“The Raven” imagines the mysterious final days of Edgar
Allen Poe as an action-mystery straight from the pages of the gothic author’s
most macabre stories. Director James McTeigue’s film takes this gimmicky bit of
revisionist history weaves it into a bland, forgettable movie. There are a few
instances of gore that might momentarily sate horror fans, like an early
near-decapitation, but very little makes “The Raven” stand out. It is a thoroughly
uninteresting film.
