Halloween Day by Day: "The Raven" (2012)

One of the icons of the horror literature genre is none other that Edgar Allan Poe. Pretty much every short story he's written has been adapted onto the big and small screens.

Edgar Allan Poe's death was very much like his stories- mysterious, creepy... and unsolved. So, it was only a matter of time before the "story" behind the events leading up to his death was turned into a film...

A series of murders based upon Poe's short stories lead the police to investigate him as a suspect. To clear his name, Poe must embark on a game of literary cat and mouse- and journey to the dark corners of his mind to find the real killer... at any price...

The concept behind this movie is certainly interesting- especially for Poe fans and experts. It moves at a fairly good clip, with some decent twists and turns to keep the viewer interested.

The characters aren't too bad either- with Poe being the best of the lot of course. There isn't much in the way of development beyond what's already known about him, so it can be a touch flat at times.

I have always enjoyed John Cusack in movies ("Identity" being one of my faves), and he did not disappoint with this movie in my opinion. He bring a great look and mood to the role that really highlighted his more dramatic and sometimes theatrical skills.

Unfortunately, this isn't a movie that rises above the others. The story is interesting, but probably not enough to inspire people to research more into Poe's life and death. The characters aren't bad, but not deep enough to really create a connection with the audience. I would certainly recommend this for Poe fans to watch once, but no more than that. I have to put it in "The Bad".

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