Poe’s fiction comes alive with thriller movie ‘The Raven’

One man’s horror story turns into… “The Raven”

Directed by: James McTeigue

Starring: John Cusack, Luke Evans, Alice Eve

Grade: A-

One man’s horror story turns into another man’s reality in the recent release “The Raven,” directed by James McTeigue.

In a fictional adaptation of the life of Edgar Allen Poe (John Cusack), “The Raven” brings to life the world of Poe’s poems and short stories, combining it with multiple elements of classic thriller movies. Set in Baltimore — the site of Poe’s grave — the movie skews the barriers of fantasy and reality.

“The Raven” begins with a violent murder that replicates one of Poe’s short stories: “The Murders in the Rue Morgue.” The murderer, clearly obsessed with Poe, has copied every detail of the fictional crime, mimicking the author’s work perfectly.

Once the plot begins to pick up, it is clear that Poe is involved more intricately in the case than he or the investigating detectives expected. His fiancee, Emily Hamilton (Alice Eve), becomes a central part of the investigation, and by swearing his love for her, Poe commits himself to death.

Having gradually gone mad as the situation developed, Poe’s life ends in the movie similarly to the way it did in real life — he’s found half-dead and unrevivable, without much awareness of the cause of his demise.

The most appealing aspect of the movie is its replication of Poe’s work. For those interested in the 19th-century writer, the movie offers a few especially memorable moments that bring visual components to his gruesome stories.

“The Raven” references various works by Poe, including “The Pit and the Pendulum” and “The Tell-Tale Heart.”  The symbol of the raven serves as an obvious but satisfying metaphor throughout the movie, shadowing the death of the characters in a role that’s similar to its symbolic function in the poem.

Other stories contribute to the murder scenes on a more vivid level, and in certain humorous moments, the police force demonstrates its obvious disgust for the inner workings of Poe’s mind by expressing their visceral reactions.

But “The Raven” brings a certain supernatural element in its delivery. The movie is riddled with fictional stories, but still contains factual information about Poe’s life. His place and year of death, his belligerency and his overall persona all were based on recorded fact.

The line between fact and fiction in the film does not become blurred enough for the audience to doubt history and fall naively into the plot of the movie. It does, however, force the viewer to realize Poe’s mad potential in his work and how brilliantly horrific many of his stories actually are.

Though not overly gory, “The Raven” does have a few bloody moments that could leave weak-stomached viewers unsettled. For the most part, the movie sticks to the typical plot of a thriller, taking the audience on twists throughout 19th century Baltimore to find a madman who lives vicariously through Poe’s literature.

For literary geeks who want to watch a visual replication of this American writer’s work or horror fans that like the violence and mystery of a thriller movie, “The Raven” offers a darkly perceptive view of the famous writer, placing viewers in the midst of accounts of murders that circle around the beloved author.