The Raven 2012 (Movie Review)

The Raven stars film veteran John Cusack as the infamous poet Edgar Allen Poe in a fictional horror tale. Poe fans may be somewhat disappointed with the character's portrayal in the film, but The Raven is still a gripping tale that will have you guessing the ending until the credits roll.

The film centers on a depressed, Poe with alcoholic tendencies whose only source of comfort is his love interest Emily Hamilton (Alice Eve). Poe is eventually dragged into a murder mystery upon the police learning that a serial killer is using Poe's stories as inspiration for his grisly murders in Baltimore, Maryland. The killer and poet match wits, and Poe teams up Inspector Fields (Luke Evans) to solve the case before someone very close to Poe gets the knife. Although the film's writing isn't perfect, John Cusack delivers an excellent performance here as this version of Edgar Allen Poe. His supporting cast is likewise brilliant here, and they actually combine forces to turn average writing into an incredibly dramatic and entertaining film. You won't see a ton of blood in the film, but the film does contain a couple of unsettling death or near death scenes and a few good scares to boot. The Raven isn't for everyone, but most people should find it worth the price of admission. The startling tense film is one part horror, one part murder mystery and 100% a great film. For more information on The Raven, check out its official IMDB page.

Movie Information
Director: James McTeigue
Stars: John Cusack, Alice Eve, Luke Evans
Rated: R
Release Date: April 27, 2012

Rating: 9 out of 10