Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Raven’s Hollow’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the motion picture, ‘Raven’s Hollow’.
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If you have ever attended a meet and greet for an author or hung out with them at their table at a local convention, you’ve likely heard someone ask them a critical question: ‘Where do you get your ideas?’ Because there is a genuine belief that all authors and writers, tap into a place within the human mind that can truly bring forth incredible concepts from seemingly thin air and it makes sense as to why people hold to that. After all, some of the stuff that Stephen King comes up with, is outright incredible, and the same goes for the other greats as well. Since Tolkien’s universe is grand and sweeping, so why not believe that there is something special about their brains that the rest of us don’t have? But the fact of the matter is, their brains are indeed like everyone’s else… they can just take an idea and expand upon it with their imagination in a manner that seems to be born from a place no one understands.
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Take King’s IT for instance, since all he did was ponder upon how terrifying a clown could be and that opened up a bevy of possibilities, all of which were indeed scary. Not to mention, sometimes ideas that writer’s come up with, are grounded in experience. For a strange encounter at a local coffee shop, got them to ponder upon ‘what if?’ and that led to a powerhouse story that left others pondering upon that core question. But of course, we aren’t always privy to those genesis points and that can lead others… to use their own imagination to ponder upon where a great idea could have come from and that kind of thinking is central to our discussion today, since a new movie on Shudder, explores where Edgar Allan Poe might have come up with some his greatest ideas. Which makes Raven’s Hollow quite the fascinating tale, one that plunges us into a critical moment in Poe’s life.

For when we catch up with him here, he’s still a West Point cadet and out in the world with his other fellow cadets, going about their business when they stumble upon something quite awful. Specifically, a man that is pinned to a contraption of sorts and happens to have his insides exposed. A move that prompts Poe to lead his men to the nearby town of Raven’s Hollow to find out who is behind such an injustice, an act that proves to be troublesome. For this town is filled to the brim with lies and guile and the longer Poe and his men stay, the more they hear about an ancient legend known as ‘The Raven’. A being that apparently is vengeful and hungry for human flesh and once others are aware of it, they become a target of it. Which means that Poe and his cohorts must solve the mystery and origin of this being before it, or the person pretending to be it… comes for them. 

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Which is… a heck of way to explore how one of history’s greatest writers came up with the many dark ideas he put to paper, since it’s fictional and speculative through and through… but it works here. Because having a being such as that, hunt Poe and his men would absolutely haunt someone’s dreams and psyche to the point where they would need catharsis and understanding through creativity. But that isn’t the only ‘real’ moment that inspires the man, since there are hints here of how he came to think of ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ and how he designed ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’, all of which is handled in a supremely smooth and slick manner. To the point where you might miss it if you are potentially caught up in the other wonders that this particular horror film has to offer. Because not only does this movie feature unique origin points for iconic stories, but it features a solid mystery and of course… some genuine horror elements.
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Because this is a film filled to the brim with some horrifying imagery. For the Raven in and of itself is downright terrifying and likely grounded in the very real legends of the Wendigo or the Skinwalker, adding all kinds of incredible depth to this story. Not to mention, the mystery surrounding it is genuinely creepy in nature and quite gothic as well. Which is a particular element we don’t see as often as we should anymore. But of course, the gore is indeed what sells the horror through and through. Since the Raven is a voracious beast, one that has no qualms with doing horrible things to the weak and vulnerable flesh mankind harbors and truly, there is a moment in this film that will haunt everyone for ages on end. Because the discovery in the church is simply horrifying to say the least and embodies the world of Poe perfectly and the era of horror that he thrived within. 

If anything, this is just… a wonderful horror film through and through. In large part because it works to fill in the blanks for one of horror’s greatest legends in a supremely compelling and engaging manner. One that feels natural oddly enough, which is saying something considering the kind of material that Poe wrote. But also, because… it’s just a wonderfully scary story as well. One that harkens back to our youth and our first discovery of gothic storytelling, and it is also filled to the brim with eerie and disturbing visuals and dark concepts and splatter and well, everything that a horror fan could possibly want. But the best news of all, is that you can enjoy this unique and engaging horror movie as often as you would like. For Raven’s Hollow is now available to stream on Shudder and we certainly hope you give it a look. For it really is a refreshing and original take on how writers come up with the wild ideas that entice us and keep us coming back for more of their work.

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