Pit and the Pendulum

Plot synopsis:
In sixteenth century Spain, Englishman Francis Barnard (John Kerr) visits the castle of his brother-in-law Nicholas Medina (Vincent Price) to investigate the mysterious death of his sister Elizabeth (Barbara Steele). Nicholas and his younger sister Catherine (Luana Anders) offer a vague explanation that Elizabeth died from a rare blood disorder six months earlier; Nicholas is evasive when Francis asks for specific details about the disease. Francis vows that he will not leave until he discovers the true circumstances surrounding his sister's death.
During dinner with the family physician, Dr. Leon (Antony Carbone), Francis again asks about his sister's death. Dr. Leon tells him that his sister died of massive heart failure, literally "dying of fright". Francis demands to be shown where Elizabeth died. Nicholas takes him to the castle's torture chamber. Nicholas reveals that Elizabeth, under the influence of the castle's "heavy atmosphere", became obsessed with the chamber's torture devices. After becoming progressively unbalanced, one day she locked herself into an iron maiden, and died after whispering the name "Sebastian". Francis refuses to believe Nicholas's story.
Francis tells Catherine that Nicholas appears to feel "definite guilt" regarding Elizabeth's death. In response, Catherine talks about Nicholas's traumatic childhood. Their father was Sebastian Medina, a notorious agent of the Spanish Inquisition. When Nicholas was a small child, he was exploring the forbidden torture chamber when his father (also played by Price) entered the room with his mother Isabella and Sebastian's brother, Bartolome. Hiding in a corner, Nicholas watched in horror as his father repeatedly hit Bartolome with a red-hot poker, screaming "Adulterer!" at him. After murdering Bartolome, Sebastian began torturing his wife slowly to death in front of Nicholas.
Catherine and Francis are later informed by Dr. Leon that Isabella in fact was not tortured to death, rather she was entombed behind a brick wall while still alive. Dr. Leon explains, "The very thought of premature interment is enough to send your brother into convulsions of horror." Nicholas fears that Elizabeth may have been interred prematurely. The doctor tells Nicholas that "if Elizabeth Medina walks these corridors, it is her spirit and not her living self."
Nicholas believes his late wife's vengeful ghost is haunting the castle. Elizabeth's room is the source of a loud commotion, and it is found ransacked and her portrait slashed to ribbons. Her beloved harpsichord plays in the middle of the night. One of Elizabeth's rings is found on the keyboard. Francis accuses Nicholas of planting the evidence of Elizabeth's "haunting" as an elaborate hoax. Nicholas insists that his wife's tomb be opened. They discover Elizabeth's putrefied corpse frozen in a position that suggests she died screaming after failing to claw her way out of her sarcophagus. Nicholas faints.
That night, Nicholas–now on the verge of insanity–hears Elizabeth calling him. He follows her ghostly voice down to her tomb. Elizabeth rises from her coffin and pursues Nicholas into the torture chamber, where he falls down a flight of stairs. As Elizabeth gloats over her husband's unconscious body, she is met by her lover and accomplice, Dr. Leon. They had plotted to drive Nicholas mad so that she could inherit his fortune and the castle.
Leon confirms that Nicholas "is gone", his mind destroyed by terror. Elizabeth taunts her insensate husband. Nicholas opens his eyes and begins laughing hysterically while his wife and the doctor recoil in horror. Believing himself to be Sebastian, he replays the events of his mother and uncle's murders. He overpowers Dr. Leon, believing him to be Bartolome, and Leon falls to his death in the pit while trying to escape. Nicholas seizes Elizabeth, and repeats his father's promise to Isabella to torture her horribly.
Francis, having heard Elizabeth's screams, enters the dungeon. Nicholas confuses Francis for Bartolome, and knocks him unconscious. He straps him to a stone slab located directly beneath a huge razor-sharp pendulum. The pendulum is attached to a clockwork apparatus that causes it to descend fractions of an inch after each swing, ever closer to Francis's torso. Catherine arrives just in time with Maximillian, one of the servants. After a brief struggle with Maximillian, Nicholas falls to his death in the pit. Francis is removed from the torture device. As they leave the basement, Catherine vows to seal up the chamber forever. They slam and lock the door shut, unaware that Elizabeth is still alive, gagged and trapped in the iron maiden.

Tags: insanity, cult, gothic, murder, flashback

Review:
'Pit And The Pendulum' sees  b-grade legend Roger Corman ('Little Shop Of Horrors'), talented suspense writer Richard Matheson ('The Incredible Shrinking Man'), and horror master Vincent Price ('The Tingler') try and recreate the success of their first Poe adaptation 'House Of Usher'.
'Pit And The Pendulum' is one of Corman's best horror movies, and one that will surprise many viewers today with just how atmospheric and creepy it still is.
Following the sudden death of his sister, Francis Barnard (John Kerr) travels to Spain to question her husband, Don Nicholas Medina (Vincent Price), son of a notoriously barbaric Inquisitor.
Medina openly mourns the death of his wife but Barnard is unconvinced by his story and is determined to discover the truth.Proceeding from 'The Fall of the House of Usher' (1960), director Roger Corman's second film in his now-famous cycle of Edgar Allan Poe adaptations was this delightfully lurid and lavish offering that can at once be both repugnant and resplendent.
Luanne Anders and Anthony Carbone offer masterful performances in their supporting roles and cult-favourite, Barbara Steele, makes short appearances as Medina's deceased wife.If the Corman/Price collaborations are to horror what the Scorsese/De Niro collaborations be to drama then this may well be Corman's 'Goodfellas'.
Right after the success of "House of Usher", director Roger Corman wanted to make another adaptation of an Edgar Allan Poe's story, "The Masque of the Red Death", however, he felt that it was not the time for that project and decided to make the short story "Pit and the Pendulum".
Reunited with Vincent Price and most of the crew of his previous film, Corman crafted another brilliant entry in the Gothic horror sub genre and a film that proved that the praise for "House of Usher" was well-deserved and not a mere lucky strike.The plot follows Englishman Francis Barnard (John Kerr) on his trip to Spain as he has received news of the death of his beloved sister Elizabeth (Barbara Steele).
At his arrival, he is informed by Elizabeth's widower, Nicholas Medina (Vincent Price), that she died of a strange blood disease, but strange events begin to happen and both men will discover the strange mystery hidden behind the walls of Medina's castle.Written by frequent collaborator Richard Matheson, the film is not really a faithful adaptation, it is a cleverly written story that fuses many different Poe's short stories in one.
Once again Matheson delivers a terrific script that captures Poe's obsession with ancient buildings and Gothic settings.Despite the low-budget, Roger Corman manage to surpass what he achieved in "House of Usher" taking care in every little detail, with the lavish sets and gorgeous cinematography making the film look as beautiful as a canvas.
He was truly a daring and inventive artist and this film remains as one of his most powerful masterpieces.The cast this time is superb, with Vincent Price taking the lead role with great talent and powerful presence.
From Price's on-screen presence to the wonderful sets, "Pit and the Pendulum" is a masterpiece of low-budget film-making, a movie that looks even better than most of the big studios productions."Pit and the Pendulum" proved to be up to its reputation and it quickly became a favorite of mine.
From horror's premier team of Roger Corman, Vincent Price and, of course, Edgar Allen Poe comes this menacing, macabre and suspenseful tale of insanity, death and betrayal.
We enter the fray as Elizabeth's brother comes to the castle in search of answers to discover the fate of his sister...Through a great Gothic atmosphere and gorgeous lavish sets, Roger Corman has created a macabre masterpiece from Poe's classic tale.
In the story, young Francis Barnard (John Kerr) goes to an evil-looking castle on the Spanish coast to investigate the death of his sister Elizabeth (Barbara Steele).
"The Pit and the Pendulum" is the second of Roger Corman's Edgar Allan Poe's adaptations with a screenplay by Richard Matheson.Vincent Price's performance is an obvious highlight of the film.Legendary horror actresses Luana Anders("Dementia 13")and Barbara Steele("Shivers","Silent Scream","Black Sunday")co-star in this extremely atmospheric chiller.To sum up,"The Pit and the Pendulum" is one of Roger Corman's finest offerings-it's creepy,unsettling and extremely entertaining.A masterpiece that easily gets 10 out of 10!.
After the mysterious death of Elizabeth Barnard Medina (Barbara Steele), her brother Francis Barnard (John Kerr) travels from London to Spain and without previous notice he arrives at the castle of her husband Nicholas Medina (Vincent Price).
Roger Corman and Richard Matheson brilliantly continue their ode to Edgar Allan Poe after the fantastic "House of Usher" with this spooky and uniquely Gothic masterpiece centering on the Medina family.
Some kind of" the writer's greatest hits " so to speak.The beloved late wife subject directly comes from "Morella" which will be filmed by Corman in "tales of terror" the following year.The doomed house which is slowly sinking down recalls "the fall of the House of Usher"."Burried alive" or "premature burial" plays a prominent part in the plot too.The walled up character was present in "the black cat" and "the cask of Amontillado".As for "the pit and the pendulum",it provides the movie with its final,but it's only a small segment of the whole.The actors are excellent ,the sets wonderfully Gothic,but there's something hollow in these Corman movies.Fellini was able to transcend Poe (eg segment "Tobby Dammit" in "tre passi nel delirio") ,Corman remains a respectful director,and one sees little of the madness which emanates from Poe's best works.The same goes for such works as "premature burial" or "tales of terror".Outside technically,it does not show any improvement on,for instance Jean Epstein's (helped by Luis Bunuel)"chute de la maison Usher" a silent movie from 1928..
As it turns out, Nicholas and Catherine are the offspring of the most sadistic torturer of the Spanish Inquisition.In the second film of his eight film Edgar Allan Poe series, producer & director Roger Corman creates more lavish "old dark house" atmospherics and visuals with the assistance of his very talented crew, including production designer & art director Daniel Haller and cinematographer Floyd Crosby.
Coming second, after The Fall of the House Of Usher (1960), in Roger Corman's six-film series of Edgar Allen Poe adaptations (all but one starring Vincent Price), The Pit and the Pendulum is possibly Corman's greatest film as a director.
Working with I Am Legend author Richard Matheson, who helms the script, the film retains the psychological trip of Poe's original, while creating an interesting and ironic plot surrounding a very small group of characters that leads us to Poe's famous pendulum.In 16th century Spain, Francis Barnard (John Kerr) arrives at his brother-in-law's mansion to investigate the unclear and mysterious death of his sister Elizabeth (Black Sunday's (1960) Barbara Steele).
With the arrival of the family physician Doctor Leon (Antony Cabone), Francis slowly unravels the story of the 'heavy atmosphere' of the castle and the torture devices in the chamber, previously owned by Nicholas' father, a notorious torturer in the Spanish Inquisition.Made for just $30,000, the film looks remarkable and the set design is a suitable mixture of the elegant and the grim.
JOHN KERR is a young man from England who comes to Spain to find out what happened to his sister.When the story of the Spanish nobleman's boyhood is related to Kerr, you can understand why Price is about to go insane, haunted as he is by witnessing the death of his mother and uncle in the chamber.
Roger Corman's direction is a major asset and BARBARA STEELE does nicely as the adulterous wife.Kerr is adequate as the young man inquiring into the death of his sister, but it's Price's show all the way.
The pendulum scene is a nail biter.Summing up: Top rate Gothic mystery makes good combination of Poe, Corman and Price once again..
His father tortured people during the Spanish Inquisition and poor "Nicholas" saw his uncle and mother die, too, in the torture chambers of his father's castle (which is a pretty cool place, by the way)..John Kerr, a horrible actor in this movie, plays a guy ("Francis") to comes to the castle to find out what happened to his sister who had recently died.
Edgar Allan Poe's 'The Pit and the Pendulum' - it's been a long time since I have seen it - I recalled bits and pieces of the film and remembered it was good, then I re-watched the film recently and I have to say "It really is a terrific mystery-horror classic!" It's even better than I recalled it to be.Vincent Price is outstanding (as usual) as Nicholas Medina - the tormented soul who witnessed the fact his parents had a dark secret as a child of 10.
The movie is well worth watching if you enjoy Price's films, Poe's stories/poems and a good classic mystery-horror.What an ending!
Classic Gothic horror based on Edgar Allan Poe story and magnificently directed by the prolific Roger Corman.
When his sister Elizabeth dies suddenly, Francis Barnard (John Kerr) goes to a storm-surrounded stronghold inhabited by his brother-in-law Nicholas Medina (Vincent Price), who lives with his sister (Luana Anders) , to find out exactly what happened to her .
Roger Corman truly knew what he was doing when it came to making movies and adapting Poe's stories to film.
I'm not sure he had it in him to do anything that wasn't deeply felt - Corman, in his book about his life and work, said that Price was trained in the method, of some sort at least - and you can see that 10-fold as Nicholas Medina, the (ex?) husband of Catherine (Luana Anders), as he comes apart over the course of this story.
It's a tour-de-force really and it sneaks up on you.The rest of the production is actually pretty good; some of that reaction may be that one may not immediately think of Corman as someone who could make classy, atmospheric horror movies, the kind that could actually feature a character (like Price as Nicholas does at one point in the film) walking down a hallway/stairwell littered with spiders and rats and cobwebs with terrifying music and that it would make one's skin crawl.
I think it also helps knowing that it's doubly impressive considering, if one knows their history, how little Corman and AIP usually put into their films - this looks like the real deal, as far as a low budget production could go, and (like 'Usher'), the giant house and the dark cavern and hallways of Medina are exquisite and do the job.
At the heart of Pit and the Pendulum is one of Poe's great stories, one that has been if not ripped-off then certainly done the homage- route - I could see heavy traces in something as recent as A Cure for Wellness to a degree, or really any movie that has to do with an outsider going to a dark, bad place to discover what happened to 'A' character and if 'B' is responsible or not.
In the mid-16th century, Englishman Francis Barnard (John Kerr) travels to the Spanish castle of Nicholas Medina (Vincent Price) to try and uncover the details surrounding the sudden death of his sister Elizabeth (Barbara Steele), Nicholas's wife.
Soon after arriving at the castle, Francis begins to suspect that Nicholas is hiding the truth, but what he eventually discovers is far more terrible than he could have imagined.I'm not the greatest fan of the Roger Corman/Edgar Allen Poe cycle of films, finding their combination of creaky Gothic trappings, trite atmospherics and overwrought melodrama just a little too cheesy to be wholly effective; for much of the time, Pit and the Pendulum is just the same, with Price hamming it up and Corman laying on the eeriness with a trowel.Thankfully, the film is short enough to prevent boredom kicking in and is saved somewhat by a great final act that provides one or two neat twists, some well handled excitement (the razor-sharp pendulum of the title finally making an appearance, swinging to and fro above a shackled Francis) and a befitting closing shot (I won't say what it is, but it's a corker)..
Vincent Price and Barbara Steele/What Fun. We will start out by saying that Edgar Allen Poe's story has nothing to do with this movie.
The second of Roger Corman's Edgar Allan Poe adaptations stars Vincent Price(again superb) as Nicholas Medina, tormented son of an infamous Spanish Inquisitor who is visited by his brother-in-law Francis Barnard(John Kerr) who demands to see his sister Elizabeth(played by Barbara Steele) He is informed that she has died of a blood disease, but refuses to believe this, and investigates matters himself with distressing consequences...Equally good follow-up to "House Of Usher" is once again atmospherically directed by Roger Corman and written by Richard Matheson, who create a moody and ultimately tragic tale of fate and madness, with fine production design and a memorable climax and end..
This Roger Corman production takes a lot of liberties with Edgar Allan Poe's short story, but the rich atmosphere and excellent cast, including John Kerr and Barbara Steele, make this a memorable classic in Gothic horror.
A combination of an inventive adaptation of the not-so-scary short story, along with a great score and acting by the cast, especially Vincent Price, made this movie terrifiying and entertaining.
My main attractions to Pit and the Pendulum were Edgar Allan Poe, I love his sense of atmosphere and the fun, haunting writing style, and Vincent Price, who no matter the film or the quality of the script is one of those actors who always delivered.
Arriving at the Medina castle, he finds the Medina family deeply suspicious characters and the castle itself a foreboding place harnessing a deadly past.The Pit And The Pendulum is the second film in the series of Edgar Allan Poe adaptations that director Roger Corman tackled, it's also easily one of the best.
It's the best of the Corman films based, very loosely, on the stories of Edgar Allan Poe and is probably my all-time favorite horror film.
I saw The Pit and the Pendulum in 1963 and it scared the hell out of this 14-year-old, just as did The Fall of the House of Usher (still my favourite of the Poe/Corman films).
Fine Gothic horror based on a story of maestro Edgar Allan Poe and a classic and masterpiece of Roger Corman and the great Vincent Price.
In this-the second Roger Corman/Vincent Price adaptation by Richard Matheson of an Edgar Allan Poe tale-Price plays Nicholas Medina whose wife Elizabeth (Barbara Steele) died several weeks ago.
With Masque of the Red Death it was the best Corman/quasi-Poe, like that one a rewriting of Poe's story/stories but still coming out OK in its own right.Wooden inquisitive Englishman visits gloomy Spanish lord Vincent Price's spooky castle to find out why and how his sister died, Price's wife.
Vincent Price was very good at the part of Nicholas Medina, very mysterious, always acting the way a husband would if his wife was haunting the house.
This 80-minute version was directed by Roger Corman and stars Vincent Price as Nicholas Medina who's legacy in life is closely tied to the Spanish Inquisition.
This is the second of the many Poe adaptations Price, director Roger Corman and writer Richard Matheson made (after "House of Usher") and considered by many to be the best in the series.
Roger Corman's "Pit And The Pendulum" of 1961 starring his greatness Vincent Price is an absolutely brilliant masterpiece and, simply put, one of the greatest horror films ever made.
The special effects are also astonishing for the time, and the sceneries are very well made, the castle and its chambers look scary as hell on their own.There is no doubt in my mind that Vincent Price was one of the greatest actors who ever lived, and "Pit And The Pendulum" is one of the greatest horror films that have ever been made.
If you're looking for a moody, atmospheric thriller, this is your movie.It stars Vincent Price (as does most of the Poe films) as Nicholas Medina, a (I guess) conquistador in the 1600s (The film doesn't specify when or where it takes place, but that is my best guess)It is a performance of great restraint and power.
A bit slow going at times, but classy and entertaining Poe adaptation (scripted by Richard Matheson) features Vincent Price as Nicholas Medina, a 16th Century nobleman suffering in his seaside castle after the death of his beloved wife Elizabeth (Barbara Steele), believing she had been buried alive.
An elaborate downstairs torture chamber with a rack, an iron maiden and (of course) a pit AND a pendulum add up to a lively finale when Nicholas finally snaps and believes he's his own father...a notoriously sadistic Spanish inquisitor!Corman knows how to stretch a limited budget with some stylish flashback sequences, a professional cast, good Les Baxter score and effective period sets and costumes as good as anything else you'd see at the time.
Barbara Steele, famous for her roles with Mario Bava, appears as the late sister, but she doesn't do much; apparently Corman had her dialogue dubbed by another actress.As I write this, it occurs to me that it is entirely possible that I didn't enjoy "Pit and the Pendulum" as much as other viewers because I have read the Poe short story, and I was just waiting for its depiction to begin properly on screen.
The the rest of the Roger Corman films named after tales by Edgar Allen Poe, this one has practically nothing to do with the original tale--save a few story elements.A young man from England arrives in Spain to find out what happened to his sister.
A nobleman from England, Francis(John Kerr)comes to an old castle once occupied by a torturer of the Spanish Inquisition, now lived in by his son Nicholas(Vincent Price).
Vincent Price, John Kerr, Barbara Steele, Luana Anders and Antony Carbone star in Roger Corman's 1961 horror film based on Edgar Allan Poe's novel.
The Pit and the Pendulum is a classic.Vincent Price plays the haunted widower who goes mad and is by far the best actor in the entire movie!