Poe Cinema: The Raven (1963)

I couldn't quite recall when I first learned of this film initially, as I don't remember it being mentioned in The History of Sci-Fi and Horror documentary, but having checked and confirmed that it was talked about in an episode of Biography about Jack Nicholson I saw when I was in high school, I'm guessing that has to be it (its little bit on The Terror left more of an impression, though). I'm sure it was also talked about in the episodes on Vincent Price and Boris Karloff, which I saw a little later, but my first solid recollections come from when James Rolfe mentioned it, specifically in a video series he did where he pitted all of the classic horror stars against each other to see who came out on top in terms of who was most triumphant against the others in film (Vincent Price won, by the way). He showed a number of clips from the film's most memorable scene, Price and Karloff's climactic wizard battle, making it clear that it was a total comedy. Indeed, looking at it in context of the whole of Roger Corman's Edgar Allan Poe series, it's the one that was played purely for laughs, whereas the others were done in a more straightforward manner, albeit  usually with instances of humor here and there. Speaking of these movies, while I first learned of them around the same time I started to really get into the Hammer films, as they were both being shown frequently on AMC, I actually saw them much later, with the first being Tales of Terror, which came in a Vincent Price box-set I got for Christmas in the late 2000's. All the others I saw when I found them on DVD at McKay's in Chattanooga, often as part of double-features in the MGM Midnight Movies series, as was the case with The Raven, which came with The Comedy of Terrors (check back in a couple of days for that one, by the way). Overall, I enjoy this flick, although I wouldn't say it's my absolute favorite of this series. I don't find it to be laugh out loud funny or anything, but there are moments that make me smirk or softly chuckle, plus Corman's direction is on point and, as with the Hammer films, the production values and art direction are quite good, especially given the low budget. Plus, how can you go wrong with a movie featuring Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff, and a young Jack Nicholson?

In the early 1500's, Dr. Erasmus Craven, a talented but meek and reclusive wizard who's been mourning the loss of his wife, Lenore, for the past two years, gets an unexpected visitor one night in the form of a raven. When he lets it in, the bird reveals it's able to speak and is actually a man who's been forcibly transformed. While Craven doesn't know how to change him back, the raven does know the necessary ingredients for a potion and the two of them work together down in the laboratory of Craven's deceased father to create it. Once restored to his rightful form (save for his arms, which remain as wings), the man introduces himself as another wizard, Dr. Bedlo, and explains that the spell was put on him by Dr. Scarabus, the wicked grand-master of the Brotherhood of Magicians and Sorcerers. Craven is well aware of Scarabus, as he was a longtime rival to his father, the former grand-master. Once Bedlo is fully human again, he tells Craven he intends to go back to Scarabus' castle to get revenge and asks him to accompany him. At first, Craven is unwilling, but when Bedlo tells him he saw Lenore at there, he changes his mind, thinking Scarabus has gained control of her spirit. Before they can leave, they get a glimpse of Scarabus' power when Craven's servant, Grimes, is suddenly goes mad and attempts to kill them with an axe. Once he's subdued, the two wizards, along with Craven's daughter, Estelle, and Bedlo's son, Rexford, journey to Scarabus' ominous castle. Upon arrival, the wizard welcomes them with open arms and makes it looks as Bedlo's claims about Lenore's presence there was a case of mistaken identity. Bedlo, however, insists on challenging Scarabus to another magical duel, but is seemingly killed when Scarabus discreetly uses his power to make it seem as though his spell got out of hand. With a storm now raging outside, Scarabus insists his remaining guests wait until morning before heading home. During the night, Craven does see a vision of Lenore, who, it turns out, never died but simply left him for Scarabus. Moreover, Bedlo, who's also alive and well, is revealed to have been conspiring with Scarabus to lure Craven to his castle, as the evil wizard intends to use Estelle as a means of getting Craven to surrender his magical secrets to him so he can become all-powerful.

This was the fifth of the series of Edgar Allan Poe films Roger Corman directed for American-International Pictures, and its comedic tone came about because Corman had just done Tales of Terror, and he and writer Richard Matheson enjoyed creating The Black Cat episode of that anthology, which itself was done in a humorous fashion. Plus, Matheson said in a 2012 interview that he couldn't believe they were actually going to try to base a feature film on a poem and felt that doing it as a comedy was the only way to go about it, as it couldn't be taken seriously otherwise. Corman himself also said that, because it was a comedy, there was a lot of improvisation, mostly from Peter Lorre, who would ad-lib continuously and, as a result, would totally throw off Boris Karloff due to his old school style of exact preparation. And while some critics felt the movie was unbalanced in terms of its horror and comedy or outright dismissed it as silly drivel, it proved to be one of the most commercially successful entries in the series.

As you'd expect, the main incentive for checking this movie out is seeing these three big, classic horror stars in the same movie, and, indeed, they are an absolute delight to watch. Vincent Price's Dr. Erasmus Craven is the meekest and most mild-mannered, a talented but reclusive wizard who prefers to practice his magic quietly at home, as he continues to mourn his lost wife, Lenore, despite her having been gone for two years. Craven's sad, mundane existence gets turned upside down when Dr. Bedlo visits him in the form of a raven and, after he's restored to human form, tells him the incantation was the work of Dr. Scarabus. Knowing of Scarabus and how ruthless he is, given that he was a relentless rival to his father, himself the grand-master of the Brotherhood of Magicians and Sorcerers for nearly thirty years, Craven is initially reluctant to get involved with Bedlo's dilemma and suggests he drop the whole thing. Moreover, there's a moment where his father's corpse down in the crypt comes to life and tells Craven, "Beware," making him all the more intent on staying away from Scarabus, especially since Bedlo tells him his power has become quite formidable. However, Craven changes his mind when Bedlo tells him he saw the supposedly dead Lenore at Scarabus' castle, as he believes he may have control over her spirit. Much to his consternation, his headstrong daughter, Estelle, is determined to come along with them, despite seeing the danger firsthand when Craven's servant falls under Scarabus' enchantment and attacks them. When they arrive at his castle, Scarabus comes off as such a charming and gracious host that Craven begins to think Bedlo was wrong about him, especially when he sees a woman whom he thinks Bedlo mistook for Lenore. Moreover, Scarabus insists that he transformed Bedlo into a raven because he tried to kill him in a drunken rage and tells Craven that he and his father were actually good friends, albeit competitive ones. After Bedlo is seemingly killed while trying to even the score with Scarabus, Craven and Estelle are intent upon leaving but Scarabus insists they stay until the storm has blown over.

During the night, Craven sees Lenore outside his bedroom window and, once again, becomes emotionally distraught. It gets worse when, after he, Estelle, and Rexford Bedlo are captured while trying to escape, he learns that Lenore isn't dead but merely left him for Scarabus. Moreover, he learns the whole predicament is Bedlo's doing, as he was working with Scarabus to lure him to the castle in order to force him to divulge the secrets of his wizardry. Scarabus threatens to torture Estelle

to make him reveal everything, but thanks to both Bedlo, who got turned into a raven again, and Rexford, he's freed and attempts to save her. Feeling responsible for allowing Scarabus' evil to run rampant because of his apathy towards the brotherhood, Craven agrees to engage him in a magical duel to the death, which starts out as fairly harmless and light-hearted, but grows more and more serious until the castle is burning and crumbling down around them. Ultimately, Craven emerges triumphant and, after rejecting

Lenore when she tries to get in good with him now that Scarabus is defeated, he and the others escape. Once back at home, he has to deal with Bedlo, who tries to talk him into becoming the grand-master of the brotherhood and make him his liaison and secretary, but Craven isn't keen on just forgetting about Bedlo's treachery, or returning him to human form.

The funniest character in the film is Peter Lorre's Dr. Bedlo, an irascible little wizard who makes quite an entrance in how he first appears to Dr. Craven in the form of a raven and, after being let into his house, impatiently demands he turn him back into a human. Unfortunately for him, Craven has no idea how to do so, but Bedlo knows of the ingredients necessary to create the potion that does the trick and guides Craven into making it. Even that doesn't go off well, as Craven doesn't brew enough of the potion, causing Bedlo to retain the raven's wings in place of his arms. Devastated and hysterically crying, Bedlo orders Craven to make some more of the potion, forcing him to go into the family crypt and get a hair from his dead father's corpse. On the way, Bedlo explains that Dr. Scarabus turned him into the raven after he became drunk and challenged him to a magical duel, which he says was unfair because Scarabus used some hand gestures to enact the spell while he was preparing his magical equipment. Once he's fully human again, Bedlo tells Craven he intends to go back to Scarabus for revenge and tries to get him to come with him. Craven refuses, until he tells him he saw his long-lost Lenore at Scarabus' castle. Once they decide they're going to journey together, Bedlo and Craven go through a routine of the former trying to give the latter something to wear so he won't catch cold on the way, and then they deal with Craven's servant, Grimes, when he goes crazy and attacks them. Craven gets knocked out during this scuffle and Bedlo makes a pitiful attempt to fend him off before trying to run out, only for the front door to close and lock itself. Once Craven awakens, he's able stop Grimes, an act of wizardry that thoroughly impresses Bedlo. On their way out, the group runs into Bedlo's son, Rexford, whom Bedlo has a very tense, verbally and physically abusive relationship with, as he constantly yells at and insults him, as well as smacks him when he continuously fiddles around with his clothes. He's not keen on letting him take him home to his wife, whom he obviously has disdain for, and is irritated when Craven allows him to come along and drive them to Scarabus' castle. Arriving there, Bedlo is intent on getting revenge on Scarabus, even when he acts very gracious towards them and gives them a nice meal. He becomes more and more aggressive as he downs some wine, demanding Scarabus give him back his magical equipment. When Scarabus refuses, Bedlo accuses him of being afraid to duel with him when he's "sober," and keeps pushing and pushing, snapping at those who try to calm him down, until he's given back the equipment. He then attempts to perform a powerful spell, only for Scarabus to discreetly manipulate things to make it seem as though the spell goes haywire and kills him.

Later, while trying to rescue Estelle when she ends up locked in her room, Rexford discovers that his father isn't dead but merely faked his death in order to make it easier for him to move on Scarabus should he try anything. The two of them go to help Estelle, when Bedlo separates from his son in order to meet with Scarabus and Lenore, revealing he's in cahoots with the former and brought Craven to him in exchange for his superior magical knowledge, as well as freedom from "domineering women." That doesn't mean his anger about

having been turned into a raven isn't genuine, as he complains about how he nearly froze to death while flying to Craven's home, that the feathers were itchy, and he was attacked by hawks. Moreover, once Scarabus has captured Craven, he turns on Bedlo and imprisons him along with the others. As they're tied up, Bedlo laments his actions, telling Rexford he's been a failure his whole life, was never truly happy until he joined the brotherhood, and that he couldn't pass up the

opportunity to learn about superior magic from Scarabus. Despite saying he regrets his actions, Bedlo still seems to be a treacherous coward when he begs Scarabus to let him go rather than torture him, saying he doesn't care what happens to the others or if he's turned back into a raven. Scarabus obliges and turns him into a raven again, after which Bedlo flies the coop. But, during Scarabus' attempt to make Craven reveal his secrets by torturing Estelle, something he was clearly disturbed by when he first mentioned it, Bedlo

returns and frees Rexford so he can help Craven. After the magical duel and their escape from Scarabus, Bedlo finds that Craven isn't quite ready to forgive him for the trouble he caused. Also, much to his chagrin, he's not keen on turning him back into a person, either, saying he'll "take it under advisement," and when Bedlo complains, he uses his magic to silence him.

As I've been saying, the first time you see Boris Karloff's Dr. Scarabus, he doesn't quite seem like the villain the others have made him out to be, as he warmly welcomes these "unexpected" visitors to his home. He puts Craven's fears about Lenore's spirit to rest when he summons a servant Bedlo seemingly mistook for her, conjures up a nice dinner for them, assures Craven that he and his father were very good friends, albeit very competitive with each other, and makes it look as if Bedlo was in the wrong when he turned him into a raven, saying he was trying to kill him in a drunken rage. But, given how much he lays it on, acting overly charming to Estelle and being melodramatic when Craven initially accuses of taking control of Lenore's spirit, it's very obvious he's putting on an act. His truly villainous nature starts to become known when, during Bedlo's attempt at revenge, he uses his magic to make it seem as though his own got out of control and led to his death, and then insists that everyone stay the night and wait for the storm to pass. It's during the night that we see just how despicable Scarabus is, as he not only has Lenore as his mistress, enchanted by what a rotten person she is, but arranged for Bedlo to bring Craven there so he could get from him the secrets of his wizardry. Estelle's being there gives him an added ace in the corner, as he decides to use her as a means to ensure Craven's cooperation, threatening to torture and disfigure her if he doesn't talk. He even betrays Bedlo and imprisons him along with everyone else, but when he begs for release with seemingly no regard for the others, Scarabus can't help but be impressed at this lack of character and turns him into a raven again, allowing him to escape, though noting how Craven will never be able to help him again. Bedlo then releases his son and he, in turn, frees Craven, leading to a standoff that prompts them to have a magical duel to the death. Though Scarabus' power does prove formidable, and he appears to kill Craven a couple of times, he is ultimately defeated and collapses. Though he seems dead, he regains consciousness and grabs Lenore when she tries to escape with the others, as the castle burns and collapses around them. Both of them survive this, with Lenore more concerned about the state of her dress, which got quite dirty. Scarabus attempts to remedy it with his magic but ends up reducing it to tatters and laments, "I'm afraid I just don't have it anymore."

Speaking of Lenore, it's interesting that she's played by Hazel Court, as she appeared in Hammer's The Curse of Frankenstein not too long before this and is now acting alongside Boris Karloff. A big part of Dr. Craven's melancholia, as he laments having seemingly lost her to death a couple of years before, it's hinted that, as an attack on the house of Craven, Scarabus has taken control of her spirit. But, after she appears to Craven at the castle, it's revealed she never died but simply faked her death, right down to putting a different body in her casket, and left him for Scarabus simply because she grew tired of him, as well as because Scarabus is wealthier and more powerful. In return, she offers him nothing but the "pleasure" of her company and threatens to leave if he tries to go beyond that. Also, her reason for appearing to Craven and causing him further torment? She simply wanted to have a look at him while he was there, and after he and the others are taken prisoner, she delights in mocking him, telling him how she left him, describing him as "boring" as ever, blowing in his face, and giggling evilly when he drops his head in sorrow. She even clearly enjoys Scarabus' threatening to put a sizzling hot poker to Estelle's face in order to get Craven to reveal the secrets of his wizardry and delightfully helps put her head and hands into a rack. And when Craven defeats Scarabus in the magic duel, Lenore, in a shameless and nauseating performance, throws herself at him, claiming he freed her from Scarabus' "control." Though Craven is almost taken in by it, Estelle is able to make him realize it's a bunch of bull and they leave without her, as she ends up nearly being buried alive with Scarabus.

Craven's lovely young daughter, Estelle (Olive Sturgess), normally wouldn't be much of a character but, while she doesn't have a lot to do, she does prove to be a bit more than a damsel in distress. Concerned for her father due to his not being able to get over Lenore's "death," when she later sees him preparing to leave with Bedlo, she's determined to go with them, regardless of the possible danger. Even after she's nearly killed when Grimes falls victim to Scarabus' influence and attacks her, Craven, and Bedlo with an axe, and learns who was behind it, she still insists on going and Craven doesn't even try to stop her. When they arrive at Scarabus' castle, Estelle probably starts to wish she hadn't come, given how creepy the place is and how overly accommodating Scarabus himself acts towards her. Moreover, she becomes locked in her room for a time and is then captured with the others, after which Scarabus threatens to torture her to make Craven talk. Despite the fiery pain that threatens her, Estelle tells her father not to say anything but, fortunately for her, he's soon freed and defeats Scarabus in the duel of magic. A possible romantic connection between her and Rexford Bedlo is hinted at, as she clearly has an interest in him, but it never becomes concrete.

It's always weird for me to watch these very early film appearances of Jack Nicholson's, especially in these types of period pieces, where he always feels out of place. In fact, while I think he's hilarious in his brief, crazy appearance in The Little Shop of Horrors, I don't think his acting is that good here or in The Terror, which came immediately afterward. It might have been because he was still really green at the time but I also think it's because, due to the time periods both of these movies take place in, he has to speak in a proper, sophisticated manner that does not work for him. What's especially weird about his role in The Raven is that it's so by-the-numbers. Save for a moment where he gets put under mind control by Scarabus and you see a hint of the Jack Nicholson madness that was to come in later years, complete with an early version of his Joker grin, his character of Rexford Bedlo is little more than the young, good-looking, pure-hearted straight-man to the horror veterans around him, as well as a possible romantic interest for Estelle. When he's not trying to help those around him, he's fussing over and trying to reason with his ill-tempered father, leading to him getting verbally and physically abused as a result (according to Roger Corman, Nicholson and Peter Lorre did not like each other). And ultimately, despite his attempts at heroism, Rexford is pretty ineffective, managing only to rescue Estelle when she gets imprisoned in her room and help Craven save her when Scarabus is about to sear her face.

The fact that this version of The Raven is a comedy is ironic for two reasons. One, the 1935 film of the same name, which also featured Boris Karloff, along with Bela Lugosi, was as grim and macabre as anything written by Poe, even if it had nothing to do with the poem. The other is how this film's opening has virtually the exact same setup as the poem: a man pining for his lost love, who was named Lenore, and trying to put it out of mind by reading, when he's visited by a talking raven. Moreover, when the movie first begins, Vincent

Price recites the first three stanzas of the poem, and his grim and melancholic tone, coupled with the montage of images you're shown, gives you the notion that you're about to see a film that's as dark, downbeat, and hopeless as the famous work it's based on. Then, you begin to realize that's not the case when you're introduced to Craven as he's using his magic to draw a purple image of a raven in mid-air and when he continually bops or comes close to bopping into the ends of his telescope when he walks past it. And when Craven asks the

raven if he's a messenger from beyond and, "Shall I ever hold again that radiant maiden whom the angels call Lenore?", only for the raven to respond with, "How the hell should I know? What am I, a fortuneteller?", that drives it home. Speaking of which, it's clever how Roger Corman and Richard Matheson not only use the poem here as a jumping off point for the story they tell but go a step further and turn it on its head with this comedic take on the work's actual dialogue, as well as making Lenore herself one of the villains.

The film's brand of humor is very quirky and oddball, and mostly comes from the three main characters' conflicting personalities, with Craven's sighing meekness, Bedlo's short fuse and constant yelling, and Scarabus' blatant villainy. Much of the first act centers around Craven trying to change Bedlo back into a human, having to use all sorts of vile and macabre ingredients to make the potion, only for it to not work 100% and leave Bedlo as a blubbering man with bird wings, forcing them to make some more by taking a hair from the corpse of Craven's father.

There's a little bit of macabre humor here, too, like when they walk down into the crypt, which is dusty and full of cobwebs, and Bedlo comments, "Hard place to keep clean, huh?", and later, when Craven shows Bedlo Lenore's coffin and says, "I keep her here," to which Bedlo responds, "Where else?" As I said before, a lot of the movie's humor comes from Bedlo, with his snarky comments, short fuse, and yelling and complaining. One of the funniest moments with him is when he and Craven are

preparing for their journey to Scarabus' castle and Craven is trying to give him something to wear so he won't get cold, but a lot of the outfits don't work, for whatever reason. One's too long, causing Bedlo to fall when Craven unknowingly steps on the end of the cape; one of the hats has a long scarf that runs down in front of his face and proves too big when he tries to wear it properly; and another is too large for his head. And then, you have the constant arguments between him and Rexford, as

he yells, belittles, and even smacks him around, while his son just tries to keep up with him. Finally, the wizards' powers are often played for laughs, sometimes with how cartoonish they look, other times with how they're employed. The best example of the latter comes during the climactic duel between Craven and Scarabus, which has them mocking, turning around, and deflecting each other's spells in a variety of ways: Craven turns a snake Scarabus puts around his neck into a scarf, Scarabus turns a bat that Craven flies at him into an oriental fan after it lands near his own neck, Craven makes a cannonball Scarabus fires at him burst into confetti, and so on.

Some of the reviews of the movie when it was originally released accused it of being uneven in its balancing of horror and comedy, with Peter John Dyer of Sight & Sound magazine writing, "There's too much slack, due perhaps to an imbalance between the comedy, which runs riot, and the horror, which trails behind in the wake of previous Corman films." Indeed, as enjoyable as it is, I don't think anyone would argue that, when it tries to have moments of tension and suspense, the silly tone does make it hard for them to work. While

the mind-controlled Grimes' attack is pulled off well enough, despite Craven getting knocked unconscious with a goofy expression on his face and Bedlo's silly, feeble attempts to fend Grimes off, other such moments don't fare as well. When Rexford gets possessed when he's driving them to Scarabus' castle and threatens to make them go over the edge of the cliff, it's hard to be concerned due to how over-the-top Jack Nicholson is acting and how silly the music is. Even Scarabus' threatening to torture Estelle with a hot poker,

which does make you wince when you see how steaming-hot that thing is and how he intends to burn her face with it, isn't as tense as it could be because of everything that's happened leading up to it. And, rather than feeling like there's a lot at stake, the magic duel is just plain silly for the most part, even when the deflected magic spells cause parts of the castle to burst into flames and start crumbling around them. Plus, by the end of the movie, no one is dead, not even Scarabus and Lenore, who both survive the castle's collapse, with the worst thing that happens to them being Lenore's dress getting dirty and then ripped up, while Scarabus has to face the fact that he's lost his powers.

Despite its silliness, the film certainly has moments of atmosphere, like in the foggy exterior shots of Craven's home, the smashing tides below the cliff it sits on, the scene when they first arrive at Scarabus' castle, and the sequences that take place at the castle during the night, as the storm rages outside. Also, the scene where Craven's father comes back from the dead to warn him and his seeing Lenore outside in the storm are both effectively eerie. Also, as with all of Corman's Poe movies, it looks very good, coming off like it had

vfar more money than it actually did and is shot very well, with the only minor technical hiccup being the day-for-night shooting of the journey to Scarabus' castle. Like in many of the Hammer movies of the period, the use of beautiful Technicolor is what makes these movies feel very lavish and stylish, and in The Raven's opening montage in particular, there are images of a raven's transparent silhouette up against a background of swirling, vivid watercolors and a shot of Lenore's coffin in a prism of bright colors like blue, green,

red, and purple. Even the characters' costumes are colorfully memorable, like Craven's blue, fur-lined coat and turban-like hat, Bedlo's totally black outfit, with a light-purple interior for his cloak, Rexford's brown cloak and hat with a feather in it, Estelle's lovely, purple dress, and Scarabus' outfit, which is a mixture of black and very dark red (Boris Karloff said he didn't care for his cape, as it was so heavy), with a black hat akin to a yamaka.

Of course, what's most impressive about this and all of these Poe movies is the production design, something else they share with the Hammer movies. Both of the film's major settings are full of impressive and elegant sets. The first one you see is Craven's study, a big room with a large desk, fireplace, lovely furniture, and a telescope and globe set in front of some French windows in the back. Outside the study is a dimly-lit chamber akin to a mausoleum that contains an alcove where Lenore's coffin is kept with a red shroud covering it, a portrait

of her hanging on the wall, lined with red curtains, and a candelabra with red candles on either side of it. The house's foyer is as big and elegant as you'd expect, with a chandelier on the ceiling, a grandfather clock up against the wall next to the door leading to Craven's study, a wardrobe full of various outfits, and a big stairway leading up to the second floor. And down in the basement, which lies beyond a metal gate and a door with a big lock on it, and at the bottom of a long staircase, is the laboratory that belonged to Craven's father, which

is covered in dust, filled with cobwebs, and contains a chemistry set and numerous shelves full of various ingredients. The Craven family crypt can also be reached from the foyer, and it's another dusty, cobweb-covered room (Craven says he doesn't get down there very often), with the centerpiece of the coffin containing the corpse of Craven's father. As for Scarabus' castle, beyond the building's enormous main doors is an enormous foyer with a roaring bonfire surrounded by big

gargoyle statues, several large chandeliers, a positively enormous staircase leading upstairs, and a big, grand table in front of an equally big fireplace. The foyer is where most of the action during the film's second and third acts occur, although we do see the castle's second floor, which is very creepy-looking in and of itself, with metal gates separating sections of the place, bedrooms lying behind enormous, intimidating doors, and secret passageways in the walls And the castle's basement has a dungeon and torture chamber where the characters are imprisoned in a cell and Estelle's head and hands are placed in a rack when Scarabus prepares to sear her face.

There is a little bit of actual location shooting for the sequence where the characters journey to and arrive at Scarabus' castle, which looks quite nice and picturesque, despite obviously being shot during the day. But, other than that and the various shots of the tide splashing against the shoreline, most of these exterior sequences, such as right outside the castles, were obviously still done on a soundstage with a blue backdrop meant to be the night sky. I like the way those scenes look as a

result of this artificiality, as it makes them feel otherworldly and storybook-like, which fits perfectly with this movie's aesthetic. Plus, that controlled environment allowed Corman to make the scenes taking place outside Scarabus' castle as the storm rages feel genuinely eerie, particularly when Craven sees Lenore outside of his bedroom window and walks out onto the balcony, searching for her.

For a movie that had a low budget of around $350,000 and was shot in just fifteen days, there's a plethora of special effects, both visual and physical, to be seen in The Raven. The most explicit ones are the magical effects Craven and Scarabus employ, which range from drawings done in midair and small shots of magical energy to big beams of power they use in their standoffs and shields they use to deflect each others attacks. These type of effects are mainly done through bits of animation applied to the film and

extend not just to the actual magical incantations but also objects that are manipulated by them, such as knives, hatchets, and cannonballs. You also see a handful of matte paintings in the film, namely for the big, wide shots of the castle exteriors and for a shot during the journey to Scarabus' castle where you see the cliff-sides as the carriage runs alongside them. Some of these mattes are more successful than others, as you can see from how obvious those used for Scarabus' castle are. I also think some miniatures were used for certain shots

of the castles and they're really nice-looking, at that. Going back to the wizards' magical powers, there are also physical effects used in the magical duel, like the obvious rubber bat that Craven sends at Scarabus and when the two of them float around in the air while sitting in their chairs. And some of the magic is done through very simple editing, with an object being summoned by one of the wizards between cuts or tight close-ups and cutting meant to suggest that Scarabus' gargoyle statues have come

to life and are stalking towards Craven (while not that effective, I'll say that Corman pulls that latter moment off better than when Jess Franco did something similar in Count Dracula). These effects and editing techniques do tend to look archaic and downright silly but, given the tone and nature of the movie itself, that's hardly an issue.

Amazingly, one part of the movie that's never an effect is the raven Bedlo becomes at the beginning and end of the movie. You can tell they sometimes had to use editing tricks to get the necessary performance or action, such as rocking a shot of the raven back and forth or playing an action in reverse, but, regardless, it's still a real, trained bird that was actually on the set with the actors and even sat on their shoulders and arms when needed (Jack Nicholson said the raven delighted in crapping on his shoulder whenever it stood on him). Oddly, trained birds seem to be all the rage in horror films at this time, as this was the same year as Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds and, as a followup, Corman did The Terror, which had sequences involving a hawk.

Like I said, the movie starts in a manner that makes it seem as though it's going to be as grim and dour as the poem it's based on, with Vincent Price reciting lines from it during a montage of the surf crashing against the rocks, the figure of a raven against some bright watercolors, a shot of the foggy exterior of Dr. Craven's castle, and a shot of Lenore's coffin through a lens of bright, vivid colors. Craven himself is then introduced as he uses his magic to create a bright purple drawing of

a raven in midair while sitting in his study. However, a gust of wind blows open the window, dissipating the image. Disappointed at this, Craven walks to the window, banging his forehead on the end of his telescope. He closes the window and, narrowly avoiding hitting his head again, goes back around the telescope. He then walks out of his study and into the chamber where Lenore's coffin is kept in a large alcove in the wall. After dusting off the shroud covering the coffin, he forlornly says, "Lenore. Come back to me, Lenore.

Come back to me." He's then startled when a hand touches his shoulder and swings around with a frightened shout, only to find it's just Estelle. She gives him a goblet of warm milk, which he takes and then glances at Lenore's portrait in the alcove. Estelle reminds him that Lenore has been gone for two years now but Craven sadly tells her that Lenore was everything to him. She, in turn, tells him she's sorry, kisses his cheek, and bids him goodnight, as he glances at the portrait again.

Taking his goblet back to his study, Craven sits down and starts to read, when he hears the inevitable "tapping." He absentmindedly tells the tapper to come in, only to get no reply other than more tapping. He exclaims, "Enter!", but, again, just hears more tapping. Putting his book aside, he goes to the door and opens it, only to be confused when he finds no one there, nor does he see anyone out in the hall beyond. Confused, he closes the door, when he hears the tapping again, and realizes it's

coming from the windows in the back of his study. Walking over to them, and hitting his gut on the telescope's eyepiece, he pulls back the curtain and is surprised to see a raven sitting outside, tapping on the glass with its beak. Surprised, he asks, "Do you want to come in?", and the raven taps again in response, as if saying yes. He opens the window and the raven eagerly hops in and flies up onto a mantel. Intrigued, Craven, again bumping into the telescope, walks towards it and asks, "Who sent

you to me? Are you some dark-winged messenger from beyond? Answer me, monster. Tell me truly: shall I ever hold again that radiant maiden whom the angels call Lenore?" That's when the raven not only answers but does so in an irritated voice that snaps, "How the hell should I know? What am I, a fortuneteller?" He flaps his wings, saying he's chilled from the cold night, and asks for some wine. Craven just stands there with his mouth hanging open, and the raven growls, "Well, don't just stand there, gaping at me!" Craven seems to

recognize the raven's voice but then goes to get some wine when the bird insists on it. He actually offers some of his warm milk, but the raven groans, "Milk! How vomitable." He then pours some wine in a goblet, as the raven flies over to his table. He offers it but the raven grumbles, "What do you expect me to do, hold it? With what?", then flies up onto Craven's arm. He drinks the wine as Craven holds the goblet in his other hand, remarking on how good it is and even burping. His thirst quenched, the raven then demands he

start working to turn him back to his rightful form, surprising Craven and making him realize he's actually a person under an enchantment. Grumbling that it took him long enough to make that deduction, the raven flies and lands on the back of a chair, demanding he get on with it. Craven confesses that he doesn't know how to go about the task and the raven asks him if he has any dried bat's blood, jellied spiders, and dead man's hair, among other bizarre ingredients. Craven says he doesn't have anything of the sort in the house,

saying, "We're vegetarian," much to the raven's disbelief. Then, Craven realizes that those ingredients may be down in his father's old laboratory in the basement and the raven is eager to go see, complaining, "Ooh! These feathers itch!" Craven allows the raven up on his arm and they head down to the lab.

After passing through a cobweb-covered, metal gate, Craven unlocks a door with a big lock on it and he and the raven walk down some stone steps with a metal railing. Reaching the lab at the bottom, Craven asks the raven to repeat what he needs, when a hanging anatomy skeleton suddenly falls, startling the raven and sending him flying onto a nearby table. He starts rattling off the ingredients, as Craven goes to the shelves, asking him to slow down. At one point, when he reaches for a shelf, he

gasps at the sight of a big tarantula crawling out of it. He then grabs a bottle, blows the dust off the label, and when the raven asks what it is, he sickly mumbles, "Entrails of troubled horse." Putting the bottle back on the shelf, he grabs a box but says he can't read the label. The raven tells him to look inside it and, after blowing the dust off the lid, he pulls it back and sees a bunch of eyeballs staring at him, causing him to gasp. The raven asks what it is and he says, "I'd rather not discuss it, if you don't

mind." (I have a feeling those might be real sheep's eyes.) Putting the box back, he finds another bottle that does contain one of the ingredients: dead man's hair, much to his disgust. He brings it over to the table and, after a dissolve, he's seen stirring a pot of steaming liquid and adding another ingredient to it. The raven tells him to add "the tongue of a vulture" and when he does, a purple-colored smoke billows out of the pot, along with a flame at the base. The raven impatiently tells him to hurry up, saying, "You're the slowest magician I've ever seen," to

which Craven says, "But it's a very difficult recipe." Confirming that he's put all of the necessary ingredients into it, the raven has Craven bring the pot over to him. When he does, he's horrified when the raven goes to drink it, to which he says, "What did you think I was going to do? Take a bath in it?" He starts slurping it up, as Craven follows his head movements with his own, and comments that the stuff actually isn't that bad. After several gulps, the raven, in-between cuts, turns into Dr. Bedlo, who introduces himself

formally to Craven, saying they met at a sorcerers' convention a few years before. They go to shake hands, when Bedlo is distraught to see that his arms are still wings and starts crying, exclaiming, "Look what you did to me!... You made the potion, didn't you?!" Craven says it was his recipe and Bedlo cries, "The recipe was right! There just wasn't enough of it!" Figuring he has to make some more, Craven starts going through the ingredients and realizes they're out of dead man's hair. Bedlo tells him to go get some from a graveyard, which

Craven isn't keen on doing. Realizing he could take some hair from his father's corpse in the family crypt, figuring he wouldn't mind, as it's, "For a good cause," Craven has Bedlo follow him down there. As they leave the lab, Bedlo apparently has to fight the urge to hop and flap his wings as he walks.

On the way to the family crypt, Bedlo explains that Dr. Scarabus was the one who turned him into a raven and Craven, in turn, reveals that his father was the grand-master of the Brotherhood of Magicians and Sorcerers for 27 years, adding that the painful memories of that time when Scarabus was a constant rival to his father's position was the reason why he himself never joined. Bedlo also says his change was the result of an unfair duel between him and Scarabus, and when Craven hears

that Scarabus did the incantation merely by using his hands, he realizes just how powerful he's become. Bedlo doesn't think much of it, saying, "If I had been sober, which, I admit, doesn't happen very often, but, it would have been an entirely different story. Entirely different! And I'll get my revenge on him yet! You'll see." Craven warns him that he must not go back to Scarabus and the two of them enter the crypt. Approaching the coffin of Craven's father, Roderick, Craven uses a knife to scrape away the crust lining the lid's edges

and raises it up, only to slip and drop it... right onto Bedlo's wing. He then opens the coffin completely, revealing his father's mummified corpse (pretty good makeup, don't you think?), and, after asking him for forgiveness, removes a lock of his hair. Suddenly, Roderick's hand reaches up, grabs Craven's collar, pulls his face down to his own, and, in a lowing voice, says, "Beware." He lets Craven go and he tells Bedlo what he said. The two of them decide to get out as quickly as they can and they go to leave, Craven closing the coffin's lid, when he realizes he forgot the hair. He grabs it as it sticks out from under the lid and the two of them rush out, as Roderick moans and, again, says, "Beware."

Later, with Bedlo now totally human again, he and Craven have a toast and talk about what happened down in the crypt. After accidentally taking a swig of that milk, which he promptly spits out, Bedlo says he intends to go back to Scarabus' castle, as he has his magical equipment. Craven, again, implores him not to, warning him of Scarabus' power, but also refuses to accompany him as well, saying he wants no part of this affair. Then, Bedlo, seeing a small portrait of Lenore on a table, asks,

"What's a picture of that woman doing here?" Craven tells him that Lenore was his wife and Bedlo, in turn, tells him he saw her with Scarabus that very night. Horrified at this thought, Craven runs out of the room and Bedlo, after slurping down the rest of his wine, follows after him. Craven goes back into the small mausoleum and to Lenore's coffin. He and Bedlo remove the shroud covering it (Craven neatly folds it and gives it to Bedlo, who just tosses it behind him) and open it

up, revealing the hideous, shriveled corpse of a woman. Craven points at the portrait of Lenore on the wall to reinforce that this is her corpse but Bedlo insists he saw her at Scarabus' castle. Craven is sure Bedlo saw someone else, but then contemplates that Scarabus may have taken control of Lenore's spirit in order to, "Take his revenge on the house of Craven." Saying this desecration must be ended, Craven now intends on going with Bedlo. They both go to prepare to leave but then figure they'd best close the coffin first.

Craven tells his servant and coachman, Grimes, to prepare the coach for departure, then tells Bedlo he needs something to protect him from the cold. Bedlo runs to get some more wine but Craven tells him he meant warmer clothes. While Grime heads outside, the two of them go to a wardrobe in the foyer. Craven pulls out a black cloak but Bedlo refuses it, saying he doesn't like black because it reminds him of ravens (never mind that he's already wearing black). He picks out a red one instead and intends on wearing it, but when he tries

to walk in it, its long hem proves to be a liability, as Craven unknowingly steps on it and Bedlo falls forward. Craven then gives him a dark green cloak which works well, although the sleeves are a bit long for him. Outside, Grimes suffers some sort of attack and falls up against a wall.

Craven then tries to pick out a hat for Bedlo, but one possibility has a long scarf that, first, falls down in front of his face and then proves to be way too long as a scarf. He rejects another hat because he doesn't like its material, and then opts for one that proves to be too big for his head. He finally gets one that fits, when Estelle comes downstairs. After being introduced to Bedlo, she, knowing that her father is planning on going out, asks him where he's going but he says he can't tell her. When his

answer to her asking if it's somewhere dangerous is a met with a hesitant no, she opts to go with them. Craven has none of it and Bedlo tries to encourage her that nothing "too bad" will happen while he's with her father, as they go to the door. It suddenly flies open and knocks Craven senseless. He then loses consciousness and slumps to the floor with a big grin on his face. Before the others can revive him, Grimes comes in with a big bxe and attacks them. Estelle runs to the staircase, while Bedlo

tries to take cover in the foyer, only for Grime to pin his cloak to the floor. Grabbing it, Bedlo uses it to fend Grimes off in a very pitiful manner, acting like a cowardly bullfighter, and when Grimes gets the axe stuck in the floor, Bedlo merely throws the cloak over him. Estelle runs to her father and tries to rouse him, while Bedlo attempts to flee through the door, yelling, "It's every man for himself!", when it shuts and locks by itself. He then runs to Craven, trying to wake him, and yells at Estelle, "Why aren't

you doing something?!" She counters, "Why don't you do something?!", when Grimes, having dislodged his weapon and removed the cloak, comes at them again. Estelle pulls Craven out of the way, as Grimes' axe slices into the part of the wall he was leaning up against. Bedlo runs and hides like a sissy, while Estelle grabs a vase and smashes it over Grimes' head as he tries to remove his axe from the wall. This does nothing but make him target her, as he does dislodge his axe and corners her. She screams and dodges his swing, as he chops a small table in half. Craven then revives and sees Grimes literally corner Estelle, this time threatening to strangle her. Quickly, he fires some green magical beams at Grimes, causing him to collapse to the floor while grabbing his head.

Craven runs to Estelle, while Bedlo remarks on what he did to stop Grimes, which Craven says was, "Nothing worthy of note." Grimes starts to come to and Bedlo grabs the axe but Craven stops him. Getting to his feet, Grimes reveals he has no memory of the attack and that the last thing he does remember is a burning in his head when he went to the stables. Much to Bedlo's shock, Craven sends Grimes out to finish preparing the carriage, explaining to Bedlo that Grimes was the victim of

mind control. Both wizards realize it was likely Scarabus' doing, and when Estelle learns that's where they're going, she becomes all the more determined to join them. This time, Craven does nothing to stop her, as she heads to the wardrobe and grabs a cloak. Bedlo goes to get another cloak (the very one he turned down because it reminded him of the color of ravens), while Craven and Estelle open the door and are startled at the sight of a man they don't know. Bedlo, however, tells them

it's merely his son, Rexford, and introduces them. He then tells Rexford to leave but, out on the doorstep, he tells his father that his mother ordered him to come and bring him home. Bedlo gets irritated with Rexford's constant fussing with his cloak and smacks his hand away, following that up with a full-on slap when he grabs his cloak, snarling, "If you do that once more, I'll smash you one right in the face!" Craven tells Bedlo they must be on their way, and Rexford says he must go with them. Bedlo

sarcastically says, "Yes, certainly. Certainly. Maybe... maybe you want to bring your friends with you. Maybe you want to have a family outing, huh? Bring your own mother. I'm sure Dr. Scarabus would be delighted to have your mother!" Bedlo is then less than enthusiastic about Grimes driving, when Rexford offers to do so and Craven obliges. Estelle asks to sit up in the driver's seat with Rexford, telling Craven, "You know how ill it makes me to sit inside." Seeing her interest in Rexford, Craven gladly allows it and climbs into the carriage with

Bedlo. He comments, "That's a fine boy you have... Does he favor his mother?", and Bedlo grumbles, "She favors him." Rexford helps Estelle up onto the driver's seat with him and they head off, though in a rough manner that knocks Craven and Bedlo back and forth. Bedlo grumbles, "'I would like to drive, sir,'" then yells, "Idiot!", up towards Rexford.

As they drive along the shore, Rexford asks Estelle what the problem was with Grimes and she explains how he fell under some diabolic mind control, adding, "What ever it was, the look in his face was hideous. His eyes glittering like those of a maniac, lips drawn back, his teeth clenched tight, his breath hauch and rapid..." As she talks, Rexford gets that very expression on his own face and suddenly starts whipping the horses, making them go faster and faster. Estelle suggests they should slow

down, when she sees what's become of Rexford and yells for her father, only for him to clamp his hand over her mouth as he continues whipping and yelling at the horses. As he and Craven are tossed back and forth in the carriage, Bedlo yells at Rexford, but gets no response. Rexford looks back and glances at his father through the carriage's window, and when he sees his face, Bedlo tells Craven that he looks just as maniacal as Grimes did. Rexford continues whipping the horses into a

frenzy, the carriage getting dangerously close to the edge of the cliff it's driving along, and Bedlo tells Craven to do something like he did before. Craven is reluctant, however, as it would leave them without a coachman. This goes on for a little bit longer, when Rexford snaps out of it and, seeing what's going on, yells for the horses to slow down. Eventually, they do come to a stop, right as they reach Scarabus' castle. After Rexford ensures that Estelle is okay, the two of them look up at the foreboding sight of the castle looming over them.

Bedlo suggests that he and Craven go in themselves but Craven feels it's useless, seeing as how Scarabus' powers obviously reach far beyond his castle. The two wizards disembark and, along with Rexford and Estelle, walk towards the castle and across its drawbridge. When they pass through the gates and reach the large double-doors, Craven goes to open them, only for them to do so by themselves. Seeing this, Bedlo turns and tries to sneak away, but Craven stops him and suggests he go in. Instead, Bedlo orders Rexford to go in and

check it out. Doing so, he finds no one on the other side of the doors and they all walk in. However, the doors then shut behind them and Bedlo panics, running to them. He yells for Craven to do something, saying they should leave, but Craven, despite obviously being scared himself, says, "No. No, we haven't come this far to retreat at the first obstacle." He calls for Scarabus, his voice echoing throughout the castle, but receives no response. He and the others head on into the castle's foyer, with Bedlo making sure to walk right behind Craven for protection.

Seeing just how creepy the place is, Estelle tells Rexford that she's afraid and goes to tell her father the same, when she gasps. They all look at the top of the nearby stairs, as Scarabus emerges from the darkness and says, "Afraid, my dear? There's nothing to be afraid of." He makes his way down the stairs, saying, "I bid you welcome, one and all," (it's kind of surreal to hear Boris Karloff say a version of a line Dracula was known for). Identifying Craven, he shakes his hand, saying he's happy to

finally meet him, as well as that he and his father were "great friends." He then makes his way over to the younger guests, identifying Estelle as Craven's daughter and formally meeting Rexford as well. When he asks why they're there, Craven says it's due to, "The spirit of my late wife," which Scarabus insists he's entirely ignorant of. Craven demands to know if he has control over Lenore's soul and Scarabus reacts as being horribly hurt by the accusation, also denying that he tried to stop

them from arriving. He uses his power to summon "the truth," as a young woman emerges from a corridor. Initially, Craven thinks it's Lenore, but when the woman steps into the light, he sees it's not her, but merely Scarabus' servant, whom he infers is who Bedlo saw. After Scarabus sends the girl away, Craven apologizes to him and Scarabus suggests they have dinner together as a way of burying the hatchet. He uses his power to fill a nearby table with food and drink, the sight of which delights Bedlo in particular. They all sit down to

partake in it, with Scarabus insisting on everyone's specific seating arrangements. Bedlo says he hasn't forgotten about what happened earlier that evening, and Scarabus says he turned him into a raven because he tried to kill him. Bedlo responds with, "So what?", and Scarabus says, "Well, under the circumstances, I feel I behaved with great leniency. I knew that, presently, you would find some way to restore yourself, and lo, you have and all is well again." Craven then brings up how his father always made it clear that the two of them

were enemies, to which Scarabus says, "Competitors, yes. Contestants, if you like. But enemies? No. I admired him more than any other man." Craven, still seeming unsure of his sincerity, says, "And yet, it... well, it always appeared that..." but Scarabus interrupts, saying, "Ah! Appeared, dear doctor. You and I of the occult dedication know only too well the deceptiveness of what... appears to be." This seems to win Craven over, and Scarabus asks him to speak of his lauded hand manipulations, which Craven, in turn, says he knows Scarabus himself is also more than capable of.

Bedlo, having now downed several goblets of wine, brings up his being turned into a raven again and demands he be given back his magical equipment, challenging him once more. Becoming indignant and hostile when Craven and Rexford try to talk him down, Bedlo walks behind Scarabus and hovers over his shoulder, accusing him of being a fake and a coward. As he continues prodding, Scarabus grows weary and then gives in and produces the case containing the magical

equipment. Bedlo gladly takes it and starts setting it up on the floor, boasting that they'll now see who is the master of magicians. Scarabus laments that there's nothing he can do to stop him, and when Rexford tries to reason with his father, Bedlo yells at him and shoves him away, saying it's none of his business. With a wand in his hand, Bedlo says an incantation and rushes at Scarabus, though he manages to easily block his spell. Undeterred, Bedlo goes in closer, only for Scarabus to give his

hand a shock. He then tries to do something to his head, only for that not to work, and when he lunges at his torso, Scarabus merely blows on the wand, causing it to go limp, with Bedlo groaning, "Oh, you... you dirty old man." Still undeterred, he boasts he will give him a taste of his "Promethean" magic, saying it's the kind he excels at. He removes a small globe on a stand from his case, sets it on the floor, and says an incantation. A spark appears in the center of the globe and it begins rotating on his command. Bedlo is delighted at this and yells

another incantation, when Scarabus, his back to Craven and Estelle, makes a gesture with his hand. Thunder and lightning suddenly whip up outside, Scarabus raising its intensity with a gesture of his hand. As the storm gets worse and worse, Bedlo, knowing it's not his doing, yells another incantation, and finally, when it reaches its peak, Scarabus gestures downward with his right index finger. A bolt of lightning streaks through the window at the top of the stairs and strikes Bedlo, causing him to vanish in a big puff of smoke.

Scarabus laments, "Oh, dear. He really shouldn't have tried for that particular experiment. It requires such enormous concentration." Rexford then sees that there's nothing left of his father but a smoldering, melted section on the floor. He and the others walk over to the spot, and Craven picks up a bit of the melted substance; much to his surprise, he finds it to be raspberry jam when he smells it. Scarabus then suggests that Estelle lie down and rest after having seen that, and while Estelle herself insists they leave immediately, he tells her, "Leave? Oh, no. The storm is much too violent. Wait till morning, dear child, then leave refreshed."

Later, as the storm continues raging outside, Estelle says goodnight to her father and heads to her room, walking pensively across the second floor and stopping at one point when she hears something nearby. Inside her room, Rexford suddenly appears and puts his hand across her mouth, shushing her. Once she calms, he tells her that he believes Scarabus was the one who killed Bedlo, as he saw the gestures he was making, and says they must speak to Craven about it. But, when he tries to open the door, he finds it to be locked. With no

other recourse, he heads to a window and climbs out onto the ledge beyond, saying it leads to Craven's room. He carefully makes his way across the ledge, looking down at the tide crashing on the shore below, while the storm continues raging with lightning and gusting wind. He steps on a weak section of the ledge and it crumbles beneath his feet, but he manages to grab onto a handhold above and maneuvers himself back onto the ledge. Meanwhile, Craven is relaxing in his room, when he hears the sound of a door opening and creaking

loudly. He gets out of the chair he's sitting in, walks to his door, and looks out into the hallway. When he doesn't see anyone out there, he goes back in, only to turn and see the unmistakable visage of Lenore standing outside his window. Shocked at this, he heads to the window, as she ducks around the corner outside. Walking out onto the balcony beyond, he finds no sign of Lenore, and calls for her with no response. It's then revealed that Lenore disappeared into a secret

passage and meets with Scarabus in another room, complaining about how he's made the weather so cold. It's then revealed that Lenore merely faked her death in order to leave Craven for Scarabus and she also tells him that she knew Craven would come that night because she figured Bedlo wouldn't seek help from anyone in the brotherhood. She then asks him why he went through such elaborate methods to get Craven there, especially since there was no guarantee everything would have fallen into place. Scarabus tells her he leaves nothing to chance and offers to show her what he means.

Rexford climbs down the side of the castle and manages to get inside through a French window below. But he doesn't get far before a figure lunges at him from the darkness and grabs him. He struggles with him in the shadows, knocking a candelabra to the floor and falls with him to the floor as well. He then realizes that the man is none other than his father, who yells, "Don't sit on my chest! I'm not an armchair, you idiot!" He helps Bedlo to his feet and, after he yells at him for not keeping his voice down, tells him he faked his

death to make it easier for him to help them in case Scarabus tried anything. Rexford explains to him that Estelle is locked in her room, but Bedlo is more concerned with what he was doing in her room to begin with (a very appropriate question for Jack Nicholson). He explains he went there to warn her about Scarabus and Bedlo says they must rescue her, adding that he'll take care of Craven himself. They walk out of the room and into the hall, ducking around the corner when they see Scarabus and Lenore coming. Bedlo tells Rexford

to wait until Scarabus passes by and then get Estelle out of the castle. Bedlo then ducks into another door nearby and Rexford watches as Scarabus and Lenore walk through the same door. He's obviously puzzled by this but does as his father told him and slips by. Inside the room, Scarabus uses his magic to light a large floor candelabra, illuminating Bedlo, who's sitting in a chair, waiting. He says, "I think it's very rude to keep your guest waiting." At the same time,

Rexford makes it to Estelle's room and gets her out, but she's unwilling to leave without her father, much to his frustration. Lenore asks what Bedlo's price for his part in Scarabus' plot was and he answers, "A double value: superior magical knowledge and, through my death by lightning, freedom from overbearing women." Scarabus then reveals that his motivation behind luring Craven there was for his magic. Rexford and Estelle then make it to Craven's room and tell him they must leave immediately, Estelle telling him how she was locked in her room and Rexford that his father's death was a ruse.

Bedlo complains to Scarabus about what he went through while he was a raven (the cold, the itchy feathers, the attacking hawks, Craven not knowing how to turn him back, etc.), while, as they're escaping, Craven decides to look for Bedlo, ignoring Rexford saying that's not what he wanted. Scarabus, having heard enough, decides it's time to make Craven divulge his secrets, revealing that he plans to use Estelle as a means of making him talk. The implication clearly disturbs Bedlo but he feigns admiration for it when Scarabus looks

at him, saying it's a good idea. He asks him what he intends to do and Scarabus has them follow him out of the room. On the way, Scarabus spots Craven, Estelle, and Rexford running down the stairs and heading for the door. When they reach it, he uses his power to turn it into a solid wall and then turns Craven into a statue. At the top of the stairs, Lenore happily runs to and embraces Scarabus, while Bedlo applauds him. But then, he creates a number of ropes that are instantly tied around Bedlo's body. Irritated, he yells, "Is that how you reward my services to you, you ungrateful hellhound?!" Scarabus tells him, "Fear not. You will receive your just reward."

Down in his torture chamber, Scarabus watches as a servant picks a poker out of a small pit of burning hot coals and puts the end to his hand. Though it sizzles and steams (the guy doesn't scream at all), Scarabus tells him, "Not quite ready." In the next room, Craven and the others are tied to wooden pillars in a large cell. Bedlo laments, "I know I'm a disgrace," to which Rexford comments, "I had a somewhat stronger word in mind." He explains, "But son, you know that... that everything I tried in life, I was a failure. Only... only the day I joined

the Brotherhood of Magicians. Oh I... I was the happiest man on Earth. I still remember how happy I was. And then when... when Dr. Scarabus offered to teach me superior magic knowledge for luring Dr. Craven here, I just couldn't resist that magnificent award." He turns to Craven and tells him, "But, Erasmus, believe me, with all my heart, I regret what I did to you." Craven admits, "You are not alone in guilt, sir. I, too, have failed at the task of living... Instead of facing life, I turned my back on it. I know now why my father resisted

Scarabus. Because he knew that one cannot fight evil by hiding from it. Men like Scarabus thrive on the apathy of others. He's thrived on mine and that offends me. By avoiding contact with the brotherhood, I've given him freedom to commit his atrocities unopposed." Lenore appears in the doorway, clapping and applauding him on his "dissertation." Craven is initially happy to see her, when Lenore walks in and flat-out tells him that she left him for Scarabus. Craven asks in a hopeful

manner if she's under some spell of Scarabus' doing, when Bedlo scoffs, "Spell. It's nothing but greed." Lenore then goes in for the kill by mocking Craven for being a bore and blows in his face, prompting him to drop his head. Scarabus appears in the doorway and says they're ready to begin, when Bedlo motions him over to him. He tells him he'll do anything if he lets him go and doesn't torture him, saying he doesn't care what happens to the others or if he turns him into a raven again. Scarabus says, "Such perfection of treachery fills me with admiration," then adds, "Since Dr. Craven will never have the opportunity of helping you again," before, indeed, turning him into a raven again. Bedlo thanks him and flies up to and walks out a window.

Scarabus has his servant untie Estelle, telling Craven they're going to take her outside. As Estelle helplessly yells for her father, Craven asks Scarabus what he's going to do to her, to which he simply says, "I wonder." As Craven and Rexford watch helplessly, Estelle is dragged over to the burning coals and placed into a rack in front of them. Scarabus then has his servant untie Craven and force him over to the doorway, while keeping his hands behind his back. Scarabus says, "Now, dear doctor, I offer you a choice," and, using his

magic to levitate one of the searing hot pokers from the pit and float it in front of Estelle, finishes, "The secret of your hand manipulations, or this against this." Estelle yells for her father not to say anything, adding, "I'd rather die than have you tell him!" Scarabus asks Craven, "Is that your wish too, dear doctor?" While everyone else is distracted, Bedlo flies back in and lands on Rexford's shoulder. He starts to pick it at the ropes with his beak, while Scarabus threatens to sear Estelle's

flesh to make him think more clearly. Bedlo manages to get Rexford loose and he promptly smashes a wooden stool over the head of Scarabus' servant. Seeing this, Scarabus fires blue-colored rays of magic power from his fingertips, which Craven counters with green rays of his own. The sets of rays meet in the middle and, for a few seconds, there's a power struggle between the two wizards until Scarabus exhausts himself and Craven ends his rays. Scarabus declares, "Enough! This is no answer." Craven asks, "Is there an answer, then, Dr. Scarabus?", and he replies, "Yes. A duel to the death. Reconcile yourself to it, doctor: one of us must perish." Craven agrees to the duel.

It begins in the following scene, with Craven and Scarabus sitting across from each other in the foyer, as the others watch from the landing at the top of the stairs. After a brief face-off, Scarabus makes the first move, conjuring a snake that appears around Craven's neck. Craven removes it and turns it into a scarf, which he rolls up and tosses at Scarabus. It turns into a bat and flies at him, landing near his neck, but when Scarabus grabs it, it becomes a small, oriental fan that he uses while giving a satisfied smile. He then pulls something

out of his ear and tosses it at Craven, who creates a magical shield to block it. The projectile turns out to be a throwing dagger, which sticks into the shield, and when Scarabus sends another at Craven, he blocks it with another shield. Scarabus then sends a hatchet flying at him but he conjures up another shield, blocking it, and dissipating both with a blow from his breath. Scarabus conjures up a cannon by his side and lights the fuse. Craven manages to stop the cannonball in midair and sends it swirling back at Scarabus. As it

hovers over his head, he nervously waits for it to explode, only for it to burst into confetti and rain down on him. Wiping himself clean, Scarabus next brings his gargoyle statues in the foyer to life and they close in on Craven from both sides, growling and snarling menacingly. Just when it looks as if they're about to attack, Craven levitates his chair up into the air and, with a wave of his hands, changes them into a litter of cute puppies. Scarabus gets rid of them and watches in annoyance as Craven floats around while flicking his hands back

and forth, waving at Estelle and Rexford as they watch from nearby. He then floats over to a candle and tosses it, causing it to pop like a firecracker. But when he comes in for a landing, Scarabus creates a void in the floor that he passes straight through. Craven frantically flaps his arms, trying to fly out of the void, then attempts to halt his descent, which he does, before flapping his hands daintily, sending him back up through the floor. Hovering right above it, he closes the void himself

and touches down, much to Scarabus' growing frustration. Craven is then shocked when he sees the form of his father sitting in the chair across from him. He sends a spear flying across the room, hitting right into his gut and coming out his back. This seems to have settled the matter in Scarabus' favor, but when he gets up and walks over to confirm his kill, he pulls back Craven's robe to find that the puncture has sawdust spilling out of it. Realizing he hasn't won yet, Scarabus feels an egg

fall and splatter on the top of his head, and when he looks up, he sees Craven sitting on a chandelier. He splats another egg on his head and Scarabus, thoroughly irritated, brings the chandelier crashing down, seemingly killing Craven that way. Again, he checks to make sure, and when he pulls back the robe this time, a bunch of little birds fly out at him. Once the birds have dispersed, Scarabus turns and sees that Craven is now sitting in his chair, a mocking smile on his face.

Scarabus sits in what was Craven's chair and, done playing around, tosses a ball of energy at him. He deflects it, causing it to hit the wall behind him and burst into flames. The same thing happens when Scarabus flings another ball at him, and yet, despite the damage he's causing to his own castle, he sends a volley of them at Craven, only for him to deflect them all. Eventually, Craven doesn't even have to deflect them, as Scarabus is so frustrated that he starts throwing blindly and hits the wall himself. With thunder and lightning raging outside,

Scarabus sees that the roof is starting to crumble and, in a desperate bid to kill Craven, ratchets the process up, sending more debris tumbling down at him. For a moment, Scarabus sits back with a satisfied grin, as it looks as though Craven is about to be buried alive, but he produces a small umbrella to shield him from the debris. Both done playing games, they rise from their chairs and, like before, engage in a standoff of magical beams, trying to overpower each other. Though Scarabus' power does prove formidable, Craven is able to

muster up enough strength to keep up with him and soon, his drive causes Scarabus to lose weaken. His own energy beams die off and, though he tries to summon them again, he's inevitably overwhelmed when Craven's magic hits him, causing him to glow green from it before collapsing in defeat. Once he does, Craven stops, clearly tired and satisfied in his victory. Having seen that her sugar daddy of a wizard has been beaten, Lenore rushes down the stairs and throws her arms around Craven, telling him that she was released from

"Scarabus' control" when he defeated him and asks him to take her home. Craven is about to fall for it, when Estelle need only speak his name to remind him. Bedlo starts, "Personally, I think..." but Craven hushes him and tells Estelle that they can go home. He, Estelle, Rexford, and Bedlo push their way past the spreading flames and around the debris as the castle continues collapsing, ignoring Lenore as she keeps pleading with Craven and claiming that Scarabus had her mesmerized. As she

tries to follow them, Scarabus grabs her hand, only for her to mockingly say, "Ah, so the grand-master has been defeated!" The others turn and look when they hear Lenore scream, as Scarabus pulls her to him, while the place continues to collapse and burst into flames around them. The others rush to the front door, with fire and falling debris all around them (some of this footage is recycled from House of Usher), and manage to make it out, across the drawbridge, and back to the carriage.

They all look back one last time before Rexford drives them off. After the destruction has abated, Scarabus and Lenore emerge from the rubble that accumulated around them. Lenore complains about the state of her dress and Scarabus tries to fix it, only to ruin it completely and laments he's lost his powers.

Back at Craven's home, he's in his study, about to have his warm milk, when Bedlo, still a raven, tries to get in good with him, saying, "Now that Scarabus is out of the way, we've got to make immediate plans for your assumption of the grand mastership. I'll be glad to act as your liaison so... so you won't be bothered having to present your case personally to the brotherhood." Craven, stops him and asks, "Do you really think that such treachery can be so easily forgiven and forgotten?" Bedlo is indignant, saying he saved their lives, to which

Craven counters, "After having put them in jeopardy in the first place." Bedlo then asks to be turned back into a human, after which he says he'll leave. Craven is no hurry to do so, though, saying, "Well, I'll, um... I'll take it under advisement." Bedlo is shocked at this and starts to gripe, but Craven commands him to get up on his perch, which he eventually does after some arguing. He continues to complain, saying, "I never heard of such ingratitude in my entire life. It's getting so you

can't trust anybody anymore. I'm just too sweet and gentle, that's my problem," when Craven says, "Dr. Bedlo... shut your beak." He makes a pinching motion with his index finger and thumb and Bedlo freezes completely. Craven breaks the fourth wall, turning right to the camera and saying, "Quoth the raven, nevermore." 

The music score, by Les Baxter, not only adds to the oddball tone and silliness of the movie, but also transitions along with the movie itself during the opening. With nothing but the sound of a ticking clock, followed by an eerie, otherworldly piece of music that plays over the montage as Vincent Price recites from the poem. It continues into Craven's introductory scene, becoming more exaggerated when he's seen using his magic to create a purple drawing of a raven in the air, but once Bedlo appears in the form of a raven, the music becomes as quirky and silly as the movie itself, with a main motif made up of low and goofy-sounding bits accompanied by a distinctive, hollow knocking sound, that latter of which becomes intrinsically linked with the raven. It does go back to being serious now and then, such as when Craven's father briefly reanimates and gives him an eerie warning, when the characters first arrive at Scarabus' castle, and when Craven sees Lenore outside his bedroom window, but for the most part, it maintains this comical tone for the duration of the film. Even scenes like when Grimes attacks the characters and when Rexford goes nuts while driving them to Scarabus' castle are scored with nutty and zany music, such as a faintly Mexican sound for when Bedlo fends Grimes off with his cape (it does get somewhat serious when Grimes menaces Estelle) and a very fast-paced, crazy piece for the maniacal carriage ride that feels like something you'd hear during a Loony Tunes chase. Similarly, when Bedlo attempts to use his magical equipment against Scarabus, it starts off as kind of mystical-sounding, then becomes crazier and crazier the more Scarabus ratchets it up with his influence. Even the scene where Scarabus is threatening to torture Estelle isn't scored as dramatically as you might think, which makes it hard to take it as seriously as you might want to. But where Baxter really gets to have some fun is during the duel, as he playfully highlights the wizards' dismissing and rebuking of each other's spells: Craven's turning the snake into a scarf goes from sounding creeping and malevolent to a lovely harp, Scarabus' turning the bat into an oriental fan is accompanied by a Chinese-flavored bit, and Scarabus' cannonball exploding into confetti is played to a silly horn performance of Auld Lang Syne, among many others. And to bring it all home, the ending credits are accompanied by music that starts out as eerie-sounding, then transitions to all-out craziness, replaying the music that played when Rexford went nuts while driving.

There's nothing much to be summed up about The Raven except to reiterate that it is a very enjoyable film. Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, and Boris Karloff are all on point, as are Hazel Court and Olive Sturgess, and it is interesting to see Jack Nicholson in such an early role, even if his acting and dialogue delivery aren't the greatest; the cinematography and art direction are top notch and make the movie lovely to look at; the oddball humor may not have you howling with laughter but

it should, at the least, make you smirk or chuckle; there are a number of entertaining setpieces, chief among them being the climactic wizard duel; the special effects, despite or, perhaps, due to, their low-tech, archaic quality, are fun to witness and add to the movie's silly fun; and the same can definitely be said of the delightfully quirky and zany music score. The only real negative I can think of is that, as some reviews at the time noted, the movie is so silly that, when it tries to have a genuine moment of suspense and tension, it's hard to take it seriously, with the music often directly undercutting it. Otherwise, it's a complete delight and, like all of Roger Corman's Poe movies, is worth watching for fans of the classic horror stars featured and film fans in general.