Themes: Wizards and Magicians, Haunted By the Past
Main Cast: Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff, Hazel Court, Olive Sturgess
Release Year: 1963
Country: US
Run Time: 86 minutes
MPAA Rating: G
Plot
Although Roger Corman narrowly managed to avoid self-mockery in his pulpy, flamboyant adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe tales, it appears that the director chose this opportunity to let loose with outright parody; the result is a wonderfully entertaining romp with tongue planted firmly in cheek. The first screen teaming of legendary horror stars Boris Karloff, Vincent Price, and Peter Lorre -- later billed as "The Triumvirate of Terror" -- this so-called "adaptation" uses Poe's most famous poem as a springboard for Grand Guignol comedy from scriptwriter Richard Matheson. Melancholy magician Erasmus Craven (Price), having recently relinquished his membership in the Brotherhood of Sorcerers after the apparent death of his wife Lenore (Hazel Court), is paid a visit by a foul-mouthed talking raven, claiming to be small-time wizard Adolphus Bedlo (Lorre). After some persuasion, Craven returns Bedlo to human form, reversing a spell placed by the evil Dr. Scarabus (Karloff), Craven's chief rival. After learning that a woman bearing a strong likeness to Lenore was seen in the Doctor's company, Craven accompanies Bedlo to Scarabus' castle, where the resulting battle of wills escalates into all-out magical warfare between the two embittered sorcerers. Corman and company relished the opportunity to poke fun at the staid Poe series, and the distinguished leads contribute to the spirit of fun by lampooning their own cinematic reputations. Fans of Jack Nicholson (who cut his acting teeth on this and other AIP productions) should enjoy his melodramatic performance here as Bedlo's straight-arrow son; Nicholson would later co-star with Karloff in Corman's The Terror, which was shot in two days using the same sets! ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
Jack Nicholson - Rexford Bedlo; Connie Wallace - Maidservant; William Baskin - Grimes; Aaron Saxon - Gort; Jim, Jr. - The Raven
Credit
Daniel Haller - Art Director, Marjorie D. Corso - Costume Designer, Jack Bohrer - First Assistant Director, Roger Corman - Director, Ronald Sinclair - Editor, Samuel Z. Arkoff - Executive Producer, James H. Nicholson - Executive Producer, Les Baxter - Composer (Music Score), Ted Coodley - Makeup, Floyd D.Crosby - Cinematographer, Roger Corman - Producer, Harry Reif - Set Designer, Pat Dinga - Special Effects, John Bury - Sound/Sound Designer, Richard Matheson - Screenwriter, Moe DiSesso - Animal Trainer/Wrangler, Edgar Allan Poe - Book Author
Three decades earlier, Karloff had appeared in another film with the same title, Lew Landers' 1935 horror film The Raven with Bela Lugosi. Aside from the title, the two films bear no resemblance to one another.
The sorcerer Dr. Erasmus Craven has been mourning the death of his wife Lenore for over two years, much to the chagrin of his daughter Estelle. One night he is visited by a raven, who happens to be a transformed wizard, Dr. Bedlo. Together they brew a potion that restores Bedlo to his old self. Bedlo explains he had been transformed by the evil Dr. Scarabus in an unfair duel, and both decide to see Scarabus, Bedlo to exact revenge and Craven to look for his wife's ghost, which Bedlo reportedly saw at Scarabus' castle. After fighting off the attack of Craven's coachman, who apparently acted under the influence of Scarabus, they set out to the castle, joined by Craven's daughter and Bedlo's son Rexford.
At the castle, Scarabus greets his guests with false friendship, and Bedlo is apparently killed as he conjures a storm in a last act of defiance against his nemesis. At night, Rexford finds him alive and well, hiding in the castle. Craven, meanwhile, is visited and tormented by Lenore, who is revealed to be alive and well too, having faked her death two years before to move away with Scarabus. As Craven, Estelle, Rexford and Bedlo try to escape the castle, Scarabus stops them, and they are tied and locked up. Bedlo panics and flees away in raven form, having convinced Scarabus to turn him back into bird form rather than face torture. As Craven is confronted with the choice of Estelle's torture or of him giving away the secrets of his "hand magic", Bedlo flies back in, frees Rexford, and together aid Craven.
Craven and Scarabus then seat facing each other and engage in a magic duel. After a lengthy performance of narrow escapes and derision, Craven defeats Scarabus, and escapes with his friends after rejecting Lenore, who tries to get back with him after alleging she had been "under a spell". The castle then tumbles down on Scarabus and his mistress, but they are shown to survive, though Scarabus has been stripped of his magic.
Rexford and Estelle retreat alone, while Bedlo tries to convince Craven to turn him back to human form once more. Craven tells him to shut his beak and recites the famous lines from Edgar Allan Poe's poem: "Quoth the raven - nevermore".
Price hated having the live snake draped around him for one shot of the sorcerer's duel.
Peter Lorre tended to improvise his dialogue, which Price found challenging but Karloff found annoying.
Price, Karloff and Lorre promoted the film by going on a "personal appearance" tour where they often found themselves at Saturday afternoon "kiddy matinees". Price related that Karloff and Lorre were amazed and visibly pleased by how many of these younger fans knew them from their original films. They would hold impromptu competitions in front of the theaters to determine which ten year old could do the best Peter Lorre and Karloff impressions.
