Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Bloody Pit of Horror Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 29, 2022

Mickey Hargitay never seemed to achieve the same level as superstardom that his wife Jayne Mansfield did, but for those curious about him due to his connection to either Mansfield or their daughter Mariska, Bloody Pit of Horror might provide a decent opportunity to see him, albeit in a goofy film that seems to be one part kinda sorta Luchador flavored, and one part Independent International inspired, at least with regard to its title, which frankly sounds like it could have sprung from the febrile imagination of one Sam Sherman. As commentators David DeCoteau and David Del Valle get into in their fun (and often quite funny) discussion, it may help to understand a bit of the cultural context of the setup, which involves a bunch of people arriving at a supposedly abandoned castle in order to shoot still photographs for what the commentary describes as an Italian staple of the day, "comic books" which were more like "photographic graphic novels", if that isn't one too many "graphics". As the two Davids kind of jokingly refer to, why exactly these people haven't figured out that the castle isn't abandoned is anyone's guess, but as they mention with regard to a famous Hitchcock comment, "It's only a movie". This is an unabashedly goofy movie it must also be said, but it's quite a bit of fun, and Severin has provided a perhaps surprisingly great looking transfer of a cult item that my hunch is relatively few folks will have even heard of.

The story actually begins with a supposedly "historical" vignette of a nefarious medieval torturer being put to death in one of his own instruments of bodily carnage (see screenshot 8 for a look at the inside of a door to a tomb like device that the poor character is put into before that very door is shut to devastating and bloody consequences). Some quick voiceover announces that both the torturer and his torture chamber are forever cursed, which of course can only mean that a variety of folks in "contemporary times" are going to want to visit the underground lair despite being warned not to, and of course that turns out to be the case once the story segues to circa the production year of 1965 after the credits.

One of the kind of funny elements of the screenplay, though, is that these graphic novel participants discover that a former actor named Travis Anderson (Mickey Hargitay) has taken up residence in the place, and while some fitful reasons for his absence from the screen and desire to withdraw from the public eye are given, why exactly he chose this ancient fortress is never really well developed. Adding to some perhaps perceived hilarity is the fact that Anderson is assisted by an aggregation of henchmen who are all dressed in what the commentary comically refers to as "Bob's Big Boy" costumes (and, again, why exactly this is the case is never explained).

Suffice it to say that among the team that has arrived at the castle for the photo shoot is a model named Edith (Luisa Baratto) who it is revealed was once Anderson's fiancée and is in fact the reason for his emotional distress. Perhaps oddly, then, it's only after Anderson discovers that Edith is among the assembled folks that he agrees to let the castle be used for the photoshoot, though he expressly warns them all not to go to the dungeon in the basement. Guess where they all go?

Some of this plays like the Italian cousin of a Roger Corman film at times, albeit without the same Gothic setting or trappings, but at least in terms of some of the overheated emotions and what might be termed playfully graphic violence. For no apparent reason late in the film Anderson simply dons a set of tights, a cowled cape and a mask and announces that he's the so-called Crimson Executioner, though by that point in the story, he already has fewer potential victims than at the beginning.

Bloody Pit of Horror Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Bloody Pit of Horror is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. The back cover of the keepcase insert states with a bit of hyperbolic fervor that this has been "scanned in eye stabbingly stunning 2K from the original uncut negative recently discovered in a Rome lab vault" while also stating that this is "the worldwide Blu-ray premiere" of the film. Truth be told that aside and apart from any marketing verbiage, this is an often gorgeous looking transfer from both a palette and detail level standpoint. The Hammer- esque reds are incredibly vibrant and some really kind of luxe costumes, including an evocative purple caftan type thing Hargitay wears pop extremely well. There are some brief passing moments where things look just slightly faded and flesh tones can assume a bit of a brown look, but those are the exceptions rather than the rule. An organic looking presentation features a nicely resolved grain field and generally excellent detail levels, though again like the palette, there are a couple of brief, intermittent downturns especially in some of the most dimly lit material.

Bloody Pit of Horror Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Bloody Pit of Horror features DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono tracks in either English or Italian. As tends to be the case with Italian productions of this era, you get dubbing and/or post-looping no matter which language you choose, and so as the pundits are want to say "sync can be loose". That said, both mixes sound surprisingly similar in terms of score, effects and overall amplitude, though the dialogue struck my ears as being just slightly more boxy sounding in the Italian version. Either optional English or English SDH subtitles are available depending on which spoken language is chosen.

Bloody Pit of Horror Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Filmmaker David DeCoteau and Film Historian David Del Valle


• Alternate Opening Sequences (SD; 4:33)


• Trailer (SD; 1:34)

Additionally packaging features a nice slipbox with a fun illustration on the front and another view of the rear of the Crimson Executioner and a pull quote and credits on the back.

Bloody Pit of Horror Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Commentators David DeCoteau and David Del Valle mention how Bloody Pit of Horror is "perfect drive-in fare", and if taken in that (cultural?) context, it's a goofily enjoyable enterprise that has an almost surreal flavor at times. Severin posits this as "the WTF? performance of [Mickey Hargitay's] career", though truth be told how Hargitay could have offered anything other than a "WTF? performance" given the vagaries of the screenplay is probably a given. This is another little remembered cult film that Severin now offers on Blu-ray with surprisingly strong technical merits (especially video) and a very enjoyable commentary, for those who may be considering making a purchase.