The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism (1967)
"Die Schlangengrube und das Pendel" (original title)

In the Olden Tymes, Count Regula is drawn and quartered for killing twelve virgins in his dungeon torture chamber. Thirty-five years later, he comes back to seek revenge on the daughter of ... See full summary »

Director:

Harald Reinl

Writers:

Manfred R. Köhler (screenplay), Edgar Allan Poe (story)

Stars:

Lex Barker, Karin Dor, Christopher Lee

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Lex Barker	...	Roger Mont Elise / Roger von Marienberg
Karin Dor	...	Baroness Lilian von Brabant
Christopher Lee	...	Count Frederic Regula / Graf von Andomai
Carl Lange	...	Anatol
Christiane Rücker	...	Babette
Vladimir Medar	...	Pater Fabian
Dieter Eppler	...	Coachman

Storyline

In the Olden Tymes, Count Regula is drawn and quartered for killing twelve virgins in his dungeon torture chamber. Thirty-five years later, he comes back to seek revenge on the daughter of his intended thirteenth victim and the son of his prosecutor in order to attain immortal life.

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Plot Keywords:

torture chamber | count | drawn and quartered | explosion | immortality | 

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Taglines:

UNBELIEVABLE! Until You See It With Your Own Eyes!

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery

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Certificate:

M

Details

Country:

West Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

21 May 1969 (USA)

Also Known As:

Blood of the Virgins

Filming Locations:

Bavaria Studios, Munich, Bavaria, Germany

Company Credits

Production Co:

Constantin Film Produktion

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

German Import DVD has two Super-8 Versions (German language only), as special features on the disc.

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Connections

Version of The Pit and the Pendulum (1991)

User Reviews

Very entertaining and colorful European Gothic horror film

Despite being a West German production, "The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism" easily stands up against many of the fine Italian Gothic horror films of the era. Its so good in fact its easy to mistake it as being one. Despite being admittedly not on the level of Mario Bava (than again, what is?), its a very entertaining and colorful little slice of grand guignol. The film finds a balance between camp and actual quality. Namely, this film drips with atmosphere. The cinematography is terrific, and there's plenty of colorful bits of borderline surrealism that seem to foreshadow Dario Argento and "The Evil Dead". The dialog is often laughable, and the plot is both unoriginal and often illogical. Still, the film is so enjoyable this hardly matters.

Many will watch this because it has the great Christopher Lee in it. He doesn't show up until the last third of the film, but when he does, hes terrific as always. His character (the "Dr. Sadism" of the title, despite having a different moniker in the film) is a great over-the-top villain. Along with the colorful set designs, his character really drives home the comic book nature of the film. The rest of the cast, including European horror standbys Lex Baxter and the gorgeous Karin Dor, are pretty dull, but with the great Lee on hand, they're easily overshadowed. "The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism" is one of the funnest horror movies I've seen in recent memory. (8/10)