only mad doctor Bela Lugosi. "The Raven" is a famous title for a not so famous classic horror film teaming of two of the greats, Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff. It has used the title of a poem by Edgar Allan Poe but there the resemblance ends and what we have is a very chilly tale about a Mad doctor , Dr. Richard Vollin who has an obssession with the writings of Poe and who in his spare time recreates the torture instruments employed in some of his short stories and poems such as "The Pit and the Pendulum". The role of the mad doctor is a field day for Bela Lugosi who has rarely had such a showy part as this after his famous role as Dracula.

The film literally reeks with creepy goings on and Boris Karloff once agin proves his worth as an actor in the role of Edmond Bateman a bearded fugitive newly escaped from San Quentin who comes to Dr. Vollin's in the hope of getting a "new face" but finds much more in the way of sinister dealings. What unfolds is probably the most macabre part of the film whereby the totally insane Lugosi further pulls Bateman into his web of terror by performing a disfiguring operation on his face which literally turns him into a monster. His new "look' is unveiled in a mirrored chamber where his horrible appearance is multiplied 6 times over to his absolute horror and he then goes on a rampage shooting his reflection with a gun to Lugosi's delight from a viewport above. Lugosi states "Your monsterous ugliness creates monsterous hate....I can use your hate!!" Which he proceeds to do. He is forced to assist the mad Lugosi in a scheme to win the hand of Jean Thatcher (Irene Ware) a young woman he assisted after a car accident, by removing any opposition to the match, her father in particular Judge Thatcher (Samuel S. Hinds).

The wonderful scenes of torture by swinging blade and compressing walls of a room are pure hokum but succeed in really giving "The Raven" a startling sort of quality that makes the film stick in your mind. Certainly Bela Lugosi has never been better and his continental accent which served him so well in countless horror efforts over the years really helps add a perfect sinister quality to his character here. Karloff comes across with the by far more sympathetic character and in the end he helps save Lugosi's potential victims at the cost of his own life.

Karloff's makeup throughout "The Raven" really is quite extraordinary and as repulsive as he becomes after the operation, his character still projects a sad quality in much the same way as his superb "Frankenstein" did.

Production values of this effort are ok. The film was not one done with a huge budget but nevertheless the scenes in Lugosi's eerie mansion, the torture chamber and the scenes in the wild storm that take up most of the last half of the films running time make it a very engrossing viewing experience. The unique opportunity "The Raven" offers to see a teaming of two 1930's horror greats in Karloff and Lugosi makes this film a viewing must for all horror fans. Enjoy!

Many horror films tend to loose steam over the years--but not The Raven, which in spite of changing styles and tastes retains considerable "squirm" effect. The story, which concerns a doctor who goes mad and determines to kill off his imagined enemies according to various devices found in Poe's works, is more than a little farfetched, but Bela Lugosi and company play out the plot with considerable conviction, while classic Universal Horror cinematography lends considerable atmosphere to the tale. Ultimately, however, it is the scenes in which Lugosi prepares to torture and kill his victims that remain in the memory--and very disturbingly so. One of the best examples of 1930s horror.

THE RAVEN is the best pairing of Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff because it uses their talents so well. Bela plays a mad doctor who is obsessed with Edgar Allen Poe. Boris is man who wants his ugly face to be changed by Bela. Bela makes his face even uglier and uses him as his assistant. I sure had a great time with this one. If you have a liking for one of the two actors, horror films or even Edgar Allen Poe I highly reccomend this film.

"Death is my talisman" announces a crazed Lugosi to the uneasy looking museum curator seated opposite Lugosi's desk as he recites Edgar Allan Poe's poem The Raven. The title of this is the only thing that resembles an adaption of a Poe story but forget about that. Enjoy the aristocart of horror Bela Lugosi hamming it up wonderfully as the insane Dr Richard Vollin, driven over the edge after he is denied the love of a beautiful patient he saves the life of. Then when escaped murderer Edmond Bateman (Boris Karloff) turns up for help in transforming his face, the callous Vollin disfigures him. Vollin persuades Bateman to assist him in an act of revenge on the girls father and Bateman reluctantly agrees after the Doc promises to make him "look good". This must have been have been terrfying in its day and perhaps Universals most shocking entry in its series of chillers. Karloff and especially Lugosi are superb and definately one of the latters best roles up there with Dracula, Murder Legendre and Dr Vitus Werdegast. But if you want to see the two horror greats in their best film together check out Universals earlier "The Black Cat".

The Raven is based off the Edgar Allen Poe tale and this is probably my favorite Bela Lugosi movie and one of his finest performances. This is classic Lugosi he plays Dr. Richard Vollin who has a thing for Poe and loves to torture people. Seeing as this is from 1935 obviously the torture scenes won't be like the ones we are used to since the 70s.

The screenplay was written by David Boehm and his script is quite solid. The characters are interesting and the script is very well-written. Apparently, there were other writers involved, but Boehm is the only one credited. His script is also funny at times and like I said the characters are well-written. All the characters no matter how big or small a role have an impact.

Director Lew Landers does a solid job with the pacing; The Raven only runs at 61-minutes so therefore the plot has to move fast. Landers does a solid job at creating suspense and tension as well as making the comedy aspects work and not feel out of place. Like a lot of movies from this time, everything is built up for the ending and the final act delivers with some excellent tension.

Boris Karloff also appears as Edmond Bateman a criminal on the run who visits Dr. Vollin asking him to alter his appearance. But Vollin instead deforms him and forces him to take part in his sadistic plot of murder and mayhem. Boris Karloff is a villain, but he's also sorry for what he has done and just wants a fresh new start. He's the hero, but not the typical hero.

When it comes to sympathetic characters I don't think anyone can play that better than Boris Karloff. I like the fact he did bad things, but he's also still human and understands he did wrong. Within minutes of Karloff appearing his character already had so much depth thanks to the writing and Karloff's performance. When Karloff's character tells how all his life people told him he was ugly and ugly people do ugly things was really a powerful moment that only someone like Karloff could deliver.

Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi starred in quite a few movies together. As much as I love Lugosi normally Boris Karloff is always was the stand-out. Lugosi was good, but Karloff was great. But here in The Raven, Lugosi is able to deliver the stand-out performance. Karloff, like always is great, but The Raven was all Lugosi.

The final act was amazing; Vollin has the characters in his torture chamber and is having a blast messing with his victims. I love it when Vollin says how he loves to torture, Lugosi does a great job and you can see the character loves this and Lugosi is able to really bring this alive on screen.

The Raven easily rates as one of the finest movies Universal has ever done. The Raven is a classic of the genre with a solid cast led by brilliant performances from Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. The Raven is my favorite teaming of Lugosi and Karloff. That's not counting movies they did where Lugosi was reduced to a cameo. The Raven was made when Bela Lugosi was still going strong. Sadly a few years later he would be reduced to cameos in the more mainstream horror movies he did and sometimes he wouldn't even have any dialogue and the only leading roles he got was from Poverty Row.

Fan of Lugosi and Karloff or 30s horror in general will wanna seek this one out. It a classic of the genre. The Raven can be found on DVD as part of the Bela Lugosi collection.

Bela Lugosi will always be remembered for Dracula -- but his biggest and wildest role was in The Raven. He and Boris Karloff are co-stars, but Bela steals the show as the mad surgeon, Dr. Vollin, who sees himself as a "god with the taint of human emotion." He has a Poe fetish and loves to torture as he has been tortured so he can clear his head and be, "the sanest man who ever lived."

This has one of the most horrific scenes ever filmed. After Dr. Vollin has disfigured the criminal (Boris Karloff) the criminal awakes in a room of mirrors and must stare at his hideous face--while Vollin laughs hysterically!

This is one of the few classic Universal horror films that actually gives genuine chills!

The second teaming of Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff is a fast-paced horror melodrama from the Universal factory. Lugosi delivers a bravura performance as the Poe-obsessed Dr. Vollin, with Karloff playing second fiddle this time around. Highlighted by some memorable Karloff-Lugosi confrontations, "The Raven" (1935) builds to a wicked serial-style climax. Vintage horror buffs will not be disappointed.

Make no mistake about it...this was Lugosi's film. Maybe the only time he would get the better of Karloff. In most of their team-ups all Lugosi could hope to do was try and equal Karloff for screen time and juciest role. But not here. Lugosi is truly as mad as a hatter and fully mesmerizing as egomanical, off-kilter Doctor Vollin.

When Judge Hatcher's (Samuel s. Hinds) daughter Jean (Irene Ware is in a terrible accident, the only doctor with the skill to operate on her is the reclusive, mysterious, and eccentric Doctor Vollin. He at first refuses saying he is only interested in research now. But when the Judge makes an in-person plea, Vollin relents and saves the girl. But now Vollin becomes uncomfortably obsessed with Jean until the Judge has to warn him to stay away. Vollin vows revenge and finds it in the form of Bateman (Karloff) an escaped con who comes to Vollin so the Doctor can change his face. And chage it he does..horribly difiguring Bateman and saying he will only fix his face if he agrees to help him. Bateman screams in rage as he is locked in Vollin's dungeon as Vollin laughs with glee in a memorable scene.

Volling invites Jean, her fiancee and other guests to his home for a party where he plots his revenge. Vollin rambles on about his passion for Edgar Allen Poe and how he's studied torture means. Bateman kidnaps the Judge and Vollin plans to kill him and the other guests until Bateman eventually turns the tables on him in the end.

Lugosi is simply magnificent in this film. So mesmerising and so completely off his rocker. After trapping the Judge he screams bizzarely, "Poe! You are Avenged!" Avenged for what? It's this kind of pure ham acting that made Lugosi so wonderful in this film. He was unapologetic in his over-the-top performance and played it with full vim and vigor. Contrarily, Karloff is perfectly reserved in his portrayal as the somewhat sympathetic criminal. You know he's a bad guy, wanted by the law, but you still feel sorry for him for what Lugosi did to him. Truly a fabulous movie!

Bela Lugosi plays a mad doctor whose hobby is building torture devices inspired by the stories of Edgar Allan Poe. When his romantic intentions meet opposition, he attempts to exact vengeance on all involved with the reluctant assistance of the disfigured Boris Karloff. This film can be enjoyed for its cheese factor (a leering Lugosi gloating, "Yes! I like to torture!"), but it also evokes some truly creepy and atmospheric moments. Besides, its always fun to watch Karloff at work.