THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM

The film opens with a bizarre, humorous and atmospheric prologue set in "Spain 1492", in which we’re introduced to the intense Torquemada (Lance Henricksen) as he orders the exhumation and flogging of a skeleton on charges of suspected witchery.

Torquemada, we soon learn, is a senior voice of the Spanish Inquisition. Along with his henchmen, it is his job to seek out witches and have them publicly burned at the stake. One such event, where a woman accused of sorcery is strangled before her crying son as he’s mercilessly flogged, disgusts local baker Maria (Rona De Ricci) so much that she can’t help but try and intervene.

Despite the protestations of her doting husband Antonio (Jonathan Fuller), Maria is thrown to her knees at the feet of Torquemada. Instead of having her slain there and then, he orders her arrest and has her dragged away to the nearby castle towers’ dungeons.

It’s there that Maria, a devout Christian, is privy to all manner of torture of suspected witches. For her own troubles, she’s made to disrobe before Torquemada ("to resist is to admit guilt"!) and pinched on the back in order to give her the mark of the devil.

But still, Torquemada doesn’t want Maria executed just yet. It appears that, despite his puritanical fanaticism, he has become smitten by Maria’s beauty. It’s a feeling he can’t understand, and the conflict is palpable through his bulging eyes.

Meanwhile, as Torquemada and his cronies (including Jeffrey Combs as bowl-haired Francisco, the one inquisitor who doesn’t seem to derive sadistic pleasure from their deeds) await a visit from the Cardinal (Oliver Reed), Maria is thrown into a dungeon and befriends aged hag Esmeralda (Frances Bay).

Can Antonio save the day? If not, can Maria’s good looks and innocent charm overpower her repressed, self-flagellating captor?

And, of course, whose fate ultimately lies on the rack of Torquemada’s prize device of torture: the swinging, flesh-slicing pendulum?

Director Stuart Gordon first made his transition from a lengthy career in the theatre and into film, in 1985, with RE-ANIMATOR. That film was made for producer Charles Band’s old company Empire. It became their biggest hit, but a subsequent string of box office duds (including Gordon’s later ROBOT JOX) resulted in the company folding as that decade came to an end. Luckily, Band bounced back with a new company – Full Moon Pictures – and hired Gordon again, affording him the opportunity to make, among other ventures, this 1991 gem.

Although not a patch on the 1961 Vincent Price vehicle, Gordon’s film still provides ample entertainment. For one, Dennis Paoli’s screenplay plays fast and loose with its Edgar Allan Poe origins – only the bare essentials of the source material remain, allowing for some seriously playful elaborating on the writer’s part.

Paoli’s been a regular working partner of Gordon’s over the years, and their ease together is evident in every frame of PENDULUM. The script is taut, fluent and bubbling with mordant humour at all times. Gordon’s pitch and pacing complement it perfectly.

Speaking of regular collaborators, it’s also good to see the director working with Combs (who took centre stage in earlier efforts RE-ANIMATOR and FROM BEYOND) and, of course, Mrs Gordon – Carolyn Purdy-Gordon. There’s a familiarity and vibe to this teaming that feels just right.

Elsewhere, this is probably the most interesting cast Gordon has ever had the good fortune to work with. Reed may only appear in what amounts to a glorified cameo (which can’t fail to echo THE DEVILS), but his drunken performance is great fun nevertheless. Tom Towles (Otis in HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER) shows his face, while Bay and Fuller ensure a modicum of class graces even the cheesiest of scenes.

The real stars of this show though are Henricksen (never better, totally wired), De Ricci (gorgeous) and the luscious Italian castle used to great effect as the film’s primary location.

Throw in Richard (brother of Charles) Band’s customary score, here a rousing mixture of excitable melodrama and spooky Gregorian chanting, and we have Gordon making supreme use of some the best resources he’s ever likely to have at his disposal.

The film’s tone is admittedly a tad awkward, shifting between comedy and horror a little too much during the first half. It improves dramatically during the final half though, where Henricksen’s bald meanie really comes to the fore.

Greg Cannom oversaw the FX work and, although this isn’t a gorefest in the sense that RE-ANIMATOR was, he provides some decent old-school thrills when required to.

THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM is presented uncut here in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio, and as such is window-boxed. I say it’s the film’s original aspect ratio: it appears to be correctly framed, and as far as I’m aware all other domestic releases of the film have offered the same aspect specifications.

Colours are strong and natural, skin-tones and blacks are solid; a slightly soft sheen to proceedings appears intentional on the filmmakers’ part.

The English 2.0 audio track serves the film capably throughout. Band’s score comes across especially well.

88 Films’ disc opens with a mildly animated main menu page. From there, a static scene-selection menu allows access to the film via 24 chapters.

A modest collection of extra features begin with a 13-minute archive ‘behind the scenes’ featurette. Shot at the time of the film’s release and presented in an EPK style, this window-boxed effort is highly enjoyable despite its sensational self-importance. Of particular note are the on-screen interviews with Gordon (looking a lot younger than he does these days) and Henricksen.

A blooper reel runs for less than 2 minutes and serves as a mild diversion. It does at least go some way to illuminate the shoot as being a rather jovial one.

The film’s original trailer is fun, as are trailers for other titles in the 88 Films roster: SORORITY BABES IN THE SLIMEBALL BOWL-A-RAMA, DEMONIC TOYS REVENGE, EVIL BONG 2: KING BONG, GINGERDEAD MAN 2, EVIL BONG 3: THE WRATH OF BONG, KILLER EYE: HALLOWEEN HAUNT, KILLJOY’S REVENGE, SKULL HEADS, GINGERDEAD MAN 3: SATURDAY NIGHT CLEAVER and THE GINGERDEAD MAN. What’s the common theme running through all these titles? They’re all shit? Nooo, the answer I was looking for, is they’re all films made under the banner of Charles Band’s Full Moon stable.

THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM is arguably the best film to have come out of Full Moon’s doors to date. It’s pretty high up on Gordon’s list of directorial efforts too, and deserves a bigger audience.

Hopefully 88 Films’ satisfying DVD will help it to achieve just that.

Review by Stuart Willis