I watched THE RAVEN last night. It’s a low to mid budget horror film starring John Cusack as Edgar Alan Poe. There is a serial killer on the loose in Baltimore. He’s been committing a series of brutal murders each of which is based on one of Poe’s stories. The writer is at first a suspect but quickly becomes an aide to the Baltimore Police in a race against time to uncover the killer and save Poe’s fiancée.
A bit long and excessively gory. THE RAVEN is not a bad film. It’s not a good film either. It’s right in the middle of mediocrity. Oh, it’s handsomely produced and Cusack does a good job as the troubled American author who is both destitute and besotted.
But it all boils down to the gimmick serial killer, a trope which was done better in THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES and SEVEN. And here’s where it veers slightly off track. When the killer is finally exposed, it’s hard to believe how this one person had the time, the money, the physical resources, the EVERYTHING needed to concoct the murders and still hold down a job and never attract attention to himself. A bit hard to swallow, especially given some of the complexities of the killings.
Oh well. Nice time killer. You’ll forget it the next day.
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