The Pit and the Pendulum1961

Name: The Pit and the Pendulum
Genre: Gothic, Psychological, Supernatural
Released: 1961-08-12
Rating: 7.2

“Betrayal cuts both ways!”

Directed by Roger Corman

7.2

Crypt Score

Blended from 4 sources

IMDb 7.0Rotten Tomatoes 89%Metacritic 78TMDB 6.9

✍ Review

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Year

1961

Runtime

80 min

Box Office

Budget

$200,000

Revenue (worldwide)

$2,000,000

The premise

In the sixteenth century, Francis Barnard travels to Spain to clarify the strange circumstances of his sister's death after she had married the son of a cruel Spanish Inquisitor.

Horror Vault's take

When his sister dies under mysterious circumstances at a remote Spanish castle, Francis Barnard travels to confront her grieving widower — a man already cracking under the shadow of his father's infamous Inquisition legacy. Roger Corman's sumptuous Poe adaptation builds its dread through psychological unraveling and Gothic atmosphere rather than cheap shocks. Vincent Price delivers a memorably tormented performance as the castle's haunted heir, while the iconic torture chamber lurking beneath the estate promises that the past is never truly buried.

Content: Torture Imagery, Themes Of Premature Burial, Depictions Of Madness And Psychological Torment