Pit and the Pendulum (1961)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Roger Corman

Writers:

Richard Matheson (screenplay)
Edgar Allan Poe (story)

Release Date:

12 August 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Until now no one has dared to film this ...... the most diabolical classic of all time!

Plot:

Francis Barnard goes to Spain, when he hears his sister Elizabeth has died. Her husband Nicholas Medina...

Plot Keywords:

Death | Castle | Spanish Inquisition | Buried Alive | Cult

Cast

Vincent Price	...	Nicholas
John Kerr	...	Francis
Barbara Steele	...	Elizabeth
Luana Anders	...	Catherine
Antony Carbone	...	Doctor Leon
Patrick Westwood	...	Maximillian
Lynette Bernay	...	Maria (as Lynne Bernay)
Larry Turner	...	Nicholas as a Child
Mary Menzies	...	Isabella
Charles Victor	...	Bartolome

Also Known As:

Edgar Allan Poe's Pit and the Pendulum (USA) (complete title)
The Pit and the Pendulum (USA) (alternative title)

Runtime:

80 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Pathécolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #19988) | USA:Unrated (video release) | Australia:M | Argentina:16 | Norway:16 (1961) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | West Germany:18 | UK:X (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Palos Verdes, California, USA

Company:

Alta Vista Productions

Trivia:

This was the second of Roger Corman's "Poe" films. He had intended to do "The Masque of the Red Death" but felt that it was too close to the content of Ingmar Bergman's recent Det sjunde inseglet (1957) (US title: "The Seventh Seal"). Several years later Corman would go to England to make The Masque of the Red Death (1964).

Goofs:

Continuity: When Nicholas pretends to be dead, Elizabeth talks to him and moves his head towards her. In the next shot she moves his head again to same position.

Quotes:

Catherine: No one will ever enter this room again.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Monster Mania (1997) (TV)

A masterpiece of Gothic horror!

"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!