PIT AND THE PENDULUM

Francis (John Kerr) travels from England to Spain, arriving a castle late one evening where he demands an immediate audience with its owner, Nicholas (Vincent Price).

There for an extended visit, Nicholas' sister Catherine (Luana Anders) leads Francis through the castle and to its underground tunnels where her brother works at maintaining a mysterious device kept under lock and key.

Over dinner, Francis explains that he's there to learn the truth behind his sister Elizabeth's (Barbara Steele) death. Nicholas assures him he mourns her death equally, being as he was married to and in love with her. But then he starts to elaborate, with the assistance of flashbacks, on how the castle's malignant atmosphere slowly but surely drove his lover insane - right up to the point where she quite literally died of shock.

Doubtful of this version of events, Francis is later persuaded to take pity on Nicholas when Catherine tells him of how, many years earlier, he witnessed their father Sebastian (also Price) - chief bastard for the Spanish Inquisition - torture their mother and uncle for adultery. Such evil, which happened in the castle cellar, has plagued both Nicholas and his home ever since.

Francis determines to stay a little longer and get his sister's belongings into order. But that night Nicholas is shocked to hear Elizabeth's distinctive playing of his harpsichord. Later, the group respond to noises coming from Elizabeth's room and find to have been trashed.

Could it be that Elizabeth was interned into the castle's catacombs prematurely? Or is it her spirit that now haunts the castle? Or, is it simply Nicholas going insane and unconsciously staging the hauntings in a way to cope with his guilt for having her buried alive?

Although a tad lacking in momentum when compared to other Edgar Allan Poe adaptations engineered by Roger Corman, PENDULUM rises above its stilted screenplay and Kerr's absurdly wooden acting by virtue of the great source material, sumptuous cinematography and gorgeous, garish set design. Oh, and of course there's the double-packed allure of Price in a dual role and the always striking Steele as the dagger-eyed bride.

Price is more low-key here than usual, but still knows how to turn on the theatrical charm when it's warranted. His charisma is such that he dominates every scene he's in. Anders provides able support, adding warmth to what essentially amounts to an old dark house melodrama. Steele is underused but when she comes, she really makes it count.

The pendulum itself is also underused, and barely alluded to, but again you'll appreciate it all the more when it does turn up. Until then, enjoy the mystery that grows and grows, almost as maddeningly as Nicholas' mental fragility.

Tunnels filled with cobwebs, people lighting their way with candles, lightning flashing against dirty windows, secret passage doors that open by themselves, ghostly voices whispering characters' names, coffins containing dried-up corpses ... PENDULUM has a wonderful, knowing sense of the Gothic that should thrill anyone with even a passing interest in the genre. The final thirty minutes truly are masterfully sustained and escalated.

Arrow Films Video have already served Price, Poe and Corman extremely well with last year's stunning Steelbook blu-ray release of THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER. And now, as unlikely as it may at first seem, they've gone and surpassed that considerable achievement.

To begin with, PENDULUM looks ravishing in this new 1080p HD restoration from the original negative. Presented as an MPEG4-AVC file and having been kept in remarkable condition over the last half-century, the transfer is little short of astonishing.

It has to be said, Corman's colourful adaptations of the era lend themselves extremely well to the prospect of high definition. Never is this truer than with this lovely Technicolor production, the palettes bouncing off the screen along with incredible detail on faces, curtains, costumes etc. Fine grain can be evidenced throughout, noise and compression are both absent, blacks are incredibly stable and filled with previously unseen depth: wow, in a word.

English 1.0 mono audio is lovely and crisp throughout. An isolated score and effects track also works well here. Optional English subtitles for the Hard-of-Hearing are well-written and easy to read at all times.

The disc opens to a rousing animated main menu page. From there, pop-up menus include a scene selection menu allowing access to PENDULUM via 12 chapters.

Not wanting to let the side down, the bonus features on this disc are formidable in their own right.

We kick off with an enjoyable, erudite and fact-filled commentary track from the ever-engaging Corman. He speaks of influences, locations, budgetary tricks, his wonderful cast and so much more besides.

A second commentary track from Video Watchdog's Tim Lucas has a more academic feel to it, but is so stuffed with background information on the film and its stars that it's impossible not to be impressed.

An all-new 43-minute featurette entitled "The Story Behind the Swinging Blade" comes next. This HD proposition contains on-camera chats with Corman, Steele, film historian and Price friend David Del Valle, Price's daughter Victoria and RE-ANIMATOR producer Brian Yuzna. Including forays into discussing Mario Bava's cinema (as, inevitably, does the Lucas commentary) and talk of how the film compared against the likes of Hammer productions of its time, this is an essential, thoroughly entertaining and well-produced accompaniment to the main feature.

"An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe" will have Price fans squirming with delight. This 53-minute offering was produced by AIP for American television in 1970, and features Price delivering animated readings of four classic Poe stories. He kicks off with a nicely Shakespearian performance in "The Tell-Tale Heart", complete with gory finale. "The Sphinx" sees Price with hair dye and a lip-synch issue. Events culminate with a fine stage reading of "The Pit and the Pendulum", Price's theatrics going into blissful overdrive. Although suffering from a VHS-quality pillar-boxed presentation, this footage is a highlight on a disc of many peaks.

5 minutes of additional footage shot to pad out the film when it first aired on American television follow. These are in good nick, although the content doesn't add much to the story other than a bit of actress Luana Anders running around looking scared. Still, fans will be ecstatic with its inclusion here.

The film's original 2-minute theatrical trailer is presented in 16x9 widescreen but demonstrates how good the restoration on the main feature truly is.

Also available as part of this set but not made available for review purposes is a collectors' booklet.

Available in both blu-ray keepcase packaging (with double-sided reversible cover art) and a limited edition Steelbook casing.

Essential.

By Stuart Willis