The Black Raven (1943)

What makes it different from others?

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

This is the sort of film that is more of a stage play, meant to showcase talents of up and comers in schools and community theaters.It is a basic mystery in a secluded area, with shady characters to serve as suspects, including a cliché young hero and heroine. Unfortunately, the romance is gone from this one, as the pair already are engaged before we meet them. Instead of the romantic older film plot of boy meets girl, it is the modern movie plot of boy already has girl. We know the modern movie anti-romance plot is because movies are often viewed by couples who already met. The industry today is based on placating the already decided couple instead of single men.So the movie has the "atmosphere" elements of the old stage play mystery mixed with modern commercialism.The comic relief character is usually what makes these movies watchable, and here "Andy" does a credible job of comic relief. He is both engaging and entertaining. He helps to make the movie flow.The story flows much better than most such movies, particularly the modern ones. There isn't anything memorable, just good popcorn and soda fun.

Dear reader, do you like the _mefistofelic Zucco? A once known character actor, he had nonetheless some leading roles; a few. And the intelligent, phlegmatic guy from BLACK RAVEN suits daddy Zucco just well. A nice lead in a short, rapid flick, in a very humble and unassuming class of mystery flicks. They ask average competence (and no budget) to make for average fun. At least they sometimes had the decency to secure a notable lead—a Karloff, a Lugosi or at least a Zucco or other 'B' glory. Such flicks are no cinema—just like a newspaper isn't literature; it's stuff to be consumed. It's useless to rate them; they're just their class. For something smarter, check elsewhere.BLACK RAVEN is a short flick about a tempestuous evening near the Canadian border. Zucco plays the owner of the place where all the characters gather and a plot is dressed up. This mystery movie has nothing even remotely original or memorable—just a short story shortly told. You know I have found a kind word for other flicks of this class—in previous comments—and I'll oblige this time too, basically repeating my recommendation—if rightly assessed, BLACK RAVEN offers what's expected from this genre. Not to be preferred to anything else.But if you were expecting in any way something better, or classier, then, my lad, get the freak out of here!

If you pay careful attention to David Chudnow's music, "The Black Raven" qualifies as more comical than creepy. This atmospheric, black & white, whodunit about one stormy night near the Canadian border in a motel on the American side is a solid, entertaining triple murder tale about greed, corruption, and revenge. Prolific director Sam Newfield, who helmed "Hitler—Beast of Berlin" as well as 168 other films, teams up with frequent collaborator Fred Myton. Based on Myton's original screenplay, "The Black Raven" is a formulaic but polished potboiler with clever dialogue and strong performances. Amazingly, this Producer's Releasing Corporation B-movie is a respectably done programmer that preserves the unities of time, place, and setting to a single evening.The casting of Glenn Strange and Charles Middleton is worth mentioning. Better known as Frankenstein's monster in "House of Frankenstein" (1944), "House of Dracula" (1945), and "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" (1948), Strange plays an over-sized simpleton who doesn't know his own strength and behaves like a coward when he trips over two corpses. Furthermore, this represents one of Strange's more loquacious characters. Meanwhile, Middleton—billed here as Charlie—plays an incompetent but honest sheriff rather than a dastardly villain. Remember, the hatchet-faced Middleton starred as Ming the Merciless in "Flash Gordon" (1936), "Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars" (1938), and "Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe" (1940)." These roles provided departures from the usual ones that Strange and Middleton played.A variety of motley characters show up one night during a thunderous downpour at Amos Bradford's Black Raven Inn. Bradford (George Zucco, who played Professor Moriarty in "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes") is a rather suspicious character himself who specializes in smuggling felons across the border into Canada. Racketeer on the run Mike Bardoni (Noel Madison of "G-Men") arrives after Whitey Cole. Cole (I. Stanford Jolley of "Ghost of Zorro") has broken out of prison and wanted to exact revenge on Bradford. "I was so anxious to get square with you that I busted out," says Cole as he holds Bradford at gunpoint, "I could've knocked you off when I just came in but I had to face the judge when he handed me my rap and I want you to do the same." When Bradford's oafish handyman, Andy (Glenn Strange of "Red River"), enters the inn, he distracts Cole long enough for Bradford to disarm him. Andy ties Cole up and stashes him in Bradford's room. Cole believes that Bradford double-crossed him. Bradford defends his behavior. "All of a sudden you got too smart to take orders," he points out to Cole, "When I saw what was coming, I protected myself." Another ambitious gangster, Tim Winfield (Robert Middlemass of "Cain and Mabel"), has forced Bardoni out of the rackets after Bardoni built them up, and the authorities want to arrest Bardoni. Bardoni wants to get across the border before the law catches up with him. The next guest at the Black Raven is a long-suffering, milquetoast bank employee, Horace Weatherby (a spectacled Bryon Foulger of "Sullivan's Travels") who has embezzled $50-thousand so that he can finally enjoy life to the hilt. There is a hilarious moment when Weatherby argues with a roadblock watchman (Jimmy Aubrey of "Swamp Woman") during the storm about when the bridge to Canada will be rebuilt. When he arrives at the motel, Weatherby clutches a satchel for dear life and arouses Bardoni's curiosity. As he is registering, Weatherby neglects the satchel for a split-second and Bardoni knocks it off the counter and presto it falls open and wads of bills can be seen. The next two guests are an unmarried couple, Allen Bentley (Robert Livingston of "The Lone Ranger Rides Again") and Tim Winfield's estranged, under-age daughter Lee (Wanda McKay of "Raiders of Ghost City"), who are trying to elope across the border into Canada so that they can get married. Lee's father has thwarted their efforts to obtain a marriage license. The last guest to show up is none other than infamous Tim Winfield, and he calls up the state police about the same time that the storm knocks out the telephone lines.Winfield recognizes Weatherby and appropriates the $50-thousand from the unwilling bank employee. Not long afterward, Andy discovers Winfield's body, but they cannot find the loot. When the sheriff (Charlie Middleton) shows up about 34 minutes into this 65 minute opus, the lawman arrests Allen Bentley because Lee's father had slapped Bentley in the presence of both Bradford and Andy. Bradford steadfastly refuses to believe that Bentley killed Tim Winfield. "I'm not going to have that boy take a rap," Bradford vows to Bardoni, "for a murder he didn't commit." Nevertheless, Bentley escapes from the sheriff's custody with the help of Lee and Bradford. In no time at all, the sheriff finds Bentley locked up in the basement with Weatherby and Andy where Bardoni had put them while he searched for the $50-thousand. As the triumphant sheriff returns with Bentley in custody, Andy discovers another corpse—this time Bardoni. Clearly, Bentley couldn't have killed Bardoni.George Zucco plays a sinister character, but he spends most of his time defending young Bentley. This is one of Zucco's more sympathetic villains and the actor anchors this melodrama with his commanding presence. Sam Newfield handles the complicated Myton plot with aplomb. Rarely does a moment go by without some important bit of business being inserted into the action. Despite its low-budget origins, "The Black Raven" ranks as a well-written yarn. Just about everybody is implicated in Winfield's murder. The revelation of Winfield's killer comes as something of a shock because of all the red herrings and the meticulous characterization. Newfield likes to let one character speak and show another character's reaction so that he can throw you off the scent of the guilty party. Poetic justice is served in the long run. Altogether, this underrated romp is pretty good considering its meager budget.

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.