The Pit and the Pendulum

 

The Pit and the Pendulum

1961

Director- Roger Corman

Cast- Vincent Price, Barbara Steele, John Kerr, Luana Anders, Antony Carbone

            

   The story begins with a nobleman, Francis (John Kerr) visiting the castle of Nicholas Medina (Vincent Price) and his sister, Elizabeth (Luana Anders). Nicholas was married to Francis’ sister (Barbara Steele) and she died under mysterious circumstances. Francis has come to find out the truth.

            

    Nicholas, however, is reluctant to tell Francis the truth because he himself has a dark secret. His father was a torturer for the Inquisition and carried out his trade in the castle. Nicholas’ father, suspecting that his wife was having an affair with his brother, tortured his brother to death and entombed his wife, alive, within the castle walls.

            

    The family doctor (Carbone) visits the castle and relates that Francis’ sister died of fright. He says the castle has a gloomy presence and that she had become obsessed with it. One day she ventured into the torture chamber and saw something that scared her to death. Meanwhile, Nicholas, because of what happened to his mother, lives under the paranoid delusion that his wife was also buried alive and that now her spirit haunts him. As Francis continues to investigate , we are treated to twists and suprises until finally the terrible truth is revealed.

       

     

      Poe fans that are hoping for a faithful adaptation will be sorely disappointed as the Poe story only serves as an inspiration. If, on the other hand, you want a well put together, creepy, gothic, psychological thriller then you’ll be very satisfied. The screenplay was by horror great Richard Matheson, author of I am Legend. The film is a follow up to the previous year’s House of Usher, which teamed up a Matheson script with director Roger Croman and actor Vincent Price. In many ways, it is a remake in that it explores similar themes; an outsider visiting a cursed family, an enmeshed brother and sister, premature burial etc.

            

     This was a very successful and influential film. Many more Poe influenced stories followed. That of course, could be cynically viewed as Hollywood cashing in on a formula. But its influence was felt far beyond Hollywood and could be seen in many of the Italian gothic horror movies of the next ten years. In particular, its theme of unravelling sanity would be visited many times by the genre. The only complaint I have is that there isn’t enough Barbara Steel. Interestingly, this filmed premiered 1 year and a day after Steele’s most famous work, BlackSunday.

House of Usher

 

House of Usher

1960

Director- Roger Corman

Cast- Vincent Price, Mark Damon, Myrna Fahey, Harry Ellerbe

           

     Phillip (Mark Damon) has traveled to the mansion of the Usher family to see his fiancé Madeline (Myrna Fahey) and meet her family. He is greeted by the family butler (Harry Ellerbe) and Madeline’s brother Roderick (played by a very emo Vincent Price with blonde hair and without his trademark mustache). Roderick refuses to let Phillip leave with Madeline but he is very vague as to why. For her part, Madeline is ambivalent and depressed, resigned to some mysterious fate.

            

     After some persistent nagging, Phillip discovers that the Usher family lives under a curse, or at least Roderick believes so. The Ushers have always been evil; murderers, traitors, scammers, etc. Roderick believes that their house is evil and that their blood is tainted, and that the only way to end the curse is to let their bloodline die off.

            

     The Usher house seems to be tied to the fate of the family, and with only two members of the family left, the house seems to be ready to cave in at any time. Phillip tries futilely to convince Madeline to leave with him and Roderick is willing to do whatever takes to end his family curse, including murdering his sister!

            

     The film explores several different themes. One is the idea of a place being evil. This idea was explored years later with the Marston House in Stephen King’s Salem Lot. Another theme is the idea of generational evil, evil that is not a product of choices but of blood, passed down over the years. And of course, the film never explicitly spells it out for us, so it is up to the viewer to decide if the curse is real or Roderick’s delusions.

    

      This was the first of several Vincent Price /Roger Corman collaborations based (loosely) on the works of Edgar Allen Poe. The screenplay was by Richard Matheson, the best horror screenplay writer ever. A lot of elements of this film show up in the next collaboration, Pit and the Pendulum. The Corman/ Price films began the 2^nd phase of Price’s career and signaled the start of a prolific decade for him. Today, Corman’s name may be synonymous with low budget, on par with Troma, but his Price-Poe pictures were very important films that had an impact on horror for decades afterward, and this film was the start of that.

            

    Mark Damon, who played Phillip, though an unknown name to most, has had an extremely long, prolific, and important career. He starred in several other horror films including The Devil’s Wedding Night. He was a producer on many important, successful films including Das Boot, The Never Ending Story, Monster with Charlize Theron and The Lost Boys!!!