Raven's Hollow

This movie had all the makings of a great folk horror/ creature feature... but a few missteps sent it down the wrong forest path...

Raven's Hollow had a relatively original and intriguing plot in the grand scheme of things. Is it 100% something you have NEVER seen before? No. But there were aspects and twists to this tale that felt fresh and different. Definitely a slow burn with some good tension building and solid spook factor. The movie also looked great (quality and shots), score was on point and the special effects were pretty great as well.

I would say the biggest misstep here was the acting/ casting. Unfortunately, some very stilted performances and iffy delivery did the movie some detrimental disservices. Pretty much everyone faltered at some point (except maybe the mother) causing a continual back and forth between being in the moment and being pulled out of it. Unfortunately, the worst of the bunch was the actor who played Poe. While I don't think he did an abismal job or is a bad actor, as an actor myself I didn't find anything particularly redeeming or down to earth about his performance as a whole or really his delivery in any one moment specifically either.

I also had a bit of an issue with the ending. Not so much with the ending itself but more so the way it was delivered to us. Maybe I'm simple, but it got a bit convoluted and a tad confusing, even with the exposition being in a moderately spoonfed monologue.

At the end of the day this was a creative bit of fiction about the makings of what we know Edgar Allan Poe to be today, filled with little Easter egg references to his works if you are familiar. It was spooky and had some interesting bits throughout and if you can look past the questionable acting and the slow pace it is worth a watch. Would recommend.

A film about a young Edgar Allen Poe who finds strange things afoot in in spooky village of Ravens Hollow.

The film has 2 main themes, the first is the main story that concerns people being killed by having their hearts torn out by the 'Raven'. The second is preoccupied by touching on Poe's inspiration for his future as a writer. Beating hearts, tick. Ravens, tick. Etc. Etc.

Kate Dickie is wonderful and as terrifying as ever, the rest of the acting, not so much.

The movie starts well enough, creates a spooky atmosphere but cannot keep the tension going to the end.

I think with a little more money to spend on a competent director, better lighting and cast there would have been a decent film here. Shame.

I wanted to like this very badly. I love 1800 New England and autumnal settings and gothic horror. The whole setting and aesthetic was right up my alley. Unfortunately, this movie did not live up to my hopes.

The main problem, I'm sorry too say, is the acting. William Moseley is not up to the task of playing young Poe. I believe he's going for the whole 'stoic 1800s Northerner' thing, but he never drops this affect for a moment. He never seems scared or really terrribly affected by the goings on around him. The performance is overall much too flat. He can't carry off some of the flowery dialogue that is clearly inspired by Poe's writing. You never buy that the horrors in this movie turned this clean-cut cadet into a tortured gothic horror writer. He's just not Edgar Allan Poe.

I watched this film based on a recommendation from a source I trust without checking the rating here on imdb(which I usually always do).

I was shocked when I saw the low rating here after watching the movie. Usually imdb ratings are very accurate but not for this movie.

This is a great movie. It is a thinking person's horror movie. I would call it a horror-drama. While it could be considered a slow burn the movie is engaging and gripping throughout.

That strong atmosphere combined with it's engaging nature is very effective. I hesitate to call it a slow burn at all because things are happening and developing steadily through the entire movie. And I found it to remain very engaging.

The directing is very, very good. The story is complex and the are a few significant plot twists. So you have to pay attention and keep tracking with it.

Now some reviews said it isn't horror. False. It is indisputably horror. Strong horror. I think why some viewers fail to see that is because it has substance and intelligence and artistry and that it comes from a whole different world than your 'slasher of the week'.

And there is some extreme gore in this movie and coming from me that's a significant statement.

It is a violent movie. It doesn't compromise on violence like some would lead you to believe.

It has a good story. No cookie cutter backdrop for violence here. The story can be a little confusing and you need to pay attention to get the whole story.

It has this wonderful mysterious element to it. Even with what's revealed in the film's final act the mysterious atmosphere persists right through the end credits, in a good way.

One thing I liked about the movie is that the main character, Poe, is a good and noble person and that comes across in a very authentic way. He is a likeable and very admirable character, which is unfortunately rare for a horror movie protagonist.

This is not an iffy, maybe it's good, maybe it's bad movie. It's genuinely a great movie.

It's well paced. An intelligent viewer will be drawn into the steadily developing story. The atmosphere is so strong. It's very well directed.

And it has a great story. It's very intelligent. It plays outside of the stereotypes. Perhaps that is why the unperceptive didn't like it.

Well this film certainly had POEtential but it falls flat from a dreadfully dull script and some rather suspect 2nd rate acting, at times. It's not all bad but it's barely half good. It's half-hearted. The mood is good. The sets and atmosphere are good... unfortunate that it couldn't deliver on tension or plot. There's no scares and it's not spooky enough. If it had those elements it could have been excellent. But that's like saying, if my baloney sandwich was a steak it would be delicious. The buzzing synthesizer soundtrack also was a little distracting whenever it appeared. So if you're wide awake and forgiving of the plodding storyline you might enjoy it. If you're tired going in, you'll be fast asleep about 10 minutes into this Raven tale, evermore.