Pit and the Pendulum (1961)

In the sixteenth century, Francis Barnard travels to Spain to clarify the strange circumstances of his sister's death after she had married the son of a cruel Spanish Inquisitor.

Director:

Roger Corman

Writers:

Richard Matheson (screenplay), Edgar Allan Poe (story "The Pit and the Pendulum")

Stars:

Vincent Price, Barbara Steele, John Kerr

Cast

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

Storyline

Francis Barnard goes to Spain, when he hears his sister Elizabeth has died. Her husband Nicholas Medina, the son of the brutest torturer of the Spanish Inquisition, tells him she has died of a blood disease, but Francis finds this hard to believe. After some investigating he finds out that it was extreme fear that was fatal to his sister and that she may have been buried alive! Strange things then start to happen in the Medina castle.

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Plot Keywords:

murder | torture | gothic horror | spanish inquisition | buried alive | 

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Taglines:

The Greatest Terror Tale Ever Told!

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Mystery

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

MGM Studios [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 August 1961 (USA)

Also Known As:

Edgar Allan Poe's Pit and the Pendulum

Filming Locations:

Palos Verdes, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$200,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alta Vista Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Ryder Sound Services)

Color:

Color (Pathécolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

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 The Seventh Seal (1957) (US title: "The Seventh Seal"). Several years later Corman would go to England to make The Masque of the Red Death (1964).

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Goofs

The name plate on Elizabeth Medinas tomb goes from looking almost brand new to worn and rusty and back in several different shots.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Catherine: No one shall ever enter this room again.

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Alternate Versions

2 shots of a corpse's face in a coffin were cut by the BBFC from the original UK cinema version. All later versions were uncut.

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Connections

Featured in The Sci-Fi Boys (2006)

User Reviews

Vincent Price is wonderful!!

I just recently "discovered" the "Pit and the Pendulum" after a friend recommended it. I watched the video on a dark and windy night and I was absolutely chilled! It was wonderfully atmospheric, beautifully filmed, and the suspense kept mounting right up until the climatic end. >

Vincent Price was terrific, bringing such sympathy to this role. I think any other actor would have easily been over the top, but Price keeps it in check. John Kerr was properly aggressive as the over wrought brother and the other actors were just as impressive.

This type of movie making just confirms to me that you don't need a shameless amount of blood and guts to be terrified. I know I'm going to have a grand old time checking out Price's other movies!