Raven's Hollow Movie Review (2024)

Common Sense Media Review

Raven's Hollow Movie Review (1) By Danny Brogan , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 15+

Gothic horror story has jump scares, gory imagery.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 15+?

Any Positive Content?

  • Violence & Scariness

    a lot

    An eerie, gothic atmosphere throughout. Jump scares and gory imagery. Characters are impaled, explode, and are seen hung up with their intestines hanging out. Much of the violence takes place off-screen, but dismembered bodies and bloody entrails are shown in close detail. Supernatural forces see characters being levitated, dragged, and grabbed. An autopsy is seen taking place. A beating heart is dropped from the sky into someone's hands. Scuffling and fights involving knives, axes, scalpels, and scythes. A dog is seen with a severed hand in its mouth. A bird-like creature, that is seen injuring and grabbing people, is shot at. Character is hit with a spade. Another slits their own throat causing blood spatter. Some pigs eat someone off-camera.

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  • Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

    some

    An unspecified drink is shared and drunk on a few occasions. One character is later seen acting wildly and aggressively after drinking it -- attacking someone with a knife. Morphine is used by two characters on two different occasions: One for dealing with trauma, the other with the intention of altering their train of thought.

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  • Language

    a little

    "Christ," "my God," "hell," and "damn" are all used as exclamations. The term "Indians" is used on one occasion in reference to Native Americans.

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  • Sex, Romance & Nudity

    very little

    Brief references to characters being attracted to each other. Two characters briefly kiss and have an extended conversation of what it means to be in love.

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  • Positive Messages

    some

    Showing perseverance and courage in seeking out the truth. Characters are accused of cowardice and others lie.

  • Positive Role Models

    a little

    Edgar Allan Poe is an honorable young military cadet who is determined to establish what and who caused a man's death. He shows courage in the face of danger but arguably puts his fellow cadets in peril with his stubbornness and decision-making. The community the cadets meet are secretive and mysterious. They lie to cover the truth and resort to violence to keep their secrets undiscovered.

  • Diverse Representations

    a little

    Most of the (relatively small) cast are White with good gender balance among the main characters. There is one person of color in the film and his character is integral to the plot.

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  • Parents Need to Know

    Parents need to know that Raven's Hollow is a gothic horror and imagined "origin" story of the writer Edgar Allan Poe, with bloody violence and gory imagery. Set in 1830, Poe (William Moseley) and four other military cadets find themselves in a strange village, where supernatural events leads to a number of deaths. Although a number of the violent incidents occur off-camera, characters are seen being impaled and grabbed by a scary bird-like creature before their still-beating heart drops from the sky. A character is also seen slitting their own throat after a fight with Poe. There is a creepy atmosphere throughout and the aftermath of various violent attacks are graphic in their depiction. Bodies are seen dismembered, characters are seen with their intestines hanging out, and bloody entrails are shown in close-up. Two characters take morphine; one to deal with trauma, the other to alter their thoughts. There is no strong language, but "Indians" is used on one occasion to describe Native Americans. There are a number of jump scares and creepy imagery that may prove too much for some viewers. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.

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Raven's Hollow

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What's the Story?

In RAVEN'S HOLLOW, the year is 1830 and West Point military Cadet Edgar Allan Poe (William Moseley) and four other cadets discover a dying man while on a training exercise in upstate New York. While trying to establish where the man was from, the cadets stumble across a mysterious community whom a curse is said to hover over.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:

Parents say: Not yet rated

Kids say: Not yet rated

This gothic horror has big ideas, despite its obvious modest budget. Raven's Hollow is essentially an Edgar Allan Poe "origin" story, albeit one with a large dollop of gothic fantasy horror. Set in 1830 -- before Poe has established himself as a much-lauded poet and author -- the film has fun suggesting the inspiration for his future writings. This inspiration comes in the form of a creepy community that appears to be under some kind of curse. Director and writer Christopher Hatton drops all manner of nods and acknowledgments to Poe's works. Character's share names with his poems, while some lines are directly lifted from his text.

Yet what begins as an interesting idea becomes lost in some uneven plotting and strange editorial decisions. Set in upstate New York, there are all manner of accents going on -- fans of popular kids' show Bluey may recognize Charlotte (Melanie Zanetti) as the voice of Bluey's mom. David Hayman's as the village doctor is particularly distracting. Poe also makes a bizarre decision toward the end of the film that makes little to no sense, despite his explanation. Hatton does a great job of creating a creepy, gothic atmosphere and there are a few jump scares for good measure. But ultimately, despite a runtime of just 98 minutes, the film drags and, unlike Poe's actual works, the conclusion is lacking.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the threat and violence in Raven's Hollow. Did the fantasy tone affect the impact of those moments? If so, how? What's the impact of media violence on kids?

  • Did you think the movie was scary? What was most scary about it? Did it remind you of any other movies? What's the appeal of horror movies?

  • What do you know about Edgar Allan Poe? Has this movie inspired you to learn more about him?

Movie Details

  • On DVD or streaming: September 22, 2022
  • Cast: William Moseley, Melanie Zanetti, Kate Dickie
  • Director: Christopher Hatton
  • Inclusion Information: Female actors
  • Studio: Shudder
  • Genre: Horror
  • Topics: Book Characters, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
  • Run time: 98 minutes
  • MPAA rating: NR
  • Last updated: June 19, 2023

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Raven's Hollow Movie Review (2024)
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