Evil Calls: The Raven
Encyclopedia
Evil Calls: The Raven is a British horror film directed by Richard Driscoll
(Kannibal) and starring Rik Mayall
, Jason Donovan
, Eileen Daly
, Norman Wisdom
, Robin Askwith
,.
forest called Harrow Woods in New England for a weekend vacation to investigate the disappearance of horror novelist George Carney and his family who have been missing (presumed dead) for two years. Led by lecturer, Karl Mathers, the group embark on their investigation into the forest
. They discover that in the 17th century the infamous witch, Lenore Selwyn, was burnt at the stake within Harrow Woods. As she struggled against the flames she curse
d the land her ashes fell upon. The group are murder
ed one by one. The George Carney story appears in flashback as the students, particularly Anna, a psychic
, investigate Harrow Woods and the abandoned log cabin where the Carney family was suspected to have been murdered two years previously.
by Edgar Allan Poe
.
, Reservoir Dogs
and The Blair Witch Project
(teenagers go into the woods to film a project but end up being killed off sequentially).
Richard Driscoll
Richard Driscoll is a Welsh screenwriter, film producer, actor and film director.-Director:* The Comic * Silent Heroes * Kannibal...
(Kannibal) and starring Rik Mayall
Rik Mayall
Richard Michael "Rik" Mayall is an English comedian, writer, and actor. He is known for his comedy partnership with Ade Edmondson, his over-the-top, energetic portrayal of characters, and as a pioneer of alternative comedy in the early 1980s...
, Jason Donovan
Jason Donovan
Jason Donovan is an Australian actor and singer. He initially achieved fame in the Australian soap opera Neighbours, before beginning a career in music in 1988. In the UK he has sold over 3 million records, and his début album Ten Good Reasons was one of the highest-selling albums of 1989...
, Eileen Daly
Eileen Daly
Eileen Daly is an English actress, film producer, writer, model, poet and singer/songwriter. She is also a well-known contemporary scream queen starring in numerous cult movies.-Early life:...
, Norman Wisdom
Norman Wisdom
Sir Norman Joseph Wisdom, OBE was an English actor, comedian and singer-songwriter best known for a series of comedy films produced between 1953 and 1966 featuring his hapless onscreen character Norman Pitkin...
, Robin Askwith
Robin Askwith
Robin Askwith , is an English film actor, most famous for his role as Timmy Lea in the Confessions... sex comedies.-Confessions...:...
,.
Plot
A group of students go to a hauntedHaunted
-Film:* Haunted , a TV film starring Ari Meyers* Haunted , an American children’s comedy-horror film directed by John Magyar* Haunted , a UK film starring Aidan Quinn and Kate Beckinsale...
forest called Harrow Woods in New England for a weekend vacation to investigate the disappearance of horror novelist George Carney and his family who have been missing (presumed dead) for two years. Led by lecturer, Karl Mathers, the group embark on their investigation into the forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
. They discover that in the 17th century the infamous witch, Lenore Selwyn, was burnt at the stake within Harrow Woods. As she struggled against the flames she curse
Curse
A curse is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to some other entity—one or more persons, a place, or an object...
d the land her ashes fell upon. The group are murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
ed one by one. The George Carney story appears in flashback as the students, particularly Anna, a psychic
Psychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
, investigate Harrow Woods and the abandoned log cabin where the Carney family was suspected to have been murdered two years previously.
Cast
- Jason DonovanJason DonovanJason Donovan is an Australian actor and singer. He initially achieved fame in the Australian soap opera Neighbours, before beginning a career in music in 1988. In the UK he has sold over 3 million records, and his début album Ten Good Reasons was one of the highest-selling albums of 1989...
plays Gary, a website designer who helps plan the trip into Harrow Woods. - Rik MayallRik MayallRichard Michael "Rik" Mayall is an English comedian, writer, and actor. He is known for his comedy partnership with Ade Edmondson, his over-the-top, energetic portrayal of characters, and as a pioneer of alternative comedy in the early 1980s...
plays Winston, a menacing spirit of a former hotel manager who tricks writer George Carney into killing his wife. - Sir Norman WisdomNorman WisdomSir Norman Joseph Wisdom, OBE was an English actor, comedian and singer-songwriter best known for a series of comedy films produced between 1953 and 1966 featuring his hapless onscreen character Norman Pitkin...
(He shot a very tiny scene (2002) aged at 86.. he had no idea it was gratuitous, under the title `Alone in the dark`. - Robin AskwithRobin AskwithRobin Askwith , is an English film actor, most famous for his role as Timmy Lea in the Confessions... sex comedies.-Confessions...:...
plays George's brother Vincent who is having an affair with George's wife (played by model Jules Wheeler). - Richard Waters plays Karl Mathers
- Sonya Vine plays Rachel
- Kathryn Rooney plays Anna (Filmed In 2002).
- Charlie Allan plays Lewis
- Ben Tolkien plays James
- Paul Battin plays Steve
- Jules Wheeler plays Vivienne Carney
- Eileen DalyEileen DalyEileen Daly is an English actress, film producer, writer, model, poet and singer/songwriter. She is also a well-known contemporary scream queen starring in numerous cult movies.-Early life:...
plays Victoria - Vass Anderson plays Professor Jackson
- Keren Hatcher plays Lisa Carney
- Jamie Roberts plays Steve Carney
- Jim Johnson voiced Vincent PriceVincent PriceVincent Leonard Price, Jr. was an American actor, well known for his distinctive voice and serio-comic attitude in a series of horror films made in the latter part of his career.-Early life and career:Price was born in St...
- Rebekka Raynor plays Demon's mother
Titles
Originally titled Alone in the Dark, the title was changed to Evil Calls just before release to avoid confusion with the Alone in the Dark computer game and its movie adaptation. This is why in some interviews Richard Driscoll mentions it by this name. Evil Calls is the first in a pair or trilogy of Raven movies, inspired by the poemThe Raven
"The Raven" is a narrative poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in January 1845. It is often noted for its musicality, stylized language, and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a talking raven's mysterious visit to a distraught lover, tracing the man's slow descent into madness...
by Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
.
Homage
The film pays homage to, amongst others, The ShiningThe Shining (film)
The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, co-written with novelist Diane Johnson, and starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, and Danny Lloyd. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. A writer, Jack Torrance, takes a job as an...
, Reservoir Dogs
Reservoir Dogs
Reservoir Dogs is an American crime film marking debut of director and writer Quentin Tarantino. It depicts the events before and after a botched diamond heist, but not the heist itself. Reservoir Dogs stars an ensemble cast: Harvey Keitel, Steve Buscemi, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, and...
and The Blair Witch Project
The Blair Witch Project
The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American horror film pieced together from amateur footage. The film was produced by the Haxan Films production company. The film relates the story of three student filmmakers The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American horror film pieced together from amateur...
(teenagers go into the woods to film a project but end up being killed off sequentially).