The Raven (1963 film)

This article is about the AIP film. For the Universal film also starring Karloff, see The Raven (1935 film).
The Raven
Theatrical release poster by Reynold Brown
Directed byRoger Corman
Screenplay byRichard Matheson
Based on"The Raven"
by Edgar Allan Poe
Produced byRoger Corman
Starring
CinematographyFloyd Crosby
Edited byRonald Sinclair
Music byLes Baxter
Color processPathécolor
Production
company
Alta Vista Productions
Distributed byAmerican International Pictures
Release date
  • January 23, 1963 (1963-01-23)
Running time
86 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$350,000[1][2]
Box office$1,499,275[3][4][5]

The Raven is a 1963 American comedy gothic horror film produced and directed by Roger Corman. The film stars Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, and Boris Karloff as a trio of rival sorcerers. The supporting cast includes Jack Nicholson as the son of Lorre's character.

It was the fifth in the so-called Corman-Poe cycle of eight films largely featuring adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe stories produced by Roger Corman and released by American International Pictures (AIP). The film was written by Richard Matheson, based on references to Poe's 1845 poem "The Raven". AIP released the film as a double feature with Night Tide.[6]

Three decades earlier, Karloff had appeared in another film with the same title, Lew Landers's 1935 horror film The Raven with Bela Lugosi.[7]

  1. ^ Stephen Jacobs, Boris Karloff: More Than a Monster, Tomahawk Press 2011 p 455
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference French was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Richard Ekdstedt, Introduction, The Raven novelisation by Eunice Sudak, based on script by Richard Matheson, Bear Manor Media 2012
  4. ^ "Top Rental Features of 1963", Variety, 8 January 1964 p 71 gives the figure in the US and Canada as $1,400,000
  5. ^ "Poe & Bikinis". Variety. 9 October 1963. p. 17.
  6. ^ "The Terror Trap: Retrospective in Terror: An Interview with Curtis Harrington: Part I". Archived from the original on 2017-04-09. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
  7. ^ F.S.N. (July 5, 1935). "The Raven (1935) THE SCREEN; " The Raven", With Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, Is a Horror Film in More Than One Sense". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2017.