Simply Perfect

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

How valuable was Vincent Price as an actor; I don't mean simply as a star, that should be obvious even to casual horror fans much less people who watch a lot of movies. But it might be too easily assumed - I'm not sure exactly by who but I'm guessing it's by some who only watch these and other horror movies for the (cheap?) thrills - that Price could only do the creepy-spooky voiced character, the man who speaks that inimitable narration in Jackson's 'Thriller', or The House on Haunted Hill or House of Wax or House of Usher or any of the Houses. Watching Pit and the Pendulum and you can get another take on him, that, as hammy as he might appear, it's not something that he's doing inauthentically. 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. I think if there's a weak spot here it's not totally in the script but in John Kerr; I think it may be due to being up against Price and even other decent players like Steele, Anders and Carbone (Anders, though her screen time is limited and some of the time only seen in blue or red tinted flashbacks, well photographed by the way), but he seems a little stiff and wooden. I don't think it's being misdirected or even miscast, he's just the... straight man, in an odd way one could say, where Price gets to have all of the BIG emotional scenes, or can even walk away with a scene when it seems like he's doing very little. 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. What also helps is that it's not long at all - 77 minutes before credits (though those are given a wonderful, psychedelic tinge) - so it's compact and doesn't waste time. Yet at the same time it uses every minute it's got in spellbinding intensity and intrigue, and when Price has to breakdown or, later on, turn (or even when he plays Nicholas's father - the one who "punishes" the "adulterers"), he's gangbusters. If this isn't Corman's masterpiece then it may be Price's.

Receiving notice of her death, a man travels to the castle of her husband to see his sister only to learn that his belief in her being corrupted by it's torturous past makes him believe that he has prematurely buried her and begins tormenting them to ensure his secret is kept hidden.This here was a pretty pleasant surprise. Like the majority of the film's in this series, what really makes for a great time here is the overwhelming and truly glorious Gothic splendor featured here, which is the generally prerequisite grand Gothic castle and it's usually elaborate surroundings. The castle itself isn't that bad, but the catacombs are it's best locations, with the cobwebbed walls, hidden rooms astutely located, and also features some great places within that manage to go for the usually grand spectacle of the overly large mansion. The second half here, though is what really makes it watchable with a spectacular series of actions. This all starts when the revelation is made about it being possible she's still alive and the torment undergone and it only gets better from there as this starts with the ploys about it being in the imagination from the childhood trauma and the evidence presented against it. Carrying on from the discovery of the personal items left behind, the ghostly voices and noises heard in the night and the trashed room, this is all quite fun and sets the stage for the group wandering into the crypt. The shocking discovery of the dead body is quite enjoyable as the one found is quite grotesque, looking realistic and freaky at the same time while the other really big scene, the resurrection, is completely eerie and creepy, with the bright spot of not revealing everything about the figure until the end. Only the body is shown, with the face kept in the shadows even during the ensuing chase through the catacombs, which is the bright spot about the scene. There's also an elaborate stalking chase right after it and a mystery as well where the complete identity of the figure is kept in the shadows and only a small portion seen throughout for a wonderfully brilliant scene. The final ten minutes, where the title comes into play, is simply fantastic done within a pretty creepy location and actually generates some really suspenseful moments where the closer it comes, the more suspenseful it is, and it really drives the scene. The location used for this scene is actually almost as good, comprising of an elaborate crystal design of weird structures along the outer edges and being a similarly beautiful and creepy place. This is all quite enjoyable since it doesn't have a whole lot of negatives. One of the most apparent is the slow build-up in the beginning of the film. This starts out incredibly slow, as the beginning is full of nonsensical dialog about what he's there for. It sets up a nice mystery, but there's nothing interesting in the characters wandering around spouting dialog about a character's battle with a disease. It tries to set-up a mystery, but it's not that interesting and never really means as much as it should due to the incredibly boring introduction and really doesn't do much for the film. It's also apparent that it's a low-rent version of the film film in the series and plays through many of the same features without doing much else differently. Otherwise, this here was pretty entertaining.Today's Rating/PG: Mild Violence.

The AIP Poe films are always a pleasure, especially when Roger Corman and Vincent Price are involved. This one, The Pit and the Pendulum, entered production after House of Usher (1960) found unexpected success at the box office. This film is thus more grandiose than its predecessor in both visual scope and action, with Vincent Price turning in a particularly stunning and larger than life performance as both Nicholas Medina and his Spanish inquisitor father. What struck me on my last viewing, and my first with another person, was how subversive the film is by the standards of then-mainstream horror. These Poe films were generally marketed towards a youth audience, yet they contained very mature themes: sadism/torture, infidelity, family dysfunction, and childhood trauma. Likewise, Price's grotesque performance in the climax of the film confidently straddles the line between camp and chilling lunacy; his frenzied, almost orgasmic monologue, in which he describes the hellish nature of the titular torture device to its victim, was sure to freak out more than a few kids in the audience. The film may not have been as soul-scarring as the infamous double feature of The Awful Dr. Orlof (1962) and The Horrible Dr. Hichcock (1962), but I'm sure it led to many sleepless nights, and more than a few uncomfortable talks with parents and their children. All that aside, Richard Matheson's script cleverly expands on Poe's original story, introducing both a Gaslight-style plot (or perhaps House on Haunted Hill is a more appropriate reference?) and plenty of Poe motifs, such as premature burial and men haunted by the deaths of beautiful women. Corman's direction is stylish and assured; Floyd Crosby's cinematography is as impeccable as ever; and the Les Baxter score is a strong combination of melodramatic strings, brash scare chords, and dissonant soundscapes. Its reputation as a classic is well deserved. I daresay I like it even more today than I did as a Vincent Price-worshiping child.

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. Shot with a lush, atmospheric mood, Pendulum faces the task of stretching a two-page short story into a credible, 90-minute movie. 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). Seemingly overcome with grief, Elizabeth's widower Nicholas Medina (Vincent Price) tells Francis that Elizabeth died of heart failure. Francis, however, seems unable to accept this and insists that he stay until he knows the truth. 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. The movie noticeably lacks out-and-out scares, and opts for a more thoughtful, psychological approach. You could even go so far as to name the movie a period piece rather than a horror. Although his toes may creep over the ham line occasionally, the film is dominated by the presence of Vincent Price, who delivers a rather hypnotic performance, flicking between creepy, tormented and simply bat-s**t crazy, with relative ease. The only real complaint about the film is the performance of John Kerr, who, although a promising leading man in the 50's, delivers a one-note, forgettable performance, but that is forgivable in a movie so rich in beauty. Corman should be truly proud.www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com