"A monster cast - Price, Karloff, Lorre. This was the first picture Corman did with Karloff, adding him to the crowd of aging horror stars who were finding a new lease on life in the AIP Poe films - all of which were very popular. The Raven was Corman's fifth Poe picture in four years, and he claims he was unable, at that point, to take the stories very seriously any more. In any case, it's an extremely funny picture, with a script by famed science fiction writer Richard Matheson (and ad-libs by Lorre) about a magician-turned-into-a-bird (Lorre), a wandering wife (Lenore, played by Corman regular Hazel Court), and a fabulous duel-of-the-sorcerers between Drs. Craven (Price) and Scarabus (Karloff). Although the picture was made as a comedy, it was sold straight; audiences didn't know, until the film started, that it wasn't going to be serious - and the element of surprise made it all the funnier.
The Raven used CinemaScope brilliantly, especially in the duel; unfortunately, the picture does not seem to have survived in Scope, only in flat TV prints."