The Raven

     THE RAVEN (1935): Starring- Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Irene Ware, Lester Matthews, Samuel S. Hinds, Spencer Charters, Inez Courtney, Ian Wolfe, and Maidel Turner.

     Directed by- Lew Landers

     I must apologize once again for my terrible behavior as a blogger. I promise to post reviews more frequently in the future. 

     With that said, let's talk about THE RAVEN. The first thing I should mention is that this movie is not to be confused with THE RAVEN (1963), a comedy about wizards featuring Vincent Price.

This does not happen in this movie.

     The movie I'm discussing today features Bela Lugosi as Dr. Vollin, a mad surgeon who is also obsessed with the works of Edgar Allen Poe. I mean really obsessed. I mean really obsessed. This man actually has a pendulum and a shrinking room in his home. (For the record, the film has absolutely nothing to do with Poe's poem, The Raven, except for the poem being quoted by Vollin and discussed by the characters at one point.)

     Anyway, as Vollin is a highly skilled surgeon, he ends up saving the life of Jean Thatcher, a young dancer. Vollin quickly falls in love with Jean, but learns he can't have her, especially since her father (Hinds) is against this. Vollin swears vengeance against Jean, her father, and her fiance, Jerry (Matthews).

     Around the same time Vollin encounters a wanted criminal name Edmond Bateman (Karloff). Bateman, wanting to evade the police, begs the doctor to change his face so he can begin his life anew. Instead, Vollin hideously disfigures the right side of Bateman's face, using this factor to blackmail Bateman into helping him achieve his nefarious scheme.

     Vollin's plan comes together when he invites Jean, her father, Jerry, and a few other wealthy socialites to stay in his home for a night. Having Bateman pose as his butler, he soon kidnaps Jean's father, subjecting him to numerous Poe-esque tortures. The doctor also has a few surprises in store for his other guests, but Bateman has a few surprises in store for Dr. Vollin.

     This movie has quite a lot going for it. It's yet another great teaming of Karloff and Lugosi, it has great atmosphere, wonderful set design, and a relatively good disfigurement make-up, which was designed for Karloff by Jack Pierce. It's a very good make-up design, although it's not quite as memorable as Pierce's other works, such as Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, or The Mummy.

     Unlike THE BLACK CAT (1934) and some of his other films with Karloff, this movie belongs to Lugosi. Though Karloff received top billing (as he always did), this is Lugosi's  movie all the way. He revels in the role of Doctor Vollin. He's just deliciously over the top, laughing maniacally, shouting and raising his arms to the sky. I think my favorite scene is that in which he says, of his torture device: "What a delicious torture, Bateman! Greater than Poe! Poe only conceived it! I have done it, Bateman! Poe, you are avenged!" This speech is, of course, followed by a bout of maniacal laughter. Simply wonderful, we just don't have horror villains like that, anymore...

     Karloff is also good as Bateman. He has a particularly sad monologue about his past life, and why he committed his crimes. Once again, Karloff manages to bring sympathy to character who could have simply been a cheap throw-away. Unfortunately, that stops after he is disfigured. After that, Bateman rarely talks, mostly creeping around Dr. Vollin's house. In fact, one of Boris Karloff's growls from FRANKENSTEIN (1931) is looped into the movie in one scene. The character actually becomes quite similar to the role he played in THE OLD DARK HOUSE (1932). Still, I do think the movie would lack something if someone else played Bateman.

     The rest of the cast leave less of an impression, but they perform their parts well. Though, I will say that Ian Wolfe has one very funny line.  When Vollin threatens the guests with death, he says, simply: "See here, Vollin, things like this can't be done!"

     Also wonderful is the film's set design. Vollin's home at once seems both inviting and terrifying. The film manages to perfectly capture some of the tortures described in The Pit and the Pendulum, specifically, the pendulum and the shrinking room. And, I must note: while they seem a bit tame today, the torture scenes in this film must have shocked audiences back in 1935. (Perhaps an attempt to top the skinning scene from THE BLACK CAT?)

     While, at first glance, this movie seems like an attempt to cash in on the success of THE BLACK CAT, it manages to stand on its own as very good movie. It may not be as good as some of Universal's other classics, but it's very well made, highly entertaining, and definitely worth a watch.

     My rating- *  *  *  out of  *  *  *  *