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Pit and the Pendulum (Widescreen)
 
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Pit and the Pendulum (Widescreen)

Vincent Price (Actor), Barbara Steele (Actor), Roger Corman (Director) | Rated: Unrated | Format: DVD
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)

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The Fall of the House of Usher's success in 1960 spurred American International Pictures to quickly launch another production based on an Edgar Allan Poe story. While producer-director Roger Corman had hoped to next adapt "The Masque of the Red Death" (which wasn't produced until 1964), Pit and the Pendulum (the onscreen title) became the second in AIP's long-running Poe series. Set in post-Inquisition Spain, the film stars John Kerr as a young Englishman who travels to the seaside castle of his brother-in-law (Vincent Price) to uncover the circumstances behind the death of his sister (a dubbed Barbara Steele). Price is tormented by memories of his mother's premature burial by his inquisitor father (also Price) and fears that this sadistic legacy has contributed to Steele's demise. Furthermore, he believes that Steele was also buried alive--a belief compounded by the mysterious destruction of her room, and the sound of her harpsichord playing in the night...

Structured almost identically to Usher, Richard Matheson's script fleshes out the brief original text with a fast-paced and twist-filled plot that never loses sight of the psychological themes of Poe's work. It also provides Price with the richest of his many AIP/Poe roles, a sympathetic, deeply emotional man who is unhinged by the sins of his father. Corman's direction is equally driven and fluid, and features some impressive quasi-psychedelic visuals in the tense climax. Also noteworthy is art director's Daniel Haller's impressive design of the title set piece. MGM's widescreen DVD features commentary by Corman, which focuses primarily on the film's technical aspects. Also included is the original trailer and a prologue (shot by Norma Rae producer Tamara Asseyev) featuring costar Luana Anders, which was added to fill out the film's 1968 television broadcast. --Paul Gaita

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Customer Reviews

34 Reviews
5 star:
 (18)
4 star:
 (13)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
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1 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (34 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars After House on Haunted Hill, my favorite Price movie., May 3 2004
By 
This review is from: Pit and the Pendulum (Widescreen) (DVD)
After House on Haunted Hill, the Pit and the Pendulum is my favorite Price movie. The best 50's and 60's Horror/Sci-Fi movies are all about atmosphere, and thats what I love about Pit. Great gothic atmosphere, eerie music, and georgously vivid and horrific set pieces. I especially liked Price's and Ander's performances. If you are like me and like best the eerie, moody, 50s and 60s horror pics, which along with great stories, really emphasize the eerie atmosphere, this has to be at the top of your list.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Vincent's Finest Hour? I Think It Might Be!, May 24 2004
By 
David Von Pein (Mooresville, Indiana; USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Pit and the Pendulum (Widescreen) (DVD)
"Pit And The Pendulum" is definitely one of those "watch it late at night with the lights out during a thunderstorm" kind of motion pictures. All the elements are present here to elicit the appropriate "scary movie" emotions from the viewer -- Shock, terror, suspense, fright, uneasiness, and fear. (And maybe a few others as well.)

The setting of this 1961 film couldn't have been better presented on screen if they had tried. And Vincent Price, who was 50 years of age when the film was first released, gives a lively performance as "Don Nicholas Medina", a man who is slowly but surely going out of his mind.

The climactic scene in the "Pit" is simply astonishing. One of the best scenes in any horror film ever made!

This MGM DVD contains a Widescreen version of this color film (2.35:1 ratio). And, although not an Anamorphic (enhanced for 16x9 TV sets) disc, this DVD still offers up better-than-average video quality. The audio is Dolby Digital Mono (English and French tracks). Plus: this cover art is exceptional.

A few bonus items are on the disc, including a fun audio commentary by Director Roger Corman. The Original Theatrical Trailer and an "Original Theatrical Prologue" are also included here.

Before his death on October 25, 1993 (at age 82), Vincent Price appeared in 127 feature films (plus hundreds and hundreds of TV shows and radio plays) --- with "Pit And The Pendulum" being one of his very best, in my view.

If you like scary, atmospheric motion pictures, you have no choice but to be entranced when watching this DVD of "Pit And The Pendulum".

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4.0 out of 5 stars BEWARE THE PIT AND THE PENALUM, Mar 28 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: Pit & The Pendulum (VHS Tape)
You just can't go wrong with Vincent Price. He really gave his all in this movie along with John Kerr. The film is (..)worth watching with being buried alive and almost being sliced up by the pendalum. The end is the best part,but you relly have to watch the whole thing to understand it. (...) A powerful cast with a great film
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