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Movies / On DVD / The Pit and the Pendulum
The Pit and the Pendulum

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The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)

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77 %
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Reviews Counted:13

Fresh:10

Rotten:3

Average Rating:6.3/10

Runtime: 1 hr 37 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Synopsis: In 16th-century Spain, Francis Bonnard (John Kerr) visits the gloomy castle of his late sister's husband, Nicholas (Vincent Price), in order to discern the reason for her death. It seems Nicholas... In 16th-century Spain, Francis Bonnard (John Kerr) visits the gloomy castle of his late sister's husband, Nicholas (Vincent Price), in order to discern the reason for her death. It seems Nicholas is terrified that wife Elizabeth (Barbara Steele) is not really dead and that her spirit wanders the halls at night. It turns out Nicholas's father was a feared leader of the Spanish Inquisition, and as a child he saw him torture his mother and then bury her alive. He's now convinced Elizabeth has suffered a similar fate, even though his doctor (Antony Carbone) disagrees. Meanwhile, his father's torture chamber is still down in the basement, just waiting to get back into service. There are twisted twists and gristly surprises aplenty in this, the second in a series of color Edgar Allan Poe adaptations made by Roger Corman in the 1960s. Benefits include a mournfully eerie, atonal score by Les Baxter, the presence of European horror star Steele, and Price at his most floridly hammy. Nice costumes, atmospheric cinematography, and good dialogue from screenwriter Richard Matheson make this one of the best of the series, as well as one of the most disturbing. Luana Anders costars as Nicholas's concerned sister. [More]

Starring: Vincent Price, Barbara Steele, John Kerr, Luana Anders

Starring: Vincent Price, Barbara Steele, John Kerr, Luana Anders, Anthony Carbone

Director: Roger Corman

Director: Roger Corman
Screenwriter: Richard Matheson
Composer: Les Baxter

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Jun 5, 2001

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for The Pit and the Pendulum

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1 - 16 (sorted by date)
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
05/28/08
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
06/30/07
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Vincent Price lording over a giant torture pendulum! Awesome.

comment Comment
03/10/07
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out

It reminds us that flat, colorless character actors look really flat and colorless when sharing a scene with Price.

Full Review Source: DVDJournal.com | comment Comment
04/05/06
Mark Bourne
Mark Bourne
DVDJournal.com

No review available.

comment Comment
07/24/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Corman estabelece uma boa atmosfera de tensão, sendo auxiliado na tarefa pela bela direção de arte e por um Vincent Price mais do que inspirado.

comment Comment
02/16/05
Pablo Villaca
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

No review available.

comment Comment
12/21/04
Mark R. Leeper
Mark R. Leeper
rec.arts.movies.reviews

No review available.

comment Comment
08/05/04
Andy Klein
Andy Klein
Los Angeles CityBeat

No review available.

comment Comment
10/31/03
Carol Cling
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal

Typical Corman-Poe flick with a few unintended laughs thanks to Vinnie's campiness.

comment Comment
08/27/03
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

No review available.

comment Comment
06/29/03
Mark Palermo
Mark Palermo
Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)

The best of the Roger Corman Poe films.

comment Comment
01/25/03
Gerry Shamray
Gerry Shamray
Sun Newspapers of Cleveland

No review available.

comment Comment
07/29/02
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

No review available.

comment Comment
07/26/02
Scott Weinberg
Scott Weinberg
eFilmCritic.com

Even Vincent Price has little to do

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
05/28/01
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com
 
 
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