Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘The Raven’

Written by Scott Edwards

The biggest accomplishment for any writer is to be published. Whether it be in a novel, short story anthology, or being printed in their local press, getting their written word out to the masses is their primary goal and for the ones that are successful it is a dream come true. After their first word goes out to the world, gaining fanfare is the next step when it comes to keeping their dreams alive.

Edgar Allen Poe is having problems getting his works published once again. Not able to write the interest stories that grab the readers after his latest poem The Raven took off in Europe, he is writing reviews for the Baltimore Patriot. After his latest review is not published, Poe is at his last straw as he cannot come up with any more stories that the editor believes people will read.

Although he is out of the bloody stories that gained him popularity in the area, he is still able to write beautiful love sonnets that have captured the heart of his new love, Emily Hamilton. Even though her father is against the relationship between his daughter and the penniless writer, Emily is taken by the writer and is striving to pursue the relationship. Poe is happy with his work and latest poem and with it being world famous, he knows that he will only be on the up and up and proposes to Ms. Hamilton during their latest encounter.

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Across town, a murderer is hard at work recreating some of Poe’s greatest works into reality. Detective Fields is called in to investigate the latest case after the killer was able to escape from behind a locked door, and out a window with an undetectable spring latch. Being a reader, the Detective remembers a story written by Poe himself that could help unlock the answers as to who the killer may be. Poe is hesitant to join forces with the Detective but knows that he is the only one that can help find this killer before he strikes again. When one of his adversaries becomes the latest victim, and a letter is sent to the Patriot saying that Poe must write out every murder and every crime scene and have it posted in the paper or his kidnapped Emily will meet her untimely death, Poe becomes fully involved in the investigation and will have to do as he is told before time runs out if he is going to be able to save the love of his life.

The Raven is a drama/horror movie that focuses around the later years of Edgar Allen Poe. Even though Poe is an alcoholic and has lost his writing muse, he is forced to write the style of stories that made him famous years before. With Emily being the only reason for him to live, he pulls out all of the stops in his new stories to make sure that she will be alive long enough for the police to locate her. The killer will not stop with his escapade until Poe finishes his last story and decides what is more important than his own life. Being a fan of all of Poe’s works, the killer has many different stories to take from to put many more lives in jeopardy before being caught. It will take the intuition of the great writer, along with the cunning senses of a young detective to find out who the murderer is and why he has committed such heinous acts.

Even though this movie will not go down as one of the greatest horror movies in history, it should go down as a good character piece. Following around Poe during one of the greatest stretches of writer's block in history, he is forced to once again find a muse and continue with what he loves to do, write. Having his love’s life hanging in the balance, Poe does his finest work to keep her alive.  Keeping his spirits high that she is still alive and being paired up with the young detective and Emily’s father, he will stop at nothing to expose the killer and even offer his own life in place of hers. Such self-sacrifice is not something you find every day, but if it is something or someone that you care so passionately about, could you do the same thing? Stay Scared.

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