Film Review
An unequivocal all-time classic in the horror genre,
Pit and the Pendulum is the second
in a series of eight films inspired by Edgar Allen Poe stories that were
made by American International Pictures and directed by Roger Corman,
most with horror schlock diva Vincent Price gleefully chewing the carpet as the sinister
villain. The film was made immediately after Corman's previous
film,
House of Usher, proved
to be a surprise box office success. It was shot in just 15 days
on what, by Hollywood standards, was a shoestring budget - not that you
would notice it.
Beautifully photographed in widescreen, with vibrant colours,
atmospheric Gothic sets, and a suitably bravura performance from
Vincent Price,
Pit and the Pendulum
is one of the most memorable and finest of American horror films from this era.
What makes it so effective, so mesmeric and so chilling, is the gradual
build up, the slow ratcheting up of the tension and suspense, towards
the spectacular and truly horrifying denouement, one that is
practically guaranteed to give you nightmares (and also
a nasty sensation in the midriff the next time you slice up carrots).
This is the kind of film at which Roger Corman excelled and with which
he will forever be associated. Every shot is crafted with
meticulous precision to achieve the greatest possible impact (usually to
chill the blood and raise the goosebumps). Camera movements
and angles are skilfully employed to build tension and create an
unsettling dreamlike feel that has an almost Cocteau-esque
poetry. Corman's technique has been emulated many times, but
rarely matching the excellence that Corman consistently achieved.
Low budget horror films tend to come in for a lot of
stick on account of their ludicrous storylines, dodgy performances and
poor production values.
Pit
and the Pendulum is an out and out exception that achieves
stunning results on a modest budget, thanks to the imagination and skill of the
designer, cinematographer and director. Not only is the film
immaculately crafted, it is also genuinely frightening (although there
is also some humour). The final shot, an instant blood-chiller if
ever there was one, will surely rate as one of the highpoints of the
entire horror genre. Scream and scream again.
© James Travers 2009
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Next Roger Corman film:
The Raven (1963)
Film Synopsis
16th Century Spain. When he learns of the death of his beloved sister
Elizabeth, Francis Barnard travels to the remote castle where she lived
with her husband, Nicholas Medina, hoping to discover how she
died. First Francis is told that Elizabeth was carried off by a
sudden illness, but then he discovers that she accidentally killed
herself whilst exploring the castle's torture chamber. The latter
was constructed and equipped with Hellish instruments of death by
Nicholas' father, a supporter of the Spanish Inquisition. In his
childhood, Nicholas saw his father subject his mother to the horrors of
the torture chamber, before immuring her alive. Stricken
with guilt, Nicholas begins to imagine hearing his wife's voice and becomes
convinced that she too was alive when she was buried...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.