The Black Raven

If you have a taste for old B-movie mysteries, this film will interest you. It delivers a good moody atmosphere with great shots of down-pouring rain, dark cellars and interesting characters. Various groups of people all become stranded at a spooky motel after a rain storm has closed the local highways leading out. A great cast of veteran actors make this little mystery worth watching. George Zucco is at his B-movie best. Glenn Strange gives us some good comedy relief. Plus, there is not much cheesy over-acting that you sometimes find in low budget movies.

Here's a cool suggestion: Go rent the current movie, 'Identity' starring John Cusack. Then watch The Black Raven. You may be as amazed, as I was, at how much of the characters, plot and setting appeared to be lifted from this movie. I am not suggesting that they were stolen. If you have already seen 'Identity' you will understand that a certain character in the film seems to have spun a tale based on what he saw watching "an old movie". I'm just saying that I think 'The Black Raven' is the movie that they are referring to. While the character nor the movie maker actually says this, there is one reference in 'Identity' where a girl says, "This is like that old movie where everybody is trapped in hotel..." This probably doesn't make much sense unless you have seen both mentioned movies.

Don't misunderstand me, I thought the movie 'Identity' was a brilliant display of script-writing. Way to go, Michael Cooney.

Ever-delightful George Zucco, that great genre character-star of the Golden Age of Hollywood, is front and centre in this zippy, enjoyable PRC programmer. He plays Amos Bradford, the proprietor of an inn near the U.S. / Canada border whose side business is smuggling criminals across the border. A disparate group of individuals - a milquetoast embezzler (Byron Foulger), a racketeer (Noel Madison), a couple (Robert Livingston, Wanda McKay) attempting to elope, her big shot politician father (Robert Middlemass), and others - gather for an eventful night of murder (during a terrible rain storm, naturally) at Zuccos' establishment.

This is actually quite fun, and it does keep you on your toes regarding the mystery aspect of the story (written by Fred Myton); since there are a few shady types hanging around, and there is more than one motive for wanting the first victim out of the way, the viewer doesn't automatically focus on one character. A strong sense of humour also helps matters a lot, with Amos coming off as a very unflappable and sardonic man, who has a genuine interest in figuring out whodunit. Much of the comedy relief is provided by none other than Glenn Strange, who plays Amos' excitable, bumbling assistant, and he's pretty amusing. Overall, the cast is good. Also appearing are Charles Middleton as a humourless Sheriff and top character actor I. Stanford Jolley as the slimy prison escapee Whitey Cole.

"The Black Raven" has solid atmosphere, an excellent pace (clocking in at BARELY over an hour long), and a bittersweet wrap-up. It's good fun for any fan of thrillers and horror films from this era.

Seven out of 10.

Almost an Old Dark House movie. On the qualifying side, it's a mystery, it has four murders, comic elements, a very serious thunderstorm, stranded motorists, people hiding in the shadows, & a big old dark boarding house. Close enough, I would say, but I didn't see any secret passageways & the film was made a bit late (1945) to qualify. Good dialog, intelligently written for its type, & most (but not all) of the acting is competent. George Zucco is especially good as the owner of the boarding house. 1940s Frankenstein fans, & Gunsmoke (TV) fans will greatly enjoy Glenn Strange's comic role as Zucco's assistant; he's funny & gets to do a little slapstick! Overall, quite an enjoyable film if you like this sort of thing (I do). It's hard to find this one, but it's worth looking for. I rate it 8/10.

George Zucco runs a little country inn called the Black Raven. He himself is also known as the Black Raven—a mysterious underworld figure whose services include assistance to those hoping to slip quietly over the nearby border into Canada.

He has guests: his former partner has busted out of prison to come and get revenge on him; a gangster on the lam (Noel Madison) wants help getting to Canada; a bank clerk (Byron Foulger) stops on his way to Canada with a briefcase full of money; and an eloping couple (Wanda McKay and Bob Livingston—billed here as Robt. Randall) stop for the night, or at least until the storm lets up. Hot in pursuit is the eloping girl's father, who also happens to be a powerful and shady political figure and a bitter rival of the fleeing gangster.

When one of these guests turns up dead and the bag of money goes missing, the Raven has a house full of suspicious characters throwing around accusations and digging around for the money.

The action moves along pretty fast and the plot mostly holds together. The dialog is never particularly original but contains a certain amount of dry humor— Foulger: "Oh, dear, how awful. How'd it happen?" Zucco: "Evidently someone didn't like him."

Zucco is good and is basically the hero—although we know he operates outside of the law, he takes a certain interest in protecting the young couple in particular. Glenn Strange is the Raven's handyman; it's kind of funny to see him as comic relief, as he shivers at shadows and falls down stairs. Charles Middleton is also essentially a comic figure as the clueless sheriff. (Here he has the authoritative voice but none of the brains of the Emperor Ming.)

The cast give enthusiastic performances, the storm effects and lighting create the right atmosphere…it's lots of fun.

I got to see this film last night on my local access channel, and I had such a good time with it. It reminded me so clearly of the classic early Warner Brothers cartoons about the fiends in the old houses on stormy nights and when you watch a movie like this, you can see the influences that inspired the great Chuck Jones. Though I agree with the other reviewer that this movie is a bit muddled, I cannot watch a movie like this from the perspective of its own time. It is so much a period piece. And that is the source of delight. The quality of the sound...the pops and crackles, the staged storm sound effects, the clothes, the lighting, the bumbling sheriff, the damsel in distress - all come together to present a little gem out of time. I recommend this film as a charming visit with our history of movie making.