"Her body was found lodged in a chimney, the mother's head severed with a razor." "You're referring to one of my stories. A work of fiction." "I'm afraid not."

Sometimes, someone comes along with an amazing idea for a movie and blows you away with its blend of horror and originality. At other times, someone comes up with the idea to make a film about a string of murders based on Edgar Allen Poe's stories.

The brilliant thing? I'm talking about the same idea.

Edgar Allen Poe solving Se7en-style crimes inspired by his imagination? Yes, it sounds like a load of a baloney. And yes, James "Ninja Assassin" McTeigue hardly has a great track record. But speaking as someone who loves a bit of Poe and spends half of his life dreaming of John Cusack, I cannot wait to see this film.

Part of the fun will no doubt come from working out where the titular Raven comes into it, given that Poe's classic poem doesn't really involve any killings. But we can also expect cats bricked up in basements, hearts beating underneath floorboards and pendulums swinging back and forth ready to chop a man in twain - and Alice Eve, of course.

The Raven is out in UK cinemas on Friday 9th March next year. Read on for the trailer - and my prediction for the ending.

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