The Pit and the PendulumUnchecked trauma is fertile soil for madness. The Pit and the Pendulum is a gothic horror movie set in the early 16th century about a young man from England named Francis Barnard (John Kerr) who journeys to Spain after hearing of the passing of his sister, Elizabeth (Barbara Steele). She was the wife of Don Nicholas Medina (Vincent Price), and they lived in a grim castle on the edge of the sea, where his father, Sebastian, once tortured his victims as a member of the Spanish Inquisition. Stymied with inconsistent explanations by Nicholas and his sister, Catherine Medina (Luana Anders), about the circumstances of Elizabeth's death, Francis stays in the Medina castle until the truth is exhumed.
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The Pit and the Pendulum was directed by Roger Corman as part of a series of adaptations loosely derived from works by Edgar Allan Poe. Although the screenplay for this movie--written by Richard Matheson--has little to nothing to do with Poe's original short story, the film is an excellent and chilling film that constantly puts it to the audience to question what is true or not. From the start of Francis's visit, everyone acts suspiciously--even the doorman, Maximillian (Patrick Westwood), who forbids him entry until Catherine happens to pass by and admit him. Francis demands to know facts about his sister's death, and Catherine tells him to wait to hear from Nicholas, who is "resting". But when Francis asks to see where his sister is interred, he stumbles across a nervous Nicholas who is fiddling with some machine behind closed and locked doors. Nicholas tells Francis that she died due to some malady "of the blood", which Francis doubts, and even this is contradicted later when Nicholas's friend and physician, Doctor Leon (Antony Carbone), tells the surviving brother that his sister died of "fright". In rapid succession, Francis is either outright lied to by virtually everyone at the Medina castle, or they are all too shocked, ashamed, or sensitive to tell him the truth about what happened. This constant sense of distrust persists throughout much of The Pit and the Pendulum, which makes it so that pretty much everyone other than Francis is suspected of some degree of foul play. This is followed up with events which are purported to be supernatural, including the mysterious playing of a harpsicord--which Nicholas says he doesn't know how to play, but which Elizabeth was skilled at playing however. Nicholas claims that his ancestral home itself was spiritually polluted by his father's role in the Inquisition, and how Elizabeth seemed as though she were possessed by some dark force to delve ever deeper into the most shadowy recesses of her new, foreboding home, despite--or perhaps because of--its horrible legacy. Now the possibility that Elizabeth has returned as a ghost becomes yet another complication in Francis's investigation into the ever deepening mysteries of the grim castle.
Some have said that The Pit and the Pendulum represents a paradigm shift in horror movies during the early 1960s. The infamous climax of the film is the most standout example of this. It is a sinister set piece featuring the eponymous pendulum--a razor-sharp blade that sways back and forth, lowering by fractions of an inch with each swing...or with each tug on its chain by its operator. And its unfortunate victim is bound below the blade, and in time is eviscerated slowly and painfully while its devilish operator looks on with glee. It is a diabolical device that apparently had some factual basis from the era--a gruesome relic from a shameful time. Nicholas is already emotionally delicate because of a terrible event from his past when he witnessed his father apply his vile instruments of torture to his mother and uncle. Once Catherine reveals this secret to Francis, our perception of Nicholas and what he might be capable of shifts yet again. The movie excels at instilling tension with every scene and at every revelation, which does little to clarify the mystery and more often adds to the confusion about Elizabeth's death. The film has been an inspiration on countless horror films, including the notorious giallo horror movies by Italian filmmakers like Dario Argento. But beyond the mere complicated mechanisms designed for sadistic murder, The Pit and the Pendulum still feels very modern in the way that it coaxes its audience to distrust everything. Nothing that anyone at the Medina castle says or does can be taken at face value. Francis already arrives frustrated and impatient at having the door all but slammed in his face when he wants to learn what happened to his sister. We immediately sympathize with his cold treatment by Maximillian, and the shifty glances and stammering excuses by Catherine and Nicholas. There is always the sense that there is a greater conspiracy at play, but like a savvy murder mystery, The Pit and the Pendulum obfuscates that thread under myriad red herrings, baiting its audience with suppositions and rumor. The movie knows that most audience members like to think of themselves as detectives, so it liberally sprinkles clues around its plot for ravenous amateur sleuths to gobble up, enticing them to draw conclusions before the credits roll. This has the added effect of encouraging the audience to allow their imaginations to consider who is the villain--if there even is one--and what their motive is. And just when you thought you had it all figured out, the pendulum swings the other way and everything changes on you again.
Recommended for: Fans of a chilling and visceral horror film that ratchets up the tension as menacingly as the slow descent of its titular blade. The Pit and the Pendulum may not have any obscene language or gratuitous gore, but it is a terrifying horror film that is definitely not for kids.
Some have said that The Pit and the Pendulum represents a paradigm shift in horror movies during the early 1960s. The infamous climax of the film is the most standout example of this. It is a sinister set piece featuring the eponymous pendulum--a razor-sharp blade that sways back and forth, lowering by fractions of an inch with each swing...or with each tug on its chain by its operator. And its unfortunate victim is bound below the blade, and in time is eviscerated slowly and painfully while its devilish operator looks on with glee. It is a diabolical device that apparently had some factual basis from the era--a gruesome relic from a shameful time. Nicholas is already emotionally delicate because of a terrible event from his past when he witnessed his father apply his vile instruments of torture to his mother and uncle. Once Catherine reveals this secret to Francis, our perception of Nicholas and what he might be capable of shifts yet again. The movie excels at instilling tension with every scene and at every revelation, which does little to clarify the mystery and more often adds to the confusion about Elizabeth's death. The film has been an inspiration on countless horror films, including the notorious giallo horror movies by Italian filmmakers like Dario Argento. But beyond the mere complicated mechanisms designed for sadistic murder, The Pit and the Pendulum still feels very modern in the way that it coaxes its audience to distrust everything. Nothing that anyone at the Medina castle says or does can be taken at face value. Francis already arrives frustrated and impatient at having the door all but slammed in his face when he wants to learn what happened to his sister. We immediately sympathize with his cold treatment by Maximillian, and the shifty glances and stammering excuses by Catherine and Nicholas. There is always the sense that there is a greater conspiracy at play, but like a savvy murder mystery, The Pit and the Pendulum obfuscates that thread under myriad red herrings, baiting its audience with suppositions and rumor. The movie knows that most audience members like to think of themselves as detectives, so it liberally sprinkles clues around its plot for ravenous amateur sleuths to gobble up, enticing them to draw conclusions before the credits roll. This has the added effect of encouraging the audience to allow their imaginations to consider who is the villain--if there even is one--and what their motive is. And just when you thought you had it all figured out, the pendulum swings the other way and everything changes on you again.
Recommended for: Fans of a chilling and visceral horror film that ratchets up the tension as menacingly as the slow descent of its titular blade. The Pit and the Pendulum may not have any obscene language or gratuitous gore, but it is a terrifying horror film that is definitely not for kids.