The Pit & The Pendulum
THE PIT & THE PENDULUM (15)
D: Roger Corman
AIP/Alta Vista (Roger Corman)
US 1961
85 mins
Horror
W: Richard Matheson [based on the story by Edgar Allan
Poe]
DP: Floyd Crosby
Ed: Anthony Carras
Mus: Les Baxter
Vincent Price (Nicholas Medina), John Kerr
(Francis Barnard), Barbara Steele (Elisabeth Barnard Medina), Luana Anders (Catherine Medina), Anthony Carbone (Dr. Charles Leon)
The second film of Roger Corman's Edgar Allan Poe series and
amongst the best, with Vincent Price in fine form and the rest of the cast equally as good.
Set in 16th century England, a man visits a castle where he
his sister has recently passed and it transpires, much to the husband's horror that it appears she was buried alive and her spirit seems to be haunting the abode.
The plot unravels to a terrifying ending where it emerged that
a secret torture chamber lies in the crypt.
Vincent Price is excellent, but the creepy production design
and atmospheric music also benefit the buildup of suspense.
6/10
