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The Pit and the Pendulum

The Pit and the Pendulum

1991
Horror
1h 37m
It is the time of the Spanish Inquisition. Maria does not like what is going on during the "Auto De Fe". When she speaks out, she is arrested and accused of being a witch. Torquemada has plans for her! He orders her tortured, and her tongue to be cut out. Her husband attempts to free her... (imdb)
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The Pit and the Pendulum

1991
Horror
1h 37m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 41.31% from 112 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(112)
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Rated 03 Sep 2018
92
86th
Sicko genre flick is notable for its full commitment to the grotesque and dark undertones of its potent story, especially its savage critique of religious hypocrisy as a cover for lust, embodied in a hypnotic star turn from Henriksen; echoes of THE DEVILS abound, especially when Reed turns up as emissary from the Pope. De Ricci and Bay are both very effective as accused women. Loses some steam in the final act; a forced 'happy' ending doesn't quite work, but this is still an impressive effort.
Rated 29 Mar 2020
80
77th
Lance Henriksen devouring the screen. Oliver Reed shows up for the feast. I’m not a witch, oh first sign denial. I’m a witch. I KNEW IT. The olden days were stupid but 2020 so far , whooo boy.
Rated 29 Mar 2010
20
9th
It's such a shame that a master actor like Lance Henriksen is wasted on so many terrible horror movies. This is one of the worst Gordon/Paoli movies I've seen, and the contrast between Henriksen's sweeping, luminous performance and the film's stupidity is mind-boggling. The fantastic Oliver Reed also stumbles into a small role. Like other "adaptations" of The Pit and the Pendulum, this has nothing to do with Poe save for the Inquisition setting and the Pit/Pendulum set piece.
Rated 10 Feb 2011
85
73rd
Captures the demented obsession of Poe's writing fairly well. Henriksen is terrific and it's fun to see Oliver Reed in a hammy cameo appearance. One of Gordon's best.
Rated 02 Oct 2011
79
59th
Henriksen is wound up very tight, Combs is underutilized (as usual) but Rona De Ricci is who really shines in this. Its black sense of humor feels a little more Charles Band than Stuart Gordon but is pretty good none the less. One of the better screen plays and cast but its flat production cheats it. Still an overlook effort by Gordon. Recommended.
Rated 03 Jun 2013
60
49th
Charmingly trashy and strangely appealing, probably attributed to Poe's source material.
Rated 12 Apr 2008
70
49th
Probably the best film Full Moon Entertainment ever made. Surprisingly classy affair, budget be damned.
Rated 01 Apr 2007
90
86th
Best Full Moon production yet
Rated 02 Aug 2008
68
72nd
good movie
Rated 23 Mar 2009
75
54th
While it doesn't reach _Re-Animator_'s heights, this _Pit_ -- bolstered by supporting thesps Reed, Combs, and Towles -- is the most creative Poe-inspired fear flick to turn up since Roger Corman's _Masque of the Red Death_.
Rated 01 Apr 2012
51
16th
50.500
Rated 20 May 2017
65
60th
(Viewed in 2015): Charles Band took the old saying about location making a film quite literally: Gordon shot this low budget adaptation of Poe in an Italian castle he owned. Bava could have made a great film under these conditions, but Gordon nonetheless creates an appealingly dark and claustrophobic world marked by moral corruption and religious zealotry, most effectively embodied by Henriksen in a scenery chewing role as the psychotic Torquemada. It is grim and intense but not without humour.
Rated 22 May 2013
17
11th
Only scoring it this high because the actors did good jobs, and because the goings-on are so energetic. If you like your horror yucky and frankly vile, then, hey, you might like this.
Rated 22 Oct 2018
4
59th
The two heroes are not very good, but everything else here is great. Lance Henriksen really brings the intensity and makes the movie, with Frances Bay and Jeffrey Combs as the other standouts. That and the perfect gothic setting. I'm not sure how they managed to make a movie this good looking and in a damn castle on a Full Moon budget but it's lovely and a lot of fun.
Rated 27 Mar 2020
71
47th
Em honra de Stuart Gordon (1947 - 2020) filme #6. Tô adorando descobrir essas pérolas perdidas dos anos 90 do Gordon. Plus: Há uma razão do Ollie ter uma participação aqui, é o fato de ter protagonizado o melhor filme de inquisição já feito: The Devils. BlurayRip RARBG.
Rated 19 Apr 2022
60
25th
I completely love the atmosphere and the edge that Stuart Gordon has going here, but everything is so unpleasant and without a satisfactory dive into bonkers-ville that you typically find with Gordon. Henriksen just eats up the screen but the two female leads (Bay and De Ricci) ground the movie. It's fine.

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