'Pit and the Pendulum' review by MartialHorror

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THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM(1962)
(Directed by Roger Corman)

Plot: A man goes to an old castle to investigate his sisters mysterious and suspicious death. Things become complicated when it appears her spirit is haunting the place.

Review:

“The Pit and the Pendulum” was a huge surprise to me. You see, the director, Roger Corman, has a questionable reputation in the industry. As a director, he was known for being cheap and quick in his productions. Later in his career, he would do a lot more producing(including my favorite bad movie, “Carnosaur”). However, that wasn’t the extent of his ‘talent’. His true talent seemed to be his eye for talent. He helped plenty of major directors and actors get into the business. From Martin Scorsese to James Cameron, or Jack Nicholson to Dennis Hopper, it would seem that his greatest contribution to cinema was his ability to bring more talented people into the business. What I did not know was that during the 60’s, he directed a handful of Edgar Allan Poe adaptations which all starred Vincent Price. Beginning with “The House of Usher”, Corman showed he can make an expensive looking film with a very low budget. I haven’t seen the actual movie, but I did see the follow-up, "Pit and the Pendulum”, which I consider to be one of the best horror films of all time.

Set during the 16th century, “Pit and the Pendulum” takes place at an old, deteriorating castle. Francis(Kerr), is a young man who has recently learned that his sister has died. Suspecting that all is not right with her death, he travels to the castle to interrogate Nicholas Medina(Price), the sisters husband and Lord of the castle. Medina and his own sister, Catherine(Anders), give vague explanations about her death. When Doctor Leon(Carbone) arrives and gives a completely different explanation to her death, Francis now has every reason to suspect foul play. So Medina opens up to him, revealing the castles deep, dark secret. His father(played by Price again) had created a torture chamber in the basement, and used it for his own sick purposes. Medina saw something terrible in the chamber, and it’s turned him into a timid and even weak man. It appears that his wife saw something terrible in ‘the pit’(a blocked off section of the chamber), and died from shock. But Medina wonders if she suffered a far worse fate, not helped when her spirit begins to haunt the castle.

Taking liberties from the Hammer Horror productions(especially “The Horror of Dracula”), as well as Mario Bava’s “Black Sunday”, “Pit and the Pendulum” would turn into an incredibly inspirational horror film, especially in Italy. It brought in a new wave of horror, turning Price into a star and Corman into someone who actually deserved some respect for his work. Even Hammer found itself threatened, and Mario Bava’s “The Whip and the Body” is almost identical in structure, look and tone.

The first thing we notice about “Pit and the Pendulum” is how expensive the film looks. When we see the castle, we’re in awe. The exteriors just look grand, and the art design looks very authentic. The interiors are much more decayed and gothic. Definitely a horror movie setting. But it all looks great, and creates its own kind of menace and atmosphere. The only time the art design feels off is when you actually see the pit. It looks fake, but it’s not a major problem because it still looks attractive in its artificial way. Corman goes all out with style and suspense. The quick editing and the swift camera movements create a sense of hysteria and make for great shock value. Just look at Medina’s introduction. It’s so expected, but sudden, that it makes for a great jump bit. See? You can do that without resorting to boo scares. I also liked the use of blue tinted film stock, shown during the flashbacks. That kind of stuff always appeals to horror fans. Whether Cormans abilities deteriorated over time or if he just got lucky a few times I don’t know. It seems that most directors tend to get worse as time goes on, but this movie shows that Corman really was underappreciated. This film should’ve placed him along with other horror masters.

Now here is the kicker, Corman actually produced a movie that was even better than most of the gothic horrors that MARIO BAVA gave us. Why? Well, because Corman managed to have the same chilling effect that Bava brought us, while having a fairly intelligent story to go with it. Sure, I found it a bit predictable, but it was a great way to end the story regardless. The finale is written and directed so tightly that it had me cringing. But beyond that, Corman allows the characters to be fleshed out. Is Medina evil? This alone brings up its own kind of suspense. The complex characterizations, mixed in with the sudden (possible) arrival of the supernatural, gives them an excellent sense of development. Furthermore, for once, the (potential) love story isn’t shoved down our throats. It’s all in the subtext baby.

John Kerr(Francis) gives a one-dimensional performance. It’s just ‘skeptical and untrusting’, ’skeptical and untrusting’, and ’skeptical and untrusting’. Strangely, it works. Vincent Price(Nicholas Medina) threatens to go over-the-top, but I felt he never became too hammy. Indeed, I thought he alternated between weak and evil in his dual performances effectively. Dare I say his best performance? Luana Anders(Catherine) does what she has to do very well. I really liked Antony Carbone(Dr. Leon), especially later in the movie. Barbara Steele(Elizabeth) doesn’t have much to do, but she does it well.

“Pit and the Pendulum” is the perfect horror movie, in my opinion. It takes a low budget and short shooting schedule and fools you into thinking this is Tim Burton’s “Batman” production value wise. It uses menacing colors, thick gothic atmosphere, hard hitting camera angles and heavy suspense to creep you out. But it actually has a good plot. A GOOD PLOT! Plus, Vincent Price is in it. VINCENT PRICE!

Violence: Some…..mostly leaves to the imagination. PG-13 worthy, I’d say.

Nudity: None.

Overall: If you’re a fan of horror, you must see “Pit and the Pendulum”. It’s that damn good.

4/4 Stars


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