Hokey gothic fun. John Cusack is darkly brooding and boldly dying as writer Edgar Allan Poe. In foggy Baltimore he sleuths a serial killer, a creep “inspired” by his stories. It’s Theatre of Blood, if not quite so campy: breathless ambushes, underground passages, ravens, and an absurdly plot-driven story. Director James McTiegue shows corny vivacity. Alice Eve is a damsel in distress, and big detective Luke Evans has a face fit for a daguerreotype. (2012) — David Elliott
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