avenger00soul
10-28-2003, 07:29 PM
Just watched The Raven on Turner Classic Movies. I love the intro: Karloff, Lugosi, The Raven. No first names. It's just badass.
Krzychu
10-30-2003, 02:11 PM
I have watched this film. The Raven is not scary but have got a great climat. All films with B. Karloff were and are immortal. Hats off gentleman.
avenger00soul
10-30-2003, 03:05 PM
Not scary exactly, but a classic. Without these old films, who knows where horror would be at today.
SoUl SuRvIvOrS
11-02-2003, 06:00 PM
Horror had to be born some where.. Im just glad to hear people still enjoy the oldies.... THe Raven was one of my favorites as a child... That and Tell-Tale Heart, Devil in The Belfry....Of course with countless others.
avenger00soul
11-02-2003, 06:05 PM
Originally posted by SoUl SuRvIvOrS
Horror had to be born some where.. Im just glad to hear people still enjoy the oldies.... THe Raven was one of my favorites as a child... That and Tell-Tale Heart, Devil in The Belfry....Of course with countless others.
Yes, I do enjoy the oldies. I think they should be revisited often. They did things back in those days without sex, gore, and computers. Amazing, I know. It can be done.
(not that I don't love a good sex/gorefest every now and then)
SoUl SuRvIvOrS
11-02-2003, 08:02 PM
Horror has grown a lot....sex/gore fests are a must... then again with the stuff we have out now it was bound to happen society has changed it Norm and Demand...ie. Graphics,"gracious Sex scenes" and detailed gore...But back in the day..it was caution in the wind to allow certain things presant in movies. Old horror was more intense I think and kept the imagination wondering..edge of your seat type stuff(for the time)..Today little is left to the imagination.. alot of the "imaginable" has been computer generated..Which is really cool dont get me wrong.
JUST opinions
Graveyard Walk
07-06-2004, 03:57 PM
***Spoilers***
Lugosi is the reason, here. The reason this is so effective. In one of his finest roles as the mad Doctor Richard Vollin, the icon steals every moment of the show. Black Hearted, obsessed, demanding; Bela opens the flood gates and out comes a very memorable character that fully succeeds with a sickness. A key scene where he really displays the skills with Vollin is when Judge Thatcher tells him he musn't see his daughter ever again, and the mad Doc's eyes wince sharply together while he starts demanding to the Judge to bring him Joan.
Unfortunately, Karloff shows up twenty minutes into the story, which is a considerably long wait when the film just an hour. As the murderous Bateman, he's not given a whole lot of character, other than he's violent, angry and probably just as mad as Vollin. After his operation, he's turned into a wretched, two-faced freak. More uglier than ever before. This brings on one of the most involving moments for the two horror legends. After seeing his appearance through several mirrors, he jolts into a spastic rage, and all the mirrors are shattered from his gun a-blazin'. Boris still does a fine job with the more or less supporting role, but a little more would've been nice.
The movie spends so much time focusing on Bela and letting him work the magic, that everybody else is pretty lacking during many scenes. Even Irene Ware as Joan is pretty transparent, and so much more is expected from the character of the woman Vollin is obsessed with. Other than having the rage for Poe (though, not nearly on the level of the Doctor), her ability to dance and her hidden devotion towards the Doc, not much else is given about her. The segments with her and Dr. Jerry Holdon (Lester Matthews), her fiance, are wasted by no real display of affection. The dialogue seems false and forced, aside from a scant few genuine moments of Matthews making it believable. Samuel S Hinds as Joans' Father gives the secondary role all it needs. He's protective, doesn't trust Vollin for a second and never backs down from him. In character, Hinds shows more concern for his daughter's safety than her own husband. Disappointing.
The settings and environments are brilliant, especially Vollin's mansion of trap doors, secret rooms behind bookcases, rooms where the walls come together and some that descend into a lair where Doc keeps all kinds of demented torture devices; most importantly the massive swaying blade that slowly lowers itself down into a hapless victim from The Pit and the Pendulum. Several good scenes of eye candy here.
Not really as effective as The Black Cat, imo. Karloff and Lugosi didn't have the chemistry, Lugosi was his own chemistry. The Raven sometimes just seems like it's living in the shadow of the Black Cat. Both movies are merely just respects to the Poe stories, and stray from following in their footsteps; though, The Raven definitely gives more nods. Not perfect, but it's still a very entertaining Uni/Bela/Boris outing.