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      The Pit and the Pendulum

      R 1991 1h 37m Horror List
      56% 9 Reviews Tomatometer 41% 1,000+ Ratings Audience Score Mad monk Torquemada (Lance Henriksen) wants a baker's (Jonathan Fuller) wife (Rona De Ricci) in his torture chamber for the Spanish Inquisition. Read More Read Less

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      The Pit and the Pendulum

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      Audience Reviews

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      Conner K I've seen plenty of films where I disagreed with consensus due to personal taste. But I could always see where the critics were coming from. One of these blurbs is upset that there's no sex appeal. In a film about the INQUISITION. Just because there's boobs, doesn't make it porn. I thought that was basic media literacy, not something a professional critic could miss. This isn't porn. It's a story, and a good one at that. The leading woman starts out as a religious woman who seems to think the inquisitors are merely misguided in their approach. Her husband the baker, won't even go that far. There's a lot of dark stuff in this movie, but the movie fully understands the weight of all of it. Spoilers from here on out. The opening scene is of the inquisitors torturing a skeleton. The scene ends with an antisemitic remark by one of them. The film explores the idea that the inquisitor is just a misguided religious man, and concludes that it doesn't matter either way, and he deserves to die through either lens or framework, whether due to religious moralism, or the actual harm of his continued existence. He disobeyed an order from the pope to stop the inquisition. He lies constantly, still thinking he's better than these "witches." By meeting a midwife witch in her cell, the lead comes to understand that witchcraft isn't evil, but healing, and herself becomes a witch. Her husband, after facing the torture of the inquisitors himself, has grown, and still loves her. The ending line is one of the deceased Inquisitors' former underlings(not the one from the opening scene), after the prisoners are released, saying, "there will always be others." That is what this movie is for. Not for you to get horny. Jesus Christ. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/09/23 Full Review Audience Member Out of the box for the era, the acting is ish I got to admit but still loved it. The scene where the Cardinal drink wine was really funny. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member Lance Henrikson sucking up the scenery! This is a Torquemada that believes - robbing and lashing a dead man for the church - but also a Torquemada tormented by his lust! Combs puts in shift as his main clerk - the banality! Oliver Reed dropping a cameo as we raid Poe for all it's worth. This smacks far more of Hammer, or the Corman/Prices, than Full Moon, and with Gordon at the helm, good Hammer. This is their masterpiece. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Audience Member This Pit and the Pendulum is slow, silly, outrageous, and unremarkable. Lance has a strong performance, but overacts some. There are many silly moments that can't help but make you laugh. The final scene with the pendulum is rather nice and intense. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/02/23 Full Review Audience Member Pretty rad little horror film from the great Stuart Gordon about the Spanish inquisition. We really need more movies about this period in time. Lance Henricksen is great as usual. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review william s Schlock at it's very average....De Rucci is breathtaking though. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      The Pit and the Pendulum

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      Critics Reviews

      View All (9) Critics Reviews
      Wendy Ide Times (UK) The second in the popular series of Edgar Allan Poe adaptations made by the enterprising mini-studio American International Pictures, this Roger Corman picture is carpeted wall-to-wall with luxuriant gothic excess. Rated: 4/5 Dec 12, 2014 Full Review Rob Gonsalves Rob's Movie Vault Dressed in ceremonial robes so that only his gaunt bald head and long hands are visible, Lance Henriksen has the role of his life as Torquemada. Rated: A Apr 12, 2011 Full Review Michael Szymanski Zap2it.com Rated: 4/5 Oct 15, 2005 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Rated: 2/5 Aug 8, 2005 Full Review Fred Topel About.com Boring adaptation with no scares, no mood and no sex appeal (considering it's a form of sexual persecution) Rated: 1/5 Jul 18, 2003 Full Review Alex Sandell Juicy Cerebellum Not bad, but I expected a lot more from Stuart Gordon. Rated: 2/5 Jun 25, 2003 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Mad monk Torquemada (Lance Henriksen) wants a baker's (Jonathan Fuller) wife (Rona De Ricci) in his torture chamber for the Spanish Inquisition.
      Director
      Stuart Gordon
      Rating
      R
      Genre
      Horror
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Nov 30, 2016
      Runtime
      1h 37m
      Sound Mix
      Stereo, Surround
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