Review of The Pit and the Pendulum (1991) by Michelle M — 09 Aug 2008

I love this movie. Its one of those movies that you enjoy more and more each time you see it. Lance Henriksen's performance as Torquemada gives me chills; Repression, Power, and so much more all wrapped up in one character and the performance by an actor who is truly a credit in any film he does.

I dislike the fact that people often refer to this as a remake. First let me say that Vincent Price is in a class by himself and the version of Pit and the Pendulum that he was in was amazing. However other then the title and one scene toward the end of the movie where some unlucky fellow tries to get free of the Pendulum before it slices him in two, is where the similarities end.

It is set back in Spain during 1492, the (real) inquisition. Lance Henriksen, stars as Torquemada. With the assistance of his underlings, he wants to rid the world of witchcraft and heresy, figuring the best way to do this is to torture and kill what seems like 99% of the population (historically, he was said to be responsible of over 100,000 executions).

During one ugly public display involving Gordon's wife Carolyn Purdy-Gordon a young baker Antonio and his wife Maria make the mistake of trying to intervene, so they assume she's a witch and toss her in the dungeon.

Maria's husband tries to save her and of course is immediately arrested as well. Unfortunately for Maria, Torquemada, who is a monk, is horrified to find himself secretly attracted to her and doesn't know how to deal with it.

At first it seems like Maria might be able to use this to her advantage, but since Torquemada is so psychotically religious that he thinks any human emotions are the work of Satan, things just get more complicated and intense from there.

There are several very clever references to Poe's works, that are not just tossed in there, they actually fit in very nicely with the story. The cast is amazing and I will refrain from speaking on them because this would get really long if I did.

^_^ This is definately not a movie for kids, or adults who are extremely sensitive because most likely you will be horrified or offended in some fashion. The atmosphere and the settings are impressive.

The ancient castle and the torture chambers are really intriguing. The costumes are terrific as well. There isn't too much gore and violence to detect in this movie but they're are a few very explicit scenes that show true horror.

But it's always shot with a lot of style and class. Those explicit scenes are the torture and executions and they can be a little intense for those who might be sensitive, as I stated previously. Overall this is by far one of my all time favorite movies.