Death has come down from the sky in the shape of a jet-black bird. These are the last words of a local young man whose body is found on a sacrificial altar near New York by a young cadet named Poe. Together with the other cadets at the West Point Military Academy, Poe lingers in this isolated corner of the world under a drab sky. As he becomes drawn in by the mystery surrounding this curious death, he gradually uncovers secrets the locals have kept hidden. Someone is lying – perhaps death is laughing at Poe’s efforts like a raven?

Although the American master of horror literature Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) has been brought to life on screen many times as an investigator haunted by delusions, this folk-horror detective story presents Poe as a young, enthusiastic crime-solver during his military career (played by British actor William Moseley). Made in Latvia with the support of Cinevilla Studios, the film enthrals with its gothic atmosphere, natural textures, and references to Poe’s works. A confident mystery that seems to have been written by Poe himself, but seen through the eyes of a raven.