Vashirdfel
Simply A Masterpiece
Unlimitedia
Sick Product of a Sick System
Sexyloutak
Absolutely the worst movie.
mark.waltz
"You'll have to turn back! The bridge is washed out!" This is always followed by the friendly suggestion, "You can always stay at the Black Raven right down the street" With that raven's feather in his cap, the man turning drivers back sends these poor travelers possibly to their doom to this dark inn run by George Zucco. Among the travelers are a couple eloping against the will of her father and a single middle aged accountant heading to Canada on vacation. Before long, the bride to be (Wanda McKay) is confronted by her pompous father (Robert Middlemass) who also recognizes the single accountant (Byron Foulger) as an accused embezzler. Bizarre creeping figures make for a spooky evening as thunder and lightening darken the rain-soaked night. It's the spooky Glenn Strange lurking in the hallways, frightening Foulger while Zucco offers support to McKay's groom-to-be (Noel Madison). It's no shock when Middlemass is found dead, discovered right after the spooky music utilized in several PRC horror films is played over and over again.Cheezy fun, this dimly lit "Old Dark Inn" horror yarn is thrilling and short with the perfect atmosphere for murder and mayhem. I can just hear the director on the wind and rain machine barking "Faster!" to the technical workers on the set. "Oh dear, how did this happen?", suspect Foulger asks to which Zucco dryly replies, "Obviously, somebody didn't like him!" Zucco gets some really funny lines, telling one of his paranoid staff members, "With your mind, you could see the statue of liberty doing a conga!" Veteran film villain Charles Middleton goes onto the right side of the law for a change to play the sheriff, but when it comes down to it, on a dark and stormy night, anybody could have done it! There are a lot of patches of simply the suspects roaming around the hotel as the music plays with no dialog at all, and although this slows it down a bit, it really doesn't matter. It's all over in an hour, giving chills, laughs and overall, a memorably macabre atmosphere that ends up being harmless fun.
MartinHafer
This is a cheap B-movie made by a very small studio, PRC. It stars George Zucco--the King of low-budget suspense and horror films of the 1940s. While most every film he starred in for PRC and other poverty row studios were terribly written and had cheap sets and actors, he managed good performances. Plus, while often silly, these films really were a lot of fun."Black Raven" is one of his PRC films and once again his performance was pretty good. Apparently old George is a criminal known to the forces of the underworld as "The Raven". You'd think with such a cool name he'd be sort of like Blofeld or Dr. Evil, but this is a kinder, gentler sort of villain (to paraphrase George W.). While a crook, he's a decent sort of crook--with a strong sense of justice.The weather is awful and bridges have washed away, so several travelers seek refuge George's inn (his legitimate cover). Some of them are crooks themselves (such as an embezzler who just happens to come there on his way across the border to Canada), a couple are running off to Canada to marry because her father is a jerk who won't give consent and, finally, the father arrives. Now talk about a coincidence--this father ALSO happens to be a judge AND George (among others) hates the guy. Eventually, there is a murder and the nice man who is running away with the lady is accused. Here's where it gets odd. The Raven KNOWS that the man is innocent and decides to try to help! Like I said, he's a kindler, gentler sort of crook! Overall, this is a very good film despite its poor pedigree. The plot is tight, the acting (in addition to Zucco) is very nice and it's a surprisingly good B-movie. Well worth seeing--even with a very unusual characterization by the Zucc-Meister!
MarcoAntonio1
Many people have found that most DVD editions of "The Black Raven" to be too dark in places and of overall poor quality. I've found a nice, bright restored version of it on a triple feature DVD called Black & Blue Collection which is available through the Roan Group.com. It's compiled with "Black Dragons" and the most perfect copy of "Bluebeard" that I've ever seen (other DVD's of "Bluebeard" on the market are too grainy, edited or have bad sound). Anyway, "The Black Raven" focuses on a group of people who are trying to get over the Canadian border for different reasons but are forced by a rainstorm and washed-out bridges to spend the night at the shadowy Black Raven Inn. The film has plenty of old dark house atmosphere plus the effective relentless howling of the wind and the pounding of the rain. George Zucco and Wanda McKay give good performances in this intriguing murder mystery. Enjoy it in its most perfect DVD edition. It really makes a difference!
Mike-764
A menagerie of persons converge at the Black Raven hotel, run by a man who makes a second living helping criminals escape over the US/Canadian border. When one of the guests is killed, and $50,000 is stolen from his posession, who did it? This done to death premise should have worked, even by PRC standards, but the second half of the film just consists of the characters running all over the hotel and basically by the film's end, the audience has to feel disinterested. However, with all the rain, it does make for a average movie, and Byron Foulger as usual, is fun to watch as the meekish bank teller on the run from the law. Strange & Middleton seem to be miscast, respectively, as the comic relief & sheriff, and Zucco just seems to be wooden as the hotel owner. Rating- 4.
