The Pit and the Pendulum
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Movie Reviews of The Pit and the Pendulum
Movie Review: "The shrieking of the mutilated victims became the music of his life."
Summary: 4 Stars
Pit and the Pendulum (1961) was the 2nd of numerous successful Edgar Allan Poe inspired collaborations (the first being 1960's The Fall of the House of Usher) between writer/producer/director Roger Corman (It Conquered the World, Teenage Cave Man, The Little Shop of Horrors), writer Richard Matheson (The Incredible Shrinking Man, House of Usher, Tales of Terror), actor Vincent Price (House on Haunted Hill, The Tingler), and American International Pictures or AIP, for short. Also appearing here along with Price is Barbara Steele (Black Sunday, Castle of Blood), John Kerr (Tea and Sympathy, South Pacific), Luana Anders (Easy Rider, The Last Detail), and Antony Carbone (A Bucket of Blood, Last Woman on Earth).
The movie, set in 16th century Spain, begins as we see a man riding in a carriage along a coast approaching a matte painting of an ominous castle. The driver, unwilling to go all the way (isn't that always the case?), drops the man off a good distance from the matte painting...er, I mean castle, where he then has to hoof it the rest of the way. Turns out the man is named Francis Barnard (Kerr), and he's come all the way from England to inquire about the untimely demise of his sister, Elizabeth (Steele). Seems she married one Nicholas Medina (Price), moved into his castle, and then passed away under mysterious circumstances. As Francis arrives at the castle, he meets Nicholas' sister Catherine (Anders), who's returned home to look after the welfare of her brother (apparently Nicholas doted on his wife, and is taking her loss particularly hard). Soon Doctor Charles Leon (Carbone) makes the scene, and Francis learns his sister contracted some strange ailment Nicholas believes came from the `atmospheric miasma of barbarity that permeates the walls of the castle'...you see, Nicholas' father Sebastian was an inquisitor of grand proportions, so much so he had his own, private and extensive torture chamber set up within the caverns beneath the castle which saw a whole lot of action back in the day. After some flashbacks we learn of a couple incidents that occurred during Nicholas' childhood, incidents that have affected him in such a way as to make him a little unbalanced, a situation that isn't helped by the fact that the spirit of his dead wife is now haunting him. Things get a whole lot creepier as Nicholas decides to exhume his wife's corpse (seems she's interred in the crypts below the castle) after which some revelations are made, marking the real decent into madness as the comeuppance is dished out to all deserving, and even to some who aren't...I got to say, the last fifteen minutes alone is worth the price of admission, and that's one hell of a pendulum...
I've always felt The Fall of the House of Usher and Pit and the Pendulum to be among strongest and most accessible of the Poe based Corman films. Price gives an excellent turn as Nicholas, a character plagued by his father's past transgressions, driven to the brink of madness by circumstances beyond his control. Of all the aspects Price brings to these films, the one element that always seems to stand out for me is a sense of class. Price is the star here, and it seemed the rest were very content to follow his capable lead. My favorite bits in this film are when Price, in a dual role, is portraying Sebastian Medina, the inquisitor extraordinaire. He's a loathsome, vindictive character and a hell of a lot of fun to watch. The inclusion of Ms. Steele, who had just come from appearing in Mario Bava's Black Sunday (1960), was a bit of inspirational casting, in my opinion, as while her part may not have been large, it certainly was memorable. Few could pull off some of the facial expressions she was capable of, some of them quite frightening (I would have dreaded getting one of her wild-eyed, maniacal stares in the middle of the night). I thought Anders and Carbone did well enough in their roles, but I felt Kerr was slightly miscast. He's certainly a decent actor, but I never felt like he got completely into his role as some of the others...perhaps this an unfair judgment on my part as I think it would be difficult to compete against the likes of a Price or a Steele...ah well, this is was a fairly minor aspect compared to the whole. As far as Richard Matheson's screenplay, it comes off exceptionally well. Even if you're not familiar with the story, I think it's fairly obvious where things are going, but that didn't take anything away for me as the fun here was watching the events unfold. I thought the overall atmosphere of the production, assisted by Les Baxter's ookie musical scoring, went a long way, although I thought the use of the fake cobwebs a bit excessive at times. The usage of various matte paintings was obvious, but they were done well enough as not to take anything away for me. Normally I dislike the inclusion of flashbacks, but I thought they were handled well here as various hues were incorporated dependant on the mood of the flashback (a violent flashback would feature a blood red hue, etc.). I thought Corman's direction quite good but then it's no secret his affinity for the material. The film may seem a little slow going in the beginning, but I didn't mind at all as it allowed for Price to display his talents, and provided for an exceptional build up (as I said earlier, the last fifteen minutes or so are definitely worth hanging around for...). All in all this is an excellent feature, one that I think manages to capture a good deal of the mood within the original material, and just a heck of a lot of fun to watch.
The picture, presented in non-anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) looks clean and comes across well, while the Dolby Digital mono audio, available in both English and French, felt a bit off at times, coming across a little uneven at times. Special features include a goofy original five-minute prologue segment, which I believe was used to help pad out the running time for television broadcast, an original theatrical trailer (in widescreen no less), a commentary track with Roger Corman, and French and Spanish subtitles. While this film was originally released onto DVD by itself, it was re-released later onto DVD as a double feature with The Fall of the House of Usher, so if you're interesting in purchasing this film, I'd recommend searching out the double feature as you may get a better value.
Cookieman108
Movie Review: Fine A.I.P Adaption Of A Classic Edgar Allan Poe Horror Tale
Summary: 4 Stars
Starting in 1960 with the success of the American International Pictures release "The Fall of the House of Usher", producer/director Roger Corman began a highly successful collaboration with legendary Hollywood actor Vincent Price adapting a number of Edgar Allan Poe short stories into very atmospheric horror films glowing with rich technicolour. They really reached their creative peak with their second teaming in the classic story "The Pit and the Pendulum", which is my favourite of all the efforts they worked on together. Roger Corman long known as a low budget "B", movies specialist here has outdone himself with an incredibly lavish looking production that while having little relation to the original Poe story manages to weave a fascinatingly eerie tale helped along by one of Vincent Prices' best performances in this genre. "The Pit and the Pendulum", apart from employing the macabre torture device of the title in its gripping conclusion also boasts magnificently eerie sets, great period detail and beautiful tones of colour that are sure to warm the heart of any classic horror movie lover.
The story opens, (unusually for a Poe story), in 16th Century Spain where we see young Francis Barnard (John Kerr), travelling up to the sinister seaside castle of his brother-in-law Don Nicholas Medina (Vincent Price). Coming all the way from England however this is not just a social call as he is seeking answers to the sudden death of his sister Elizabeth (Barbara Steele), who was Nicholas' wife. Nicholas however is a most complex character himself and attempts to brush aside any discussion regarding Elizabeth's demise putting down simply to some problem with her blood. He is secretly tormented by the memory of his sadistic father Sebastian Medina (Also Vincent Price in flashbacks), who was a member of the Spanish Inquisition and set up his own private torture chamber in the basement of the Castle. Sebastian was also responsible for burying alive his unfaithful wife before his young son's eyes. In his tormented state Nichiolas also fears that he may have been responsible for burying Elizabeth alive as well and very soon strange noises are heard in the Castle including the sound of someone playing a harpsichord that only Elizabeth could play. All these strange occurences seem to indicate that Nicholas was right in guessing that Elizabeth has come back from the dead to torment him for his crime. Nicholas is counselled by the supposedly sympathetic family doctor Charles Leon (Anthony Carbone), that Elizabeth could not be alive and that what he is hearing is in his mind while Francis who is still trying to uncover exactly what happened to his sister begins to suspect the doctor and gets the impression he is anxious for him to be on his way before anything is discovered. However matters take a turn for the worst when Nicholas' mind finally breaks when Elizabeth's previously locked room is ransacked and he takes on the persona of his demented father believing that he is still back in the time of the Inquisition. When Elizabeth actually seems to "rise from the dead", however she and her "accomplise", plans goes badly wrong and dealing with a sadistic "Sebastian", rather than a mentally destroyed "Nicholas", as was planned both meet grisly ends in a deep pit in the cellar and imprisonment in a deadly iron maiden torture devise. Francis also runs into trouble with the reborn Sebastian who now views him as an enemy to be removed and Francis finds himself in the thrilling climax strapped to a table below a rapidly decending swinging pendulum that has a sharp cutting blade. It is only with the quick thinking of Nicholas' sister Catherine (Luana Anders), that he is rescued and the tortured Nicholas meets his own grisly end falling into the Castle's pit.
Rarely have any of the Corman /Vincent Price collaborations been as lavish as "The Pit and the Pendulum". From the wonderful visuals of Nicholas' sinister Castle literally howering on a mist shrouded cliff in the opening scenes to the tremendously atmospheric Castle interiors thickly laden with opulent furniture, mysterious sliding panels and a cobweb filled torture chamber with all manner of fiendish devices, this film is a special treat for the horror movie lover. Vincent Price of course is the centre of all attention here in his colourful roles of both the tormented Nicholas Medina and in the flashbacks, his evil father Sebastian and he brings his usual polished performing skills to the dual roles making "The Pit and the Pendulum", one of his most memorable films from the 1960's. John Kerr still best remembered for his performance on Broadway and in the film version of "Tea and Sympathy", surprisingly makes a fairly colourless young male lead here and really doesn't appear to do much with his character making it the one weakness in the acting ensemble present. Barbara Steele, mysteriously dubbed here for some reason, and Antony Carbone as the villians of the piece are wonderful in their roles and Carbone especially really excels as the "caring", doctor who is not all he first seems to be. Being a period film Roger Corman has gone all out in the visuals for "The Pit and the Pendulum", with rich colour and authentic 16th Century costumes really capturing the flavour of the time. The creepy atmosphere is further enhanced by the thunder storms and lightening that are of course almost an essential element in most horror tales but which here become almost a character in themselves as the raging storms seem to build in momentum and ferosity as Nicholas' state of mind slowly crumbles.
Vincent Price really had a complete rebirth as an in demand actor for horror films as a result of his hugely popular efforts in these Roger Corman horror films for American International. He always brings an integrity and style to his characters no matter how over the top the proceedings taking place in the stories are. The sight of a deranged Vincent Price gleefully hovering over John Kerr tied down beneath the swinging pendulum is probably one of the most famous horror images from the 1960's and this startling climax to the story helps make "The Pit and the Pendulum", an essential part of any horror lovers film library. Highly recommended.
Movie Review: HOUSE OF USHER 2
Summary: 4 Stars
Success breeds excess, so following HOUSE OF USHER, AIP asked Roger Corman for a follow-up. Some films you CAN'T do sequels to... but this never seems to stop anybody. Now, while USHER and PIT have nothing to do with each other, if one were to, say, watch them back-to-back, based on the many story elements they DO have in common, one might mistake the 2nd film's title for HOUSE OF USHER 2 !!!
Both films have the identical opening. A man who's traveled far has trouble getting into a big mansion, and inquires about a woman. In the original, it was a guy wanting to see his fiance, and her brother-- who's going mad-- refuses, claiming it's for the best. In this one, the guy inquires after his DEAD sister-- and her husband-- Price-- greets him warmly, but as things progress, his sanity slips away.
The 1st was elegant in its simplicity. The 2nd, an "original" story (heh) is more "the kitchen sink" category. I mean, what a GREAT flick. This thing tries to hit ALL the bases. Spooky castle-- dead woman-- crypt in the basement-- TORTURE CHAMBER in the basement. There's a story about how Price's late wife became obsessed with the torture chamber, accidentally got locked in and died of fright. Ther's another story about how as a boy, Price saw his father (an infamous member of The Inquisition) accuse HIS wife & brother of adultery, and after killing his brother, had tortured his wife TO DEATH (some house, huh?). And then people start hearing harpsichord music in the night-- when it was the dead wife who played it all the time. There's even a secret passageway in the walls. It just keeps stacking up higher and higher as it goes.
It's not often a really good film that becomes successful spawns an equally good follow-up. I'd say this was one of 'em.
This film has something in common with the 007 film, OCTOPUSSY. Both are not really adaptations of the stories they take their names from-- but, in effect, SEQUELS to them.
Among the cast was Price's sister-- played by (I took note) Luana Anders. I had to look it up, but she'd also been in the memorable OUTER LIMITS episode-- "The Guests". Geez!!! One of the really FREAKIN' WEIRD ones!!! That's the one about the house inhabited by an alien from space, where time stands still and nobody ever ages... UNLESS they leave, and then time catches up, all at once. I'd have to look it up, but I'd BET that sicko Joe Stefano wrote that one. He did most of the REALLY whacked-out one the 1st year (he was one of the show's 3 exec. producers).
Anyway... Unlike USHER, in PIT Price starts out on the friendly-- but shaky-- side. Then he degenerates into sad & depressed... UNTIL... that scene in the dungeon when they GO TOO FAR. As far as a "#2" film goes, PIT has this in common with PSYCHO II. Wonder if the writers of THAT film thought about this one when they came up with their plot? You have this whole mystery of "What's going on?" and only near the end of the film do you find out, several people have been scheming to drive the poor lead character out of his mind. AND THEY SUCCEED-- all too well! When Price starts smiling down in the dungeon, I found myself saying aloud, "UH OH!!!" several times. And laughing.
For most of the film, it kept bugging me that the doctor and the brother looked so much alike. It's not good to cast 2 actors in the same film who resemble each other. But when the doctor SLIPPED and fell into the pit, suddenly this seeming liability became part of the plot (at least for me), as Price in his madness mistook the brother for the doctor-- and strapped him down on the platform! AAAUGH!!!
And of course, wasn't it just too bad that the brother-- and Price's sister-- NEVER realized that Elisabeth WAS still alive-- and trapped in the dungeon? "No one will ever enter this room again." That was exactly the line Price said earlier in the film...! Nasty, nasty!!
I'd rank this along with RED DEATH and LIGEIA among the top 3 of the series.
Movie Review: If it ain't baroque, don't fix it
Summary: 4 Stars
Perhaps the quintessential Poe film, "The Pit and the Pendulum" still holds up well and still belies its small budget, thanks to great art direction and design by Daniel Haller, great photogrpahy by Floyd Crosby, and great direction by Roger Corman. It also shows the standard weaknesses of the early Poe films, including a Richard Matheson script containing some of the worst, jaw-fracturing dialogue this side of Ed Wood Jr., and a supporting cast of young -- too young -- Corman regulars who aren't quite up to the period challenge, and who can't always hold their own against star Vincent Price. The AIP Poe films frequently resemble college productions in which the star is an established guest artist, but none so much as "Pit." Only Anthony Carbone manages to handle the situations and dialogue with suitable aplomb, though, oddly, he, nominal hero John Kerr and Patrick Westwood as a prop servant, all look so much alike in coloration, costume and even hairstyles, that in long shot it is sometimes difficult to tell which is which. The age problem is most notable when Carbone, as Price's best friend, and Luana Anders, as Price's sister, begin describing what happened to Price as a little boy as if they were there as eye-witnesses, when they could not have been.
Barbara Steele is elegant, but underused. And as for John Kerr, it is fitting that his opening scenes are filmed against the ocean, since he is totally at sea for the rest of the film. All he brings to his scenes with Price is height. Which brings us to Price himself. His performance in this film is the turn that both cemented his reputation as a horrormeister and also created the unfortunate designation of "ham." The latter is not entirely fair, since Price manages to walk the fine line between the kind of full-blooded performance that is required to sell the character and going totally over the top. But he comes awfully close to the edge. In truth, this is probably Price's barest, most emotional performance, and he is only let down by Corman's decision to film his craziest moments in closeup.
But "Pit's" flaws are offset by one of Corman's all-time best sequences, one that has been aped countless times since, but never equalled: the chilling, dreamlike subterranean chase wherein Price's dead wife rises from the crypt and stalks him through the castle dungeons. That sequence is enough to forgive anything else -- including the fact that a corpse in the crypt that features in one of the film's big shock moments is never identified.
Above all, though, "The Pit and the Pendulum" is a film that must be seen in its original aspect ratio, even on television. Pan-and-scan severely damages the effect.
Movie Review: Roger Corman Classic
Summary: 4 Stars
Following 1960's smash hit "Fall of the House of Usher", American International Pictures signed director Roger Corman to a larger budget for another Edgar Allan Poe opus; starring, once again, the great Vincent Price. The result was a classic, psychedelic thriller that became the prototype for a hundred horror movies to come. Released in 1961 "The Pit and the Pendulum" stars Price as Nicholas Medina, the 16th century son of a notorious Spanish Inquisition torturer. His descent into madness is played out against multi-colored flashbacks and lush gothic castle settings. Co-starring is the exotic English actress Barbara Steele, fresh from her Italian triumph, "Black Sunday". "The Pit" improves on "House of Usher" in nearly every respect. Daniel Haller's production design and Oscar-winner Floyd Crosby's color cinematography make the film look and feel lavish. Outdoor scenes were shot off Palos Verdes, Cal., and indoor sound-stage filming was completed in 15 days. This new MGM DVD is Letterbox Widescreen at 2.35:1 aspect, with a brisk commentary by Director Corman. You get a trailer, and a special epilogue never shown in theaters before. At 90 minutes, "The Pit and the Pendulum" is every horror movie fan's dream: Corman, Poe, and Price, at the height of their monstrous careers. Boo!