Peppermint Friday Film Review #7: The Raven

I feel like this week is all about Vincent Price, well for a good reason as he is an amazing actor and anytime someone says 'Horror!' he is the first person I think of.

This film is based of the Edgar Allen Poe poem 'The Raven' its about a doctor called Erasmus Craven who is played by Vincent Price is visited by a Raven and as it turns out the Raven is a wizard known as Dr Bedlo, then they help to make a potion to turn him back to a human again.

I first heard this story when it was retold in 'The Treehouse Of Horror' Simpsons episode, Then I loved it because it was funny, and unique then I read the poem and watched the film, I love the cast of this film even more as it's a got a young Jack Nicholson he stars as Dr Bedlo's son Rexford. Its wonderful to see him so young and play a character thats so unlike any part that we see him being so welll known for. The original text by Edgar Allen Poe is much more darker and sinister. Which is why I love the fact that with this film its told as a Dark Comedy, its such a clever concept of an idea turning it into another idea. 

The dialogue is amazing and so slapstick, theres alot of typically funny and amusing lines like 'oh whats the worst that could happen?' then *BOOM*. I love the characters, they so amusing and entertaining. Its a joy to watch, Vincent Price's character is like a mixture of Merlin and Tim Curry combined I know its totally bizarre to compare Vincent with Tim Curry but there is a similarity. But I will talk about that for another time as its such an interesting thing to deal with. I love the fact that Roger Corman who directed and produced the film, on a budget of $350,000. Its nice that its not flashy, its a good script and a group of talented actors, I've said this before. 

This film is fantastic as for me, I mentioned this in my previous post but I mentioned that I prefer Horror with another genre on to it. Horror with a twist, because I do love horror as a genre but when its got abit of Comedy to it I just like it more. It makes it much more edgier I reckon, because we can all be serious but making a situation from a tense scenario to something that can be quite witty, rather than it being a scary tense bull in a china shop is much more for me. Although with saying that I do like a good thriller and 'on the edge'  kinda film, but It does depend upon the mood I'm in, so I guess its not totally accurate. I love Dr Bedlo, when he's the Raven as its just bonkers, the dialogue when he's a bird is so funny.

I have left a link if you want to buy the film or nevermore if you don't. See what I did there? Overall its a fantastic film, and if you want something that will make you chuckle, along with some pretty dark characters then watch this film. 

Favourite Horrors

On my last post I mention as to what I'm going to do on Halloween week, as I'm not that into Horror films, It's a fairly but they're my favourites nevertheless.

Freaks

This film is a weird one, like really weird, but I like it. Its about a circus of freaks and the love triangle between Cleopatra, Hans and Hercules, Cleopatra is a trapeze artist who's a beautiful woman she is inlove with strong man Hercules, so everyone assumes they're gonna get together which they do, Cleopatra finds out that Hans who is one of the midgets in the freakshow has a large fortune inheritance. She and Hercules make a plan to marry Hans, murder him and get the money. The freaks soon find out and turn Cleopatra I enjoyed this film, dispite it being completely freaky and just uncomfortable, I feel like its succeeded its job for me, as I felt freaked out and on edge I feel like thats what Horror films such as this one should do. 

 

House Of Wax (1953)

Now I know this version of the film is kinda forgotten from the car crash 2005 remake with Paris Hilton in but this version the 1953 version with Vincent Price is brilliant. He is practically the King of Horror, his voice is absolutely incredible. The story is about this Wax sculptor (played by Vincent Price) who owns a Wax museum that specialises in Historical figures, he adores his Marie Antoinette figure. One day his business partner says to him 'We could make allot of money on the insurance if something happens to this place'  Obviously he says no, but he sets it on fire. Years later the Wax sculptor's hands are crippled and he is left injured, and cannot make Wax figures, because of that he gets the help from Igor and Leon. Then he builds the House Of Wax Museum again, but he kills people and makes them into Wax figures. I love this film, primarily as it has Vincent Price in and his is a legend. The film has just so much more depth to it than the 2005 one. Give this film a chance and don't let the horrific 2005 colour your judgement. 

A Nightmare Before Christmas

This will probably be the only superficial film on the list, I was obsessed with this film for about a year when I was at college, because its by Tim Burton, its a dark comedy and I love dark comedies. I love the music and the fun behind it all, I also love Tim Burton's vision of it all with storytelling and the wit of his characters I just love it. I kinda just wanted to throw this in here as I love the film and its so nostalgic, and beautiful. I love the music and the relationship and chemistry with Sally and Jack.

House on Haunted Hill

Another Vincent Price film, I just love Vincent Price he's just so classy and brilliant I love that horror films back then and his era was much more about suspense, and words, rather than it being just blonde booby girls getting killed with blood everywhere. Not that there are no screaming girls in this film as there are, I love the wit behind it all. The story is about a couple who don't seem to like each other they have a ghost party invite there guests over, and if they stay the night they get paid £10,000. I love this film its wonderful, its got humour to it which I think is important for a horror as yes people dying or being chased by a ghost or demon or whatever, but its nice to have a little joke now and again, but it ties in with it. 




The Invisible Man

First black and white horror I saw, and I loved it, it was also the first film that introduced me to Claude Rains an actor who I don't think anyone really knows of. The film is about this scientist who is played by Claude Rains, who does an experiment and it goes wrong and makes him invisible, he then moves to this town to try to fix the invisibility problem. Over time the invisibility goes to his head and he soon goes crazy. Claude Rains's voice is brilliant as we hardly see him not invisible, and his laugh is just crazy. I love that everyone seems really quite stupid, the policeman is very much 'alwight alwight whats going on 'ere den?' kinda guy, but I like that as he's the comedy value to it all. The landlady just screams at everything, at whatever moves it sounds like a parrot's trapped inside her. I do love this film as it's one of the first Old Hollywood film I saw, so for me its very nostalgic because I remember the first time watching this film and loving it. I never saw a huge difference between modern films and then, but I love both theres just something so magical about older films than newer ones.