December 29, 2008.

Reviewing 'The Raven' dvd.

Rating: 4
This DVD was new condition---played with no flaws. The Raven movie was the only one of two viewed so far. It is a lot less exciting now than viewing it at age 6. The visual effects of the original movie seemed better back then.

December 03, 2008.

An oldie but a goodie..

Rating: 5
If you enjoy a good laugh, then don't hesitate to put this movie on.
Macabre yes. Horrific yes. Distasteful yes, but all in the nicest of possible ways.
Here is a cast of actors, who can do just that, ACT.
This is the real meaning of entertainment.
You will not be viewing personalities up on screen who can barely get their lines out due to the stress of whether the camera has their best side or not.
The actors in this movie so relish their roles and perform with such gusto that after 10 minutes you forget how famous they really are and believe them soley to be their characters.
I won't give you the synopsis of this movie as that would be an injustice to you. I will highly recommend, you purchase this black comedy and give your starved entertainless soul a real treat with this classic master.

December 22, 2007.

Both are goot, the Raven is the gem.

Rating: 5
I enjoyed Vincent Price's movies since I was a kid. My favorites are of course the Dr. Phibes flicks Vincent Price: MGM Scream Legends Collection (The Abominable Dr. Phibes / Tales of Terror / Theater of Blood / Madhouse / Witchfinder General / Dr. Phibes Rises Again / Twice Told Tales) and The Raven. Featuring the horror master's of their time - Price, Karloff, Lorre - and a new actor - Nicholson. It was 1963, and Roger Corman was working with Price on their string of popular adaptations of Poe's stories.

You'll note that the sets become more elaborate as the movies progress, from bare bones in the early '60s to much more complete and detailed later on. That's because the same sets were used in all the movies, but were improved with each production. If you view several of Price's AMI flicks from the Poe series, you'll start to recognize the sets.

Price hams it up, Lorre helps out, and Karloff is the straight man to them both. The battle royale between Price and Karloff is a classic, and the height of SFX for the time.

December 10, 2007.

Recommendation.

Rating: 5
I don't think anyone should pay these prices for this dvd.
The films are excellent! But, don't be fooled. This is still available out there, you just have to do a little extra work to get it.

I found mine through FYE (fye.com). Ask the associates for help finding it at the desk, it cannot be special ordered, but they can try to find it through distribution or home office. DO NOT PAY 50 or 80 dollars when you can pay less than 20. These people are seriously just trying to take your money. Good luck on your search :)

December 05, 2007.

Please, please, please.

Rating: 5
This is the best material that Corman ever produced. After years of turning out low budget but somewhat artsy horror films, with the indispensible Vincent Price, Corman decided to go camp. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that it all happened by accident. Maybe Price showed up on the set one day a little tipsy, blew a couple of his lines and caused Corman to have an inspiration. Whatever happened these two movies bring out the true Vincent Price: a comically macabre villian who both scares and humors you at the same time. Watch some of his earlier horror films where he tries to play it straight and even in the scariest scenes you will find yourself supressing a desire to laugh. Lets face it, good old Vincent was like a demon with a lisp. My true reason for this review is to express my lament for the fact that this Midnight Movie version of these two classics is out of print and all I can say is why? why? why? It should be obvious to MGM that there is a demand for it because used versions are selling for $50. So please MGM, please put this marvel back into production.