The Raven

The first screen teaming of legendary horror stars Boris Karloff, Vincent Price and Peter Lorre, this so-called ‘adaptation’ uses Poe's most famous poem as a springboard for Grand Guignol comedy. Melancholy magician Erasmus Craven, having recently relinquished his membership in the Brotherhood of Sorcerers after the apparent death of his wife Lenore, is paid a visit by a foul-mouthed talking raven, claiming to be small-time wizard Adolphus Bedlo. After some persuasion, Craven returns Bedlo to human form, reversing a spell placed by the evil Dr. Scarabus, Craven's chief rival. After learning that a woman bearing a strong likeness to Lenore was seen in the Doctor's company, Craven accompanies Bedlo to Scarabus' castle, where the resulting battle of wills escalates into all-out magical warfare between the two embittered sorcerers. (Cavett Binion)