Raven’s Hollow – Shudder Review (2/5)

RAVEN’S HOLLOW on Shudder is a new horror drama about Edgar Allan Poe. In a sense, it’s also a period piece and I know that isn’t for everyone. Unfortunately, this one doesn’t really work for me either. Read our full Raven’s Hollow movie review here!

RAVEN’S HOLLOW is a new Shudder horror movie about real-life author Edgar Allen Poe. Listed as a thriller on IMDb, it’s much more of a horror drama meets a period piece. I usually like this genre hybrid, but this one just does not work for me.

I can’t say exactly why, but nothing about the story or characters really hit home with me. Actually, that’s not entirely true, because I did like a few supporting characters. My main issue was that I didn’t really care for (or about) Edgar Allan Poe in this story. And that’s very unfortunate when it’s his story!

Continue reading our Raven’s Hollow movie review below. Find it on Shudder from September 22, 2022.

William Moseley as Edgar Allan Poe

While I can understand that this movie seems like a good choice for William Moseley to continue his acting career as an adult, I think he’s terribly miscast as Edgar Allan Poe. Or rather, the style chosen to portray him is just “off” somehow.

You’ll probably recognize William Moseley due to him having had a starring role in the Narnia movies. He’s also been in many movies since then. Including the rather successful horror mystery Friend Request from 2016, which starred Alycia Debnam-Carey (Fear the Walking Dead, The 100).

Ben Barnes, who played Prince Caspian in the Narnia movie, has gone on to have a strong career. Often, he plays characters that are (at least somewhat) villainous. The same might be a good idea for William Moseley. Seeing him as Edgar Allan Poe in a “bleeding heart”-role, definitely did not do anything for me.

To be fair neither did the Raven’s Hollow movie as a whole.

Interesting for fans of Edgar Allan Poe perhaps?

I can definitely see why fans of Edgar Allan Poe would find Raven’s Hollow interesting. It’s like watching the Dickinson series for fans of Emily Dickinson. In the sense, that this is a take on what helped shape him as an author. The experiences he had, which went on to inspire him.

Of course, where Dickinson is quirky and fast-paced, Raven’s Hollow is more of a slow-burn horror drama. To each their own, I suppose, and I will say that the movie also has an amazing supporting cast.

As always, I have to highlight Kate Dickie, who always leaves a deep impression. Kate Dickie has been in everything from Prometheus and Star Wars: The Last Jedi to The VVitch and the dark horror-comedy Prevenge. More recently, she was also in the wacky horror-comedy Get Duked!. One hell of an extensive career and still going strong.

Watch Raven’s Hollow on Shudder!

Christopher Hatton is the writer and director of Raven’s Hollow. The story was co-written with Chuck Reeves but otherwise, this seems to be very much Hatton’s project. When looking at Christopher Hatton’s IMDb page, it’s hard to get a handle on what kind of filmmaker he is.

This is his first time directing a movie since his 2013 film Battle of the Damned starring Dolph Lundgren and sitting at a 4.4 rating on IMDb. Before that, he wrote and directed the 2011 movie Robotropolis which has a 3.1 rating. I haven’t watched either, but something tells me his style is an acquired taste. And not one I possess right now!

That’s why it almost feels unfair to focus on William Moseley in the role of Edgar Allan Poe. But unlike my experience (or lack thereof) with the filmmaker, I have seen William Moseley be and do much better. It’s a shame to see him star in a movie that doesn’t work better for him.

If you’re into Edgar Allan Poe or curious to see what this is all about, then definitely check it out on Shudder. It does have something going for it. Just not nearly enough to make me happy with it.

Raven’s Hollow premieres on Shudder on Thursday, September 22, 2022.

Details

Writer/Director: Christopher Hatton
Cast: William Moseley, Melanie Zanetti, Callum Woodhouse, Kate Dickie, David Hayman