Happy birthday Edgar Allan Poe! One of the world’s greatest authors and creator of detective stories (as well as master of the American scare), Poe is known for his tales of terror, with works like The Raven and Masque of the Red Death. Pretty much since film’s invention, Poe’s stories have been transformed from words on paper to acting on screen, filling audiences with a tingling sense of the macabre. Of course, many of these films are based on his stories, but he does have a few films to attribute to his life.
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Shudder Original Raven’s Hollow (2022) is the story of a young, military-aged Edgar Allan Poe caught in a murder mystery when his team of cadets stops at a mysterious town during a West Point training mission. As the title of Poe’s poem insinuates, the townsfolk are disappearing, being taken by an what they can only describe as some sort of dark, crow-like figure. Poe, in his righteous need to solve the mystery murders, has his crew of cadets stay to solve it and save the townsfolk, one of which he is particularly fond of (inn-keeper’s daughter, Charlotte). Poe, crew, head townsfolk, and Charlotte begin to turn against one another when more murders happen and they are being picked off one by one. A big reveal near the end gives the inspiration for Poe’s poem.
As with many Poe-based films, Raven’s Hollow is fictional, speckled with bits of truth. Poe did indeed attend West Point Military Academy as well as have an interest in particularly gruesome detective work (in story-telling, at least). The setting is different from all other movies about his life though, focusing on his less-seen cadet status and examining exactly where he got his ideas from. The titular town gives Sleepy Hollow vibes and is brought to life by characters that may or may not be on Poe’s side. Those are the makings of an interesting movie. Then, there’s the monster. I won’t spoil much because it is still rather new, but the monster is brilliant and its story is entrancing. It’s almost sad in a way, so much so that I kind of wanted things to go its way instead of Poe’s.
Now, Raven’s Hollow isn’t perfect. I found Poe’s character to be a little annoying with his insistence to stay in an obviously haunted town. I thought there were scenes that, while they did make some sense, I thought were unnecessary to the story as a whole and added too much runtime, slowing the story. And while most of the effects and gore were well-done, some of the more spectacular effects near the beginning were meh.
Raven’s Hollow was a surprisingly good entry into Edgar Allan Poe’s fictionalized life — his early life, at that. There are little bits that could have been taken out, but in general, the movie is a thrilling timepiece that blends fact with fiction, lore with reality, and murder with magic. For Poe fans, this is a must!
What did you think of Raven’s Hollow? Let us know in the comments!
Raven’s Hollow is currently available to watch on Shudder.
