THE RAVEN (2012)
Lord Bless a Sacrificial Heart
Should You Watch It?
The Raven is an atmospheric, suspenseful thriller with a strong central performance. John Cusack is almost perfectly cast as Edgar Allan Poe, and the story’s redemptive emphasis on sacrifice gives the gruesome material some poignancy. Christian crucifixes, references to angels, and Poe’s appeal to God add spiritual weight.
The cost is high. The violence is extreme, with blood and gore, even if it is not constant. The film also contains too much gratuitous foul language, along with disturbing images involving murder, corpses, and a woman imprisoned in a coffin. The middle sags when the plot becomes muddled, though the ending is absorbing and partly sad.
Adults who value atmospheric suspense and can thoughtfully handle this content may find merit here. For families and young teens, choose something else. The practical answer: see it only if you are a discerning adult prepared for its extreme content.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESIn 1849 Baltimore, Detective Emmett Fields discovers murders that resemble scenes from Edgar Allan Poe’s gruesome stories. Poe is drawn into the investigation as a serial killer continues copying his macabre fiction.
The case becomes personal when Poe’s girlfriend, Emily, is kidnapped just before their planned engagement announcement. The killer challenges Poe and the detective to use their knowledge and ingenuity to find her before it is too late.
Is It Any Good?
Three stars means The Raven is worthwhile but flawed. The film is atmospheric and suspenseful, and John Cusack is almost perfectly cast as Poe. He effectively conveys Poe’s concern for Emily after her kidnapping.
The film loses track in the middle, especially when some plot points become muddled. Cusack and Alice Eve lack chemistry, though the ending is absorbing and suspenseful. Not everything ends happily, but the conclusion gives the film some emotional and redemptive force.
The Worldview
The film’s worldview extols sacrifice for those one loves. Poe is willing to exchange his own life to save Emily, and that sacrificial choice gives the story its redemptive center. The movie also includes positive references to angels, images of Christian crucifixes, and Poe’s appeal to God: “Lord help my poor soul,” spoken while he looks toward Heaven.
The story also raises a question about artistic responsibility. The killer copies Poe’s macabre murders, prompting the question of whether a writer bears responsibility for the things his imagination creates. Poe initially rejects that idea, but he becomes increasingly haunted by the real-world consequences of his stories. The film therefore acknowledges that art, including movies, can affect real life.
At the same time, the film is shaped by Poe’s Romantic view of artistic expression, his rebellious nature, and his interest in the macabre. Its redemptive elements are poignant, but they emerge within a fictionalized thriller about murder and mayhem.
The film’s longing for sacrificial love aligns with Scripture’s highest pattern: “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Light redemptive worldview that extols sacrifice for those one loves and includes some Christian crucifixes, references to angels, and an actual, rumored quote from the real Edgar Allen Poe who once said, “Lord help my poor soul” and movie repeats the quote, with some strong moral elements of trying to stop an evil serial killer and save a damsel in distress, and a positive view of American policemen fighting crime, plus some strong Romantic elements touching on Poe’s Romantic view of artistic expression and his rebellious nature (the real Poe was also an alcoholic, but movie doesn’t make a big deal out of that in telling this particular fictionalized story – it just shows that Poe enjoyed his whiskey, probably a little too much, but it suggests this may be due to the several tragedies in his life); 14 or 15 obscenities (including one “f” word), four strong profanities, and two or three light profanities; very strong gory, bloody violence at times and some light action violence includes woman’s neck has deep bloody cut, giant ax on giant pendulum slices through man’s body and cuts him in two before wooden table stops pendulum from swinging, arm dangles from chimney, woman’s 12-year-old daughter is found murdered and police says she’s been strangled though nothing really gruesome here is shown, dead man’s hand has been sliced through at the wrist and his other writes has a deep bloody cut, another woman’s body lays in a box on a slab at the morgue, dead man’s head is shown, another’s man’s body is found, young woman imprisoned inside wooden coffin by villain who mocks her, woman tries to claw her way out of wooden coffin using one of her ivory stays in her garments, crows pick at dead cat and man examines carcass, severed tongue is found, villain slashes policeman’s throat as he jumps down from ledge and policeman bleeds to death, protagonist examines a human heart he says he got from the morgue, shots fired and one man is hit in upper chest so bullet has to be removed; no sex scenes but couple passionately kisses and man plays with the string on top of the bodice of her dress and unties it but nothing further appears to happen or is shown; brief upper male nudity; alcohol use and it’s implied man is a drunkard but no drunkenness really shown; no smoking or illegal drugs, though woman may be knocked out by something on handkerchief covering her mouth; and, protagonist has rebellious attitude at times, protagonist takes/steals another man’s drink, and an interest in the macabre.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
The film presents sacrifice as an expression of love. What makes sacrifice noble, and how does Jesus’ sacrifice deepen that idea?
John 15:13 · Philippians 2:3–8The story asks whether artists bear responsibility for the effects of their work. How should Christians think about the influence of the stories they create or consume?
Philippians 4:8 · Romans 14:19Poe turns toward Heaven in tragic circumstances and asks for help. Where do you turn when fear or grief overwhelms you?
Psalm 46:1 · Psalm 121:1–2The film portrays police pursuing an evil serial killer. What does Scripture teach about justice, protection, and the proper use of authority?
Romans 13:1–4 · Micah 6:8The Final Word
The Raven is atmospheric, suspenseful, and meaningfully shaped by sacrifice and spiritual longing. But its extreme violence, gore, and gratuitous language make it unsuitable for families and young teens. For discerning adults, it may be WORTH THE TRIP — ADULTS ONLY. For a gentler choice, see.
