The Raven

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The Raven

R

2012

1h 51m

Mystery & Thriller

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Popcornmeter

21%

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143 Reviews

46%

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100,000+ Ratings

In 19th-century Baltimore, Detective Emmett Fields (Luke Evans) makes a horrifying discovery: The murders of a mother and daughter resemble a fictional crime described in a story by Edgar Allan Poe (John Cusack). When another murder occurs, also seemingly inspired by Poe's writings, Fields realizes a serial killer is on the loose and enlists Poe's help in catching the felon. The stakes become personal for the struggling author when someone close to him may become the killer's next victim.

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Critics Consensus

Thinly scripted, unevenly acted, and overall preposterous, The Raven disgraces the legacy of Edgar Allen Poe with a rote murder mystery that's more silly than scary.

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Tim Grierson

Deadspin

Feb 12, 2013

The problem is that "The Raven" is all surface. The movie is nothing but its fun idea, without much development or ingenuity

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

May 15, 2012

2/4

But on the whole, Ben Livingston and Hannah Shakespeare's never finds solid footing, and although the early murders are inventively intriguing, as the film goes on they slowly but surely lose their power to startle, amaze and perplex.

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Marc Savlov

Austin Chronicle

May 4, 2012

1.5/5

The maniac on the loose i less Jack the Ripper than a literarily inclined nobody, and not even a butler, to boot.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Sep 27, 2025

2/4

There have been so many good adaptations of works by Edgar Allan Poe that few will work up much enthusiasm for this thriller in which the great author himself is put through the paces of an average serial-killer yarn.

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Katelyn Nelson

Daily Grindhouse

Aug 4, 2024

Rather than parody or melodramatic spoof, it dissects the cliché of tortured-writer-as-dark-figure and in its place presents a man firmly planted in the space between reality and imagination, and aware of the limitations of each.

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Nov 20, 2022

2/4

It’s all very watchable in a low-expectations way, though anyone hoping for a tale worthy of Poe himself should look elsewhere.

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Daniel D

@DDorman Jul 8, 2026

This is John Cusack's finest film. If you read a little bit about Edgar Allen Poe, you'll see how this film, and how Cusack nailed Poe. I believe it is the most accurate portrayal of America's first writer who solely lived on his earnings of being a writer. If you know nothing of E.A.P. Then you wouldn't think much of this movie ie rotten tomatoes rating...

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Mike K.

@Hateras Nov 12, 2025

John Cusack is the perfect actor to portray Edgar Allen Poe.

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Carolyn K.

@deCAL Sep 30, 2025

Terrible and very non-creative and its register of a fantasy drama, more eerie, and a natural than any genius or genuine poem, readers, and fans whatever I imagine could happen – – distasteful selection, and a bad bad impression of a life, quite daunting and curiously magically, mysterious, and cut and blistering pieces of humanity all at once …

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Troy R

@Grim16 Sep 20, 2025

Decent story with decent acting. As a fan of Poe it was an interesting take on his stories played out in the real world. I think the ending was ok... nothing special. Whole movie kind was like that a little slow, nothing overly amazing, and just a decent watch. The audio seemed to have a little bit of a mixing issue where the characters were very quite but the music/back ground noises could be loud, maybe just the version I was watching.

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Dramabubb K

@Teemunee Jan 1, 2024

I think it's a good movie. Not a critic so it's not my living. But I'm a legit movie buff. It's worth the watch.

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Regina P

@RT45936356 Jun 5, 2023

This didn't work, sorry. It would be one thing if it were a fictional detective or author chasing a serial killer who was motivated by Edgar Alan Poe. But this is supposed to be the real Poe? No. I couldn't buy it any point. It just seemed too ridiculous. And the way the kidnapping happened was not any credit to the writer here. They were already on high alert, and they still let that happen? When? It might have worked if they had used a fictional protagonist and made the crimes make more sense.

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James McTeigue

Director

John Cusack

Edgar Allan Poe

Luke Evans

Detective Emmett Fields

Alice Eve

Emily Hamilton

Brendan Gleeson

Charles Hamilton

Oliver Jackson-Cohen

John Cantrell

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Synopsis

In 19th-century Baltimore, Detective Emmett Fields (Luke Evans) makes a horrifying discovery: The murders of a mother and daughter resemble a fictional crime described in a story by Edgar Allan Poe (John Cusack). When another murder occurs, also seemingly inspired by Poe's writings, Fields realizes a serial killer is on the loose and enlists Poe's help in catching the felon. The stakes become personal for the struggling author when someone close to him may become the killer's next victim.

Director: James McTeigue
Producer: Aaron Ryder, Mark D. Evans, Trevor Macy
Screenwriter: Hannah Shakespeare, Ben Livingston
Distributor: Relativity Media
Production Co: Galavis Film, Intrepid Pictures, Pioneer Pictures, Relativity Media, FilmNation Entertainment
Rating: R (Grisly Images|Bloody Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 27, 2012, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 8, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $16.0M
Runtime: 1h 51m

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