In 1843, Edgar Allen Poe published a short story titled, “The Pit and the Pendulum.” Set during the Spanish Inquisition, an unnamed man sentenced to death must confront his fears. Suddenly, he wakes up in a dungeon with a bottomless pit, and a swinging pendulum. The man must overcome fear and evade obstacles if he wants to stay alive. Many years later, Roger Corman produced a low budget film adaption starring Vincent Price.
Released in 1961, (same year Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo came out) it received good reviews and was a box office hit. I got plans to write and review Horror films throughout October. In other words, get into the Halloween spirit. Which one should I watch and review next? Please leave a comment.
Random Thought: First time I learned about Pit and the Pendulum was from a request on Discord by fellow movie critic, BloggedByEric. I admit. I never read Edgar’s short story. However, I did some research looking up core elements on Wikipedia and TV Tropes.
It doesn’t matter if SPOILERS are present. This is not a legit scary film.
Alive & Dead Qualities
Alive: Vincent Price did a solid job for his performance.
Most of the props from previous Corman productions were reused due to budgetary constraints. Good way to save up on a marketing budget.
Cinematography was shot lacking technical problems.
Flashbacks show the tragedy of Nicholas’ beloved wife, Elizabeth.
Dead: I can’t believe I’m saying this, Roger Corman didn’t bother producing a fateful adaptation.
Author, Richard Matheson (I Am Legend, What Dreams May Come) didn’t do a good job adapting Edgar’s short story. It looks nothing like the short story with the unnamed man facing his fears. Just generic Plain Janes the audience can’t relate.
Scare Factor lacks terror. I didn’t get scared. Not one little bit. Nicolas opening Elizabeth’s tomb. Didn’t creep me out.
Too much exposition. If you’re gonna make a short movie, you have to give us something terrifying so that many people will get hooked. It doesn’t excuse the fact Nicholas killed a dude in a flashback.
For such a short movie, Pacing is slow. Absolutely ridiculous. I looked at the clock to see how it takes for me to endure the boredom.
Running Time’s approximately 80 minutes. Unqualified to fit as a full-length movie unless it’s 85-90+ minutes. It’s not easy adapting a short story into a full-length movie.
It took one hour for the Scare Factor to happen. Unfortunately, it’s the equivalent of Erectile Dysfunction. Not having that special feeling.
Characters outside Nicholas are completely forgettable. I didn’t care for any of ‘em. Besides lackluster tension, not caring for lead characters becomes miserably boring. Imagine if the video game, “The Last of Us” never featured three-dimensional characters like Joel & Ellie? That would be boring as heck. I have no choice, but to Triple Down The Pit and The Pendulum for wasting my spare time. Ugh!
The Final Verdict: F, FOR FAKER!
I’m sorry. I’m not a big fan of classic Horror films. I prefer ‘90s to modern Horror films. I don’t consider The Pit and the Pendulum great. It’s a snooze fest lacking tension, compelling characters, scary moments and a cohesive narrative. I was so bored I wished I didn’t waste my spare time. Skip this piece of crud in favor of “Sinners.” It’s really good.
Sorry BloggedByEric, The Pit and The Pendulum along with “The Fly 1958” belong in the crapper.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 
Let me put it this way: What one might consider to be a classic may not be considered a classic to another. I understand your distaste of this one. A lot of these vintage horror movies are notorious for being quite slow.
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I gotta give ‘em tough love. If I’m gonna watch something, it needs to have substance like Sinners. It’s a near-perfect flick.
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