The Pit and the Pendulum
1961 · Movie · Approved · 80 min · ★ 6.9 · 83% critics
In 16th-century Spain, a man travels to a remote coastal castle to learn what really happened to his sister after her sudden death. Inside the forbidding halls, unsettling secrets, family trauma, and whispers of cruelty turn his search for answers into a tense descent toward a notorious chamber below.
Based on The Pit and the Pendulum
Also known as Edgar Allan Poe's Pit and the Pendulum
Where to watch
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Details
- Years
- 1961
- Release date
- 1961-08-12
- Language
- English
- Rated
- Approved
- Runtime
- 80 min
- Max quality
- HD
- Critic score
- 83/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.9/10 (383 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want classic Gothic horror with a brooding castle setting, creeping dread, and a big finale, especially if you liked House of Usher; Not for you if you need fast pacing or constant scares.
Pros: eerie Gothic castle mood; strong central performance; memorable late suspense | Cons: slow first half; loose Poe connection; some stiff supporting acting
Themes
- spain
- inquisition
- insanity
- supernatural
- castle
- buried alive
- flashback
- gothic horror
- secret door
- madness
- torturer
- spanish inquisition
- +3 more
Cast & crew
Vincent Price
as Nicholas Medina / Sebastian Medina
John Kerr
as Francis Barnard
Barbara Steele
as Elizabeth Barnard Medina
Luana Anders
as Catherine Medina
Antony Carbone
as Doctor Leon
- PW
Patrick Westwood
as Maximillian
Lynette Bernay
as Maria
- MM
Mary Menzies
as Isabella
- CV
Charles Victor
as Bartolome
- LT
Larry Turner
as Young Nicholas
Directed by Roger Corman