LoginThe Pit and the Pendulum Reviews
Can't go wrong with Vincent Price
Posted : 1 year, 9 months ago on 14 July 2022 12:45
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. Pit and the Pendulum is an example of both and the genre at their best. Visually, I never really got the sense that it was a limited budget, the Gothic air and the eerie settings worked wonders, and the whole film is directed beautifully. The score is atmospheric, the story, cleverly expanded from Poe's work, is still fun, disturbing and shocking and the dialogue is intelligently arch. The acting is very good. John Kerr is rather wooden, but Barbara Steele is great in her brief appearances and Luana Anders and Antony Carbone are excellent in their supporting roles. Best of all is Price, his distinctive commanding voice, a demeanour that is both scary and sympathetic and almost Shakespearean delivery of his dialogue altogether makes for yet another brilliant performance. Overall, a terrific film, one of Price's best, both in film and performance. 9/10 Bethany Cox
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The Pit and the Pendulum review
Posted : 3 years ago on 29 March 2021 06:28
Roger Corman (the "pope of the B series" who here asserts himself as a great "gothic" filmmaker) + Vincent Price (imperial) + Barbara Steele (impeccable in a fairly short role) + the writer Richard Matheson ("I am a legend") who adapts the monumental Edgar Allan Poe: this association of geniuses could only give a great film, and this is the case for this cult "The Pit and the Pendulum" ("The Chamber of Tortures" in french).
More classical you die!
More classical you die!
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The Pit and the Pendulum review
Posted : 12 years, 4 months ago on 30 December 2011 01:08
Tagline: "The greatest terror tale ever told!"
Directed by: Roger Corman
Released: August 12, 1961
Actors: Vincent Price, John Kerr, Barbara Steele
Genre: Horror
Descriptors: Colour
Length: 80 minutes
First Line: "Who are you?"
Last Line: "Ahhhhhhhhhh!"
The best Price/ Poe film that features the scream queen Barbara Steele! To me, I find absolutely nothing wrong with this movie and the only negative I can even really think of is the character of Francis can come off as a bit annoying at times, but he kind of has to be. Francis comes to the Medina castle to investigate why his sister suddenly died. He has been told different stories and doesn't know what to believe. However, Nicholas is still haunted by his wifes death and the death of his mother and that haunting soon becomes a reality when strange things begin to occur. Did his wife die prematurely or is she still alive haunting her poor husband? I won't spoil the rest of the story because the climax is the best one out of all the Price/ Poe films! It still sends chills up my spine sometimes, and I remember the first time I saw it I was actually scared, which doesn't happen often.
The music is brilliant in this film and Vincent Price does an excellent job playing two roles, one evil and one good. The opening with the oozing coloured oil effect is great and the ending is just as good. I recommend this be the first Price film you see because you'll be hooked from then on.
Directed by: Roger Corman
Released: August 12, 1961
Actors: Vincent Price, John Kerr, Barbara Steele
Genre: Horror
Descriptors: Colour
Length: 80 minutes
First Line: "Who are you?"
Last Line: "Ahhhhhhhhhh!"
The best Price/ Poe film that features the scream queen Barbara Steele! To me, I find absolutely nothing wrong with this movie and the only negative I can even really think of is the character of Francis can come off as a bit annoying at times, but he kind of has to be. Francis comes to the Medina castle to investigate why his sister suddenly died. He has been told different stories and doesn't know what to believe. However, Nicholas is still haunted by his wifes death and the death of his mother and that haunting soon becomes a reality when strange things begin to occur. Did his wife die prematurely or is she still alive haunting her poor husband? I won't spoil the rest of the story because the climax is the best one out of all the Price/ Poe films! It still sends chills up my spine sometimes, and I remember the first time I saw it I was actually scared, which doesn't happen often.
The music is brilliant in this film and Vincent Price does an excellent job playing two roles, one evil and one good. The opening with the oozing coloured oil effect is great and the ending is just as good. I recommend this be the first Price film you see because you'll be hooked from then on.
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