The Pit and the Pendulum

I haven't liked Stuart Gordon's output much since his classic one-two punch of 'Re-Animator' and 'From Beyond' back in the 1980s, so I've avoided seeing some of his movies for years. 'The Pit And The Pendulum' is one. I thought it was going to be a turkey, but now that I've finally seen it, I'm pleasantly surprised. While it isn't as great as vintage Gordon, it's far better than 'Castle Freak' or his recent 'Dagon'. The cast really makes this work. Lance Henriksen is excellent as the tortured Inquisitor Torquemada, and Rona De Ricci is very good as Maria the beautiful girl he becomes obsessed with. I don't know why De Ricci didn't go on to a career as she can act and she's very hot. The supporting cast is way above average, with Gordon regulars Jeffrey Combs and Carolyn Purdy-Gordon, 'Dolls' Stephen Lee, Tom Towles ('Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer'), Mark Margolis ('Pi') and even a cameo by Oliver Reed, who let's not forget appeared in 'The Devils' back in the early 70s, a movie which this 'The Pit And The Pendulum' has more in common with than the 60s Roger Corman version starring Vincent Price. I liked this movie a lot more than I expected to. It's underrated and definitely worth checking out, especially for Henriksen's intense performance, one of the best of his career.

This movie has everything that a growing boy (and girl) needs: Jeffrey Combs as a hilariously anachronistic inquisitor, Lance Henriksen as a wonderfully creepy grand inquisitor, nudity, bloodshed, and an exploding witch.

As far as horror movies go, it is not especially frightening. It does fairly well as a suspense thriller. But its main strength lies in its cast, the art direction, and the behind the scenes footage.

Even if you happen to be expecting a straight Edgar Allen Poe adaptation, this movie won't disappoint. Even though it has a pit and a bladed pendulum, the similarities are few and far between. The ending IS kind of weird, but as they say, getting there is half the fun. Well worth renting or buying. (3.7 out of 5)

I really enjoyed watching this movie and I wish to recommend to as many people as possible. But maybe biased because I'm a huge fan of director Stuart Gordon. I have yet to see a movie of his that doesn't fully lives up to my expectations. From Re-Animator over Dolls to Castle Freak...they all belong to my favorite horror movies. And I do believe Gordon belongs to the most talented directors in the genre because he can handle all sort of horror topics. His debut - the brilliant Re-Animator - was a comedy splatter movie while The Pit and the Pendulum doesn't contain that much violence or gore. This movie contains an intelligent and even educational story and it has great settings and costumes of the 14th century.

The Pit and the Pendulum is an adaptation of the famous short story by Edgar Allen Poe. The master of low budget - Roger Corman - already used this story once to make a great horror classic starring Vincent Price. Stuart Gordon's movie isn't really a remake of that one. They just used the same plot. Pit and the Pendulum takes place during the Spanish Inquisition. Lance Henriksen plays one of the best roles of his entire career as Torquemada. He decides whether "witches" are guilty or not and when they'll be burned for the eyes of God. A young girl, Maria ( played by Ronna De Ricci who never did anything else in her career )who resists against his way of working is being arrested. Torquemada wants to accuse her of witchery but he's fascinated by her looks and her body. Meanwhile, Maria's husband entered the castle and he wants to free his wife.

The atmosphere and the settings impress the most in this movie. The ancient castle and the torture chambers are really intriguing. The costumes are terrific as well. There isn't too much gore and violence to detect in this movie ( especially not compared to previous Gordon movies ) but they're are a few very explicit scenes that show true horror. But it's always shot with a lot of style and class. Even though Lance Henriksen is getting all the attention in this movie, there are a a few other great performances in this movie. I'd like to bring forward Jeffrey Combs...my favorite B-movie actor and frequently cast by Stuart Gordon. His role is pretty limited but very well acted.

The Pit and Pendulum is warmly recommended to fans of atmospheric horror and historical stories. One to watch !!

This is a true horror movie , it is immaculately staged , confidently made and full of gory scenes . Gothic horror freely based on Edgar Allan Poe story depicting the brutal events of a monk named Torquemada (Lance Henriksen) , Grand Inquisitor of the Spanish Inquisition. It is the time of the Spanish Inquisition. Maria (Rona De Ricci) lives with her husband ,the town baker Antonio , she not like what is going on during a "Auto De Fe" in which a condemned witch is burnt by the executioner (Benito Stefanelli) . When she speaks out, she is detained , accused of being a witch and imprisoned at a storm-surrounded stronghold inhabited by Torquemada (Lance Henriksen) . In the castle Torquemada has a torture chamber . There are various torture instruments , such as : ¨Iron Maiden¨ and a pendulum . But the sadomasochist Torquemada has plans for he, as he orders to be tortured, and her tongue to be cut out . Her husband (Jonathan Fuller) attempts to find out exactly what happened to her . As he attempts to free her but things go wrong , as he's arrested as well . Until now no one has dared to film this ...... the most diabolical classic of all time! .The Greatest Terror Tale Ever Told! .Edgar Allan Poe's diabolic movie . She was enslaved by evil in a terror haunted castle. Betrayal cuts both ways!

Bizarre picture set in 1492 Toledo, Spain , an entertaining as well as thrilling terror film produced by Empire Pictures/Full Moon Entertainment from Albert Band/Charles Band with a monumental team of horror . It results to be a remake to The Pit and the Pendulum (1961) produced by American International , James H. Nicholson-Samuel Z. Arkoff , directed by Roger Corman with Vincent Price , Barbara Steele , John Kerr . In 1991 Stuart Gordon made a new adaptation , as he directed the remake and more graphic version . Twisted and surprising script from Stuart Gordon himself , which he co-wrote with long-time writing partner Dennis Paoli .A stylish and grim film with eye-popping images and slick direction , confidently realized , plenty of creepy moments , but really masochist and gory . The picture packs usual Stuart Gordon's striking scenarios including lugubrious castle , shrieks come from gloomy coffins , and vague shapes move behind the dismal mansions gone to the bad . Nice cast with special mention for Lance Henriksen chewing the scenario on a loopy screenplay . Along with other notorious secondaries such as : Mark Margolis as a torturer , Jeffrey Combs as a priest and Oliver Reed as Cardinal , among others.

It displays frightening and rousing musical score by Richard Band. As well as colorful and evocative cinematography by Adolfo Bartoli. The motion picture was professionally directed by Stuart Gordon , being stylishly realized , though it's hindered by excessive truculent scenes and various disagreeable situations . Stuart Gordon joined with Brian Yuzna and Charles Band's Empire Pictures to create the company's first major hit, Re-Animator (1985), based on the story by H. P. Lovecraft, which won a Critics' Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. Gordon then helmed another Lovecraft adaptation Re-Sonator (From Beyond) (1986) and tackled the murderous Dolls (1986) followed by Robot Jox (1989). Other works include The Fortress (1992), and the screenplay for The Dentist (1996) and Body Snatchers (1993). In 2001, Gordon returned to the H. P. Lovecraft territory with Dagon (2001), and in 2003, directed King of the Ants (2003) about a housepainter-turned-hit man, and brought the David Mamet play Edmond (2005) to the screen. He contributed to the horror anthology series Masters of Horror (2005) with the episode Masters of Horror: Dreams in the Witch-House (2005), based on a short story by H. P. Lovecraft. He returned to the series in 2007 with the episode Masters of Horror: The Black Cat (2007), based on Edgar Allan Poe's story. And in 2008, he directed a Terror film Eater (2008). Rating : 6/10 , acceptable and passable.

The Roman Catholic Church has begun to turn away from the Inquisition, finding its methods and motives more than just a little bit suspect. But the Grand Inquisitor of Spain (Lance Henriksen) has other plans... he is his own authority, allegedly guided by God Himself. A baker and his wife end up on the wrong side of the law -- his law -- when they protest an execution and she is accused of witchcraft.

Lance Henriksen has a bad habit of appearing in many low budget horror films, so much so that any credibility he gained as Bishop from "Aliens" or Frank Black from "Millenium" is overshadowed by his constant self-degradation. Did we really need so many Pumpkinhead films? But "Pit and the Pendulum" is one of those rare films that is both lower budget and yet still good, today maybe even carrying on well as a timeless classic.

Unlike other Full Moon films, this one has a steady plot and interesting characters -- and a decent cast. Mark Margolis shows up and Jeffrey Combs has a relatively small, but crucial, role to play. (Combs, like Henriksen, has sold out in recent years.... but his very presence makes a film better.) There is excessive -- but not gratuitous -- nudity, bloody torture devices (but not to the point of exploitation like "Saw", just for entertainment). This is a fun film in the vein of, say, the original "Troll" (but not "Troll 2").

Stuart Gordon is best known for "Re-Animator" and "From Beyond", but if there is a third third of his that deserves recognition, this is it. Gordon (and writer Dennis Paoli) found a way to work within the budget of Full Moon and still make things worth watching rather than poor excuses for "movies".

Now out on Blu-ray, the film looks better than ever (as much as it can). There is no audio commentary for some inexplicable reason, but there is a very short making-of featurette. Somehow Tom Towles got his name spelled wrong on the credits (a true disgrace). Blu-ray.com notes that the "transfer isn't masterful, but it's certainly more than capable" and gives the disc 3 of 5 stars. But if the price is right this film is worth getting.