Book-To-Movie: Edgar Allen Poe's 'The Raven'

Credit: Pixabay

I’m doing the Book-To-Movie a week earlier than I normally do each month because next weekend is Christmas and many of us will be busy celebrating with our families and friends. Since this is a Holiday post, we are reviewing a Christmas poem and its movie adaptation. We’re reviewing Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven” and the 1963 Roger Corman movie adaptation. Normally we review a book or short story in a Book-To Movie and then compare it with its film adaptation. However, this poem can be considered a short story of a sort since it's a narrative poem. Now, you’re probably saying that "The Raven” isn't a Christmas poem. Okay, it isn’t, strictly speaking, but it does take place during the month of December and because it's a gothic story it can be considered having a tinge of a black Christmas theme. It even has angels in it! There’ve been several film versions of "The Raven", including the 1935 Bela Lugosi version and the more recent 2012 version directed by James McTeigue and starring John Cusack. I haven’t seen the McTeigue version but would like to. I saw the Lugosi version and thought it was okay. However, so far, I like Corman's the best. While Corman’s has the gothic horror elements of the poem, it takes a much different approach to the story. 

‘The Raven’: The Narrative Poem

Poe's "Raven" is about the narrator who ponders the meaning of a raven that flies into his room while he is struggling to get his mind off the loss of his lover, Lenore. This is Poe's most famous poem, at least here in the US, and because of that it has influenced both academia and pop culture. In the 1960s “The Munsters” TV sitcom parodied the poem with a cuckoo clock that a raven pops out of announcing the poem’s famous line, "Nevermore!". The rival sitcom to “The Munsters”, "The Addams Family", had an episode where Morticia reads the poem as a bedtime story to her son Pugsley. In the ‘90s there was even a “Tiny Toon Adventures” cartoon that parodied “The Raven” with an overt Holiday theme: in the background there’s a Christmas tree decorated with skulls and even “Santa Claus” shows up. So, like Mary Shelley's “Frankenstein” and Bram Stoker's “Dracula”, "The Raven" has become an icon of horror in nearly all aspects of pop culture.

The Roger Corman Movie Adaptation

Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Reynold Brown

Cinema is no exception to “The Raven”’s influence on pop culture. Director Roger Corman's movie adaptation that’s very loosely based on Poe’s piece is about a sorcerer, Dr. Erasmus (played by Vincent Price), who gets a visit from a raven that turns out to be his colleague, Dr. Bedlo (Peter Lorre). Bedlo has been turned into the bird by an extremely powerful and evil sorcerer by the name of Dr. Scarabus (Boris Karloff).  Unlike the raven in the poem who serves as a bird of ill omen, Bedlo brings good news to Craven: Craven’s dead wife, Lenore, the only named character from the poem who isn't even actually present in the poem, is actually alive and in Scarabus's castle. The two men go to the castle accompanied by Craven's daughter Estelle (Olive Sturgess), and Bedlo's son, Rexford (Jack Nicholson in a very early stage of his career), to bring back Lenore. The journey cumulates in a wizards' dual between Craven and Scarabus which is both comical and amusing. 

While Poe's story is tragic horror, this movie is comic horror. It's made to be both frightening and humourous at the same time. There’s a scene involving an axe murderer and another where Nicholson’s character goes into a mad trance causing him to drive a coach of horses at a deadly pace. Peter Lorre gives his character a grim sense of humour which he’s so good at in his horror movies and Vincent Price does the same with his. Karloff plays his deceitful character in a convincing way that juxtaposes hospitality with betrayal. The musical score has a circus-like comical melody with a creepy twist enhancing both the humour and horror of the movie. 

So, while this movie is a much more comical interpretation of the poem, Poe's work is one of gothic tragedy examining the dark and isolated mood of an individual who has lost his lover. It’s a loss that the narrator reacts to as if he lost his own soul. The movie being comical involves characters who are more social than isolated yet is still full of suspense and has the setting of a gothic story with its darkened castles, night scenes and corpses that comes back to life. 

Because we're talking about a poem and movie here, I'm not even going to say which one is better. They’re of two different media genres: poetry, which is often written or spoken, and film, which is consists of moving images. What I will say is that Poe's "The Raven" is truly a classic and presents really well all the elements of gothic storytelling. Roger Corman's movie adaptation is the best of the film interpretations I've seen because it conveys the atmosphere of gothic horror. And, even though it takes a comic twist, Corman’s movie is just that: a twisted comedy which is what dark humour is supposed to be--it scares us while it makes us laugh at the same time. So, if you don't want something too dark to watch at this joyous time of year yet can't do without horror, I would suggest Corman's "The Raven". That said, as far as the poem goes with its nearly all dark ambience, I would just suggest: do not open (the book that it’s in) until after Christmas. 

End of Year Book Sale

Speaking about Christmas, my books are now discounted as much as 100 percent (yes as much as free!) at Smashwords' End of Year Sale. The sale lasts until January first so don’t wait too long to take advantage of it! 

Newsletter for December

The Holiday edition of my newsletter, "Night Creatures' Call", is almost ready for publication. I will be releasing it between now and Monday. If you haven't subscribed to it yet you can do so here. In “Night Creatures’ Call” you'll get updates about my latest writing projects and other sci fi and fantasy news. You can also get discounts on books and even a free short story! 

I will be taking a break next weekend for the holiday and may take off the following week as well. So, until next year (January 5th for the Insecure Writer's Support Group blog hop) I will be be off of the Fantastic Site. So I'll wish you now a Happy Hallowday Season and a Happy New Fear!

Have you read Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven" or seen any of its movie adaptations?

Until next year . . . 

Credit: Pixabay.com