The Raven

The Psychotronic Zone

By Jonathon Saia

The Raven (Universal, 1935) – Director: Lew Landers (as Louis Friedlander). Writers: David Boehm (s/p). Edgar Allan Poe (poem). Stars: Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Lester Matthews, Irene Ware, Samuel S. Hinds, Spencer Charters, Inez Courtney, Ian Wolfe & Maidel Turner B&W, 61 minutes.

Fewer actors are identified by a single role more than Bela Lugosi. A quick Google search of the word "Dracula" yields a picture of Lugosi as its first image – the visage that has adorned countless t-shirts, action figures, postage stamps, and coffee mugs. It seems only fitting that a man who played the world's most infamous "undead" would continue to be immortal, even in death.

Since his heyday in the early '30s until the day he died, Lugosi himself was trapped in a purgatory-like state with his relationship to the Count, desperately trying to convince studios that he was more than The Vampire – yet knew that he could always rely on "Dracula" to bring him quick cash. Chronically broke and habitually underpaid by major and minor studios alike, Lugosi would tour between film projects in various productions of the play that made him a Broadway star, even creating various truncations that he took around to old vaudeville houses and radio programs; in his old age when the world had all but passed him by, he even sat around his apartment with fan boys reciting dialogue from Dracula, purportedly still remembering all of his lines. So engrained was the image of Lugosi as Dracula that he chose to be buried in his cape; an image ironically that Lugosi had to practically beg for when Universal wanted resident horror icon Lon Chaney as The Count – but Chaney died before production could begin.

Despite performing Shakespeare with the National Theater in his native Hungary and known for being somewhat of a handsome playboy (he dated Clara Bow and was married 5 times), Lugosi, due to his heavy accent, was the victim of "othering" in Hollywood – cast primarily as a mad scientist, vampire, swami, or other nefarious characters.

Next to Dracula, Lugosi's greatest legacy was his on-screen pairing (and off-screen rivalry) with fellow horror icon, Boris Karloff. Competing to be Universal's Next Great Horror Star after Chaney's death, Karloff was seen as the more bankable and versatile of the two (in no small part because of Lugosi's accent – even though Karloff had a very pronounced lisp himself) and as a result always pulled bigger salaries and was afforded the liberty to play a more diverse range of roles, including of course Dr. Seuss' famous Grinch; on their films together, Karloff ended up getting star billing and double Lugosi's weekly rate, even on films like The Raven, in which Lugosi was the clear star. Ironically, Lugosi once scoffed at the idea of playing the mute Frankenstein monster when Universal head Carl Laemmle, Jr. first developed the property for him – the role that of course launched Karloff's career. To add insult to injury, the role of Jonathan Brewster in Arsenic and Old Lace, a role Karloff originated on Broadway, was one that Lugosi played more than once on the road in between tours of Dracula and a variety of Poverty Row film projects, forever destined to be in Karloff's shadow. [Sidebar: Lugosi and Karloff did see eye to eye on one thing; they were both two of the first members and most active proponents of the Screen Actors Guild; Lugosi was quite political – i.e. Communist – and helped form a similar organization in Hungary, which precipitated his need to flee the country when the Communist regime lost power].

Lugosi and Karloff made eight films together, although only two truly pit them against one another as co-leads, battling for supremacy. The first of their pairings, The Black Cat (1934), is an excellent thriller based very loosely on Edgar Allen Poe's story, in where Lugosi, freshly released from a military prison, goes to visit his old friend Karloff to discover what became of his wife and daughter while he was incarcerated. Turns out, his wife died years ago and Karloff has kept her preserved in glass in the hopes of one day resurrecting her – of course for his own purposes. The film is filled with atmospheric cinematography and inventive direction – helmed by Edgar G. Ulmer, famous for his B-noir masterpiece, Detour (1946) – great acting from its leads (including some tender moments from Lugosi), and such daring topics for 1934 as necrophilia and Satanic worship (Ulmer was heavily inspired by Aleister Crowley).

Again inspired by Poe, The Raven (1935) is the third pairing of Lugosi and Karloff and possibly Lugosi's greatest performance. Despite Karloff's prominent billing position, Lugosi's character is really the star. [Notice the way in which the publicity department felt the need to remind audiences that Lugosi was Dracula, whereas Karloff is known simply by a single name.]

Jean Thatcher (Ware) – famed dancer and the daughter of a prominent judge – is critically injured in a car accident. The doctors claim there is only one man who can save her: the brilliant surgeon – and avid Poe enthusiast – Dr. Richard Vollin (Lugosi). Judge Thatcher (Hinds) implores Vollin to help his daughter, but he is retired and only interested in research and his Poe collection; Vollin, a man who has been surrounded by death and sickness for decades, doesn't see death in the same way as others and has transcended mortal concerns like empathy. In fact, the eponymous raven is seen prominently in silhouette against his wall, as if Death is an almost welcome friend in his presence. Yet when told he is her only hope, Vollin's ego supersedes his ambivalence and he agrees to help. 

With Jean resurrected, she and her fiancé Jerry (Matthews) – a fellow doctor whom Vollin has recently promoted – are indebted to him. Jean surprises Vollin with a new ballet based on "The Raven" she has created as a thank you. But what surprises Vollin most is that he has fallen in love with Jean. Notice Lugosi's performance during the ballet and its surrounding scenes. He imbues these moments with tenderness, desperate romance, and a dose of sensuality; it is easy to see that he was once a heartthrob in Hungary. Thatcher notices Vollin's attraction and begs him to stay away from his daughter. That does not go over well with Vollin's ever-increasing madness. Vollin is not a man whom others tell no. Enter Bateman.

That night, a recently escaped convict named Bateman (Karloff) enters Vollin's chambers with a gun, demanding that Vollin change his face ["Maybe if a man is ugly, he does ugly things"]. Vollin assures him that the gun is not necessary. He is willing to quid pro quo: he will change his face on the condition that he does something "in his line...torture and murder." Bateman begrudgingly agrees. But Vollin double crosses him and makes him even more monstrous in order to blackmail him into keeping his end of the bargain. 

Lugosi and Karloff are glorious in this scene. Bateman's hopes of being changed into something less terrifying are met with Vollin's mad cackles ["Your monstrous ugliness breeds monstrous hate. Good! I can use that hate!"]. Bateman shoots out all of the mirrors in the room, leaving him with an empty chamber when given the chance to kill Vollin [Karloff primitively grunts and shakes his fist in a moment reminiscent of the Frankenstein Monster]. Bateman is left with no other option than to do Vollin's bidding. 

Vollin makes his sadistic tendencies abundantly clear. He shows Bateman his personal collection of Poe inspired torture devices – including a Sword of Damocles that undulates like in "The Pit and the Pendulum" – they will use to seek revenge on the people who have scorned his love. It is worthy to note that Vollin's madness is brought upon not by the desire for world domination or blood or material possessions, but by love – he describes himself as "a god...with the taint of human emotions." From an actor most associated with otherworldly obsessions and motivations, The Raven cleverly uses the most human of phenomenon as his downfall. Bateman tries to use the machine against its creator, but Vollin warns him that if he dies, there will be no one who can fix his face. The film early on establishes Vollin as singular and we believe that no other surgeon could undo what he has done. So once again Bateman acquiesces to his "Master's" wishes. Lugosi is great here, knowing Vollin has the trump card, but behind his confidence plays a tinge of panic in his eyes.

Vollin invites Jean, Jerry, and Judge Thatcher to a dinner party he is having for some friends. Much to Thatcher's chagrin – "Oh, Dad. He's not going to slit our throats in our sleep" – Jean and Jerry decide to attend; Thatcher follows after. Throughout the evening, the disfigured Bateman tries to warn them of the danger they are in, but Vollin is quick to intercept. And that night with the guests all asleep, Bateman drags Thatcher into the dungeon and straps him to the table to await the impending sword. Jean's room, which is actually an elevator, is then lowered into the dungeon. Jerry and some of the other dinner guests chase after her.

Vollin throws Jean and Jerry into a room with compressing walls (much like the trash compactor in Star Wars). With mania in his eyes, he brags to his slave, "What a delicious torture, Bateman! Better than Poe!" Though he has been subjugated, Bateman serves as the only person who could possibly understand the thrill of killing and Vollin professes his triumph with glee; it must be lonely at the top for a sadist.

Bateman will not stand for this and opens the room, disfigured face be damned. Vollin shoots him, but before he dies, he knocks Vollin unconscious and drags him into the chamber; he awakens just as the door slams and the walls begin to close in on him. Thatcher is saved, everyone flees, and Bateman dies alone on the floor.

Afterwords

The Raven is a taut thriller clocking in at 62 minutes with no wasted scenes. The cinematography by Charles Stumar (The Mummy, 1932) is not quite as Expressionistic as The Black Cat's obvious German influences, but still creates a mood of anticipatory horror. Universal had some unique promotional ideas like a "Chamber of Chills" in where part of the lobby would have pendulums and the like and a "Curtain Teaser Stunt" where "brave" filmgoers could open a curtain with the doom-laden message, "This Curtain conceals a Face that is a Crazy-Quilt of Horror! Look at it Before You Dare See The Raven" (paging William Castle).

The Raven was panned in the trades [The New York Times said it had "the distinction of being the season's worst horror film..."] and its gruesome nature saw that it was censored (or not even shown) all over the world, especially in England. Given Britain's ties to the American market, this led to a brief moratorium on horror films, which among other factors, definitely hindered the rising career of Bela Lugosi; he was never given a role as dimensional and exciting in a film as good as The Raven again.

Based on his performance as Dr. Vollin alone, it's a shame – and somewhat of a curiosity – that Lugosi was not given better projects in which to shine. Studios continued to underestimate his potential and continued to throw their support behind Karloff and eventually Chaney, Jr; Lugosi even had to fight for the role of Dracula in Universal's Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)! [To wit: when Karloff made Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff (1949), he was paid double what Lugosi made for his outing with Bud and Lou.] And when Lugosi's brand of horror finally fell out of vogue in lieu of science fiction and a post-WWII sense of American prowess (having defeated the Ultimate of Evils), he was destined to a "career" (which is being generous) of butlers, red-herring heavies, and an embarrassing finale of duds with Edward D. Wood, Jr. – as well as a debilitating addiction to morphine.

When Lugosi died, after almost 40 years as an actor, his estate was worth less than $2,000. When Lugosi's son and widow tried to sue Universal for profiting off his image without their consent, the studio fought the lawsuit – and won. [However, in 1985, Lugosi vs. Universal was overturned and replaced by the California Celebrity Rights Act, in where a deceased celebrity's likeness is treated as a copyright, protecting their heirs from exploitation for a period of 70 years, post-mortem].

In 1995, Martin Landau won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for playing Lugosi during the final years of his life in arguably Tim Burton's greatest film, Ed Wood (1994); finally, albeit indirectly, giving Bela Lugosi the artistic recognition he so desperately craved.

Jonathon Saia is a freelance writer and television producer working and living in Los Angeles. His love of film was fostered during many evenings as a child/teen/visiting adult by his grandparents; a home once filled with 1000+ movies – an incredibly broad collection of Charlie Chan, Chuck Norris, John Ford Westerns, Abbott & Costello, Noir, Musicals, Horror, War, and the VHS they probably watched more than any other, Passenger 57. Given this upbringing, his tastes are myriad, but he is generally drawn to the darker sides of humanity. Favorite filmmakers include John Waters, Woody Allen, Lars von Trier, John Huston, and Paul Verhoeven; his favorite film is Sunset Boulevard.

Jonathon is passionate about celebrating LGBT history and preserving gay media. He is married to the hilarious comedian, Julian Michael.