Pit and the Pendulum (1961)

The movie adapted from Edgar Allan Poe is par excellence a movie made up of sketches:for instance ,"tre passi nel delirio"(Fellini,Malle,Vadim,1968) encompassed three short stories.

The problem with Edgar Poe's short stories lies in the fact that they are...short!Here Richard Matheson double-jumped his contemporaries by combining elements from several Poe stories in a single classy film. Some kind of" the writer's greatest hits " so to speak.

The beloved late wife subject directly comes from "Morella" which will be filmed by Corman in "tales of terror" the following year.The doomed house which is slowly sinking down recalls "the fall of the House of Usher"."Burried alive" or "premature burial" plays a prominent part in the plot too.The walled up character was present in "the black cat" and "the cask of Amontillado".As for "the pit and the pendulum",it provides the movie with its final,but it's only a small segment of the whole.

The actors are excellent ,the sets wonderfully Gothic,but there's something hollow in these Corman movies.Fellini was able to transcend Poe (eg segment "Tobby Dammit" in "tre passi nel delirio") ,Corman remains a respectful director,and one sees little of the madness which emanates from Poe's best works.The same goes for such works as "premature burial" or "tales of terror".Outside technically,it does not show any improvement on,for instance Jean Epstein's (helped by Luis Bunuel)"chute de la maison Usher" a silent movie from 1928.

Fmovies: Roger Corman's "Pit and the Pendulum" is simply put one of the greatest genre efforts ever made! This is horror in its purest form with a compelling screenplay, a constant high-tension level and sublime acting performances by a very devoted cast. Roger Corman and Richard Matheson brilliantly continue their ode to Edgar Allan Poe after the fantastic "House of Usher" with this spooky and uniquely Gothic masterpiece centering on the Medina family. The amazing Mr. Price stars as the tormented Nicolas Medina, a soul torn apart by the fear that his beautiful wife was entombed alive after a frightening acquaintance with the family's vile Inquisition background. The brother of the late beauty travels to the ominous Medina castle and witnesses how insanity and rage slowly comes over Nicolas Medina as he's the victim of betrayal, conspiracies and ghosts from the past. "Pit and the Pendulum" is a beautiful film that'll impressive you with it's genuine scares and unsettling atmosphere. The photography is astonishing (with a great use of color shades throughout the film) and the scenery made my flesh creep (that pendulum!!). Vincent Price was unquestionably born to play the emotionally devastated Poe-protagonists. Exactly like he gave image to Roderick Usher in "the House of..." he portrays Nicolas as a weak romanticist, helplessly awaiting his merciless fade. Opposed to him stands the ravishing Barbara Steele who also embodies Poe's typical female character: Godly...but fiendish and without faith or loyalty. One of the slight minor points in this film was that I initially hoped to see more Steele screen time. Her role is modest, but remarkable and an excellent successor for her career-highlight "Black Sunday". Every film in Roger Corman's Poe-cycle is terrific and probably receives more praise from me than any other horror film, but then still this entry is the most marvelous, alongside the 1964's "Masque of the Red Death". This film is a feast for all senses and not one self-respecting horror fan can afford to miss it!

After the mysterious death of Elizabeth Barnard Medina (Barbara Steele), her brother Francis Barnard (John Kerr) travels from London to Spain and without previous notice he arrives at the castle of her husband Nicholas Medina (Vincent Price). He is received by Nicholas' sister Catherine Medina (Luana Anders) that invites Francis to have dinner with her brother and her.

Francis learns that their father Sebastian Medina was a cruel torturer of the Spanish Inquisition and Nicholas is a traumatized man that has witnessed the murder of his uncle Bartolome (Charles Victor) and his adulterer mother Isabella (Mary Menzies) being tortured and killed by his father when he was a kid. During the dinner, the family's friend Doctor Charles Leon (Antony Carbone) unexpectedly arrives and Francis discovers that his sister died of heart attack after visiting the torture chamber in the dungeons. Soon the place is haunted by strange events and Nicholas suspects of his servants Maximillian (Patrick Westwood) and Maria (Lynette Bernay) but Francis is convinced that Nicholas is the responsible for the death of his sister.

"Pit and the Pendulum" is one of the best Roger Corman's movies despite the poor scenario that shakes in many scenes. The last time that I saw this movie was on 16 November 1999 on cable television and today I have just watched it again on DVD. The creepy story of Edgar Allan Poe is still engaging even when the viewer watches more than two times. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "A Mansão do Terror" ("The Manor of Horror")

Pit and the Pendulum fmovies. "The Pit and the Pendulum" is the second of Roger Corman's Edgar Allan Poe's adaptations with a screenplay by Richard Matheson.Vincent Price's performance is an obvious highlight of the film.Legendary horror actresses Luana Anders("Dementia 13")and Barbara Steele("Shivers","Silent Scream","Black Sunday")co-star in this extremely atmospheric chiller.To sum up,"The Pit and the Pendulum" is one of Roger Corman's finest offerings-it's creepy,unsettling and extremely entertaining.A masterpiece that easily gets 10 out of 10!

One of the many horror flicks that entertained America's moviegoers in the early '60s, "Pit and the Pendulum" has all that anyone could ask for. In the story, young Francis Barnard (John Kerr) goes to an evil-looking castle on the Spanish coast to investigate the death of his sister Elizabeth (Barbara Steele). Her husband Nicholas Medina (Vincent Price), the son of an inquisitor, has been driven insane by her death. But some questions remain: did she really die? And what's really the deal with Nicholas? Of course, the movie's real star ends up being the pendulum. Razor-sharp and menacing as can be, it is one mean mother. Overall, what's particularly neat about this movie is the fact that for a long time, it seems like there's nothing to see...and then they catch you. Everyone likes a Vincent Price movie, but I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who might easily die of fright. It's that good!

From horror's premier team of Roger Corman, Vincent Price and, of course, Edgar Allen Poe comes this menacing, macabre and suspenseful tale of insanity, death and betrayal. This film is certainly one of, but maybe even 'the' finest Corman-Poe film. It's Poe at his most devilishly malicious as it deals with themes of torture, and the most frightening method of death known to man; being buried alive. As usual, Vincent Price takes the lead role as the tortured soul of the piece, this time playing Nicholas Medina; the son of the Spanish inquisition's most notorious torturer. All is not well for Nicholas, as his beloved bride, Elizabeth, has killed himself and the notion that she may have been buried alive has tortured the torturer's son to the brink of insanity. We enter the fray as Elizabeth's brother comes to the castle in search of answers to discover the fate of his sister...

Through a great Gothic atmosphere and gorgeous lavish sets, Roger Corman has created a macabre masterpiece from Poe's classic tale. Vincent Price is superb (again!) as the almost insane son of a madman. As usual, he captures the essence of his character and through his stark tone that was made for the horror genre; and he gets his portrayal spot on. Horror fans can thank god that Vincent Price decided to become an actor, as any other actor simply couldn't have pulled off this performance like Price did (as is the case with most of Price's resume). Price is joined by Barbara Steele (of Mario Bava's Black Sunday) and a small cast of unknowns. Steele, unfortunately, doesn't get a lot of screen time and it's a shame because seeing her and price on screen together more would have been a treat.

The theme of being buried alive is something that appears to have fascinated Edgar Allen Poe as it appears in a number of his stories and it fascinates me also. It's impossible to imagine the terror of being alone in an enclosed space with nobody or nothing to help you escape and that's what makes it so horrifying, and such a great springboard for a Gothic horror film. This film makes the best of that, with Price's brooding adding all the horror that the subject needs. Corman succeeds in making the subject dreadful as well, as he shows the tomb in which the unfortunate young lady was trapped in, and also through the castle's many corridors and steel doors; it gives the impression that there truly is no escape. The film's flagship sequence - the pendulum scene - is a true masterpiece of horror imagery. For the scene, Corman took out every other frame to give the impression that the pendulum was swinging faster than it actually was. The way the pendulum swings across and gets lower every time depicts another horrible way to die, and through his portrayal of the scene; Corman makes the best of it. The story itself is brilliant, soaked with irony and the bitterness of revenge; it truly is one of Poe's best.

I don't need to say it, but I will anyway; see this movie!