The Pit and the Pendulum Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

The Pit and the Pendulum Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 27, 2015

The Pit and the Pendulum, Full Moon Entertainment's 1991 take on the Edgar Allen Poe short story of the same name (as well as select other works), is a dark, oftentimes terrifying film that examines the corruption of religion and of self, the former ignited by frenzy and the latter shaped by a slow decay of the soul. The movie offers an atmospheric take on one of man's most notorious abuses of power in the name of religion. It tells the story of a forsaken lust and wrongful imprisonment, essentially depicting both follies in a single, bleak, and bloody story. The film, directed by Stuart Gordon, whose credits also include the cult favorites Re-Animator and Castle Freak, represents a high water mark for Full Moon, a studio that generally gravitates towards original material but that finds one of its most substantial films in this re-imagining of one of literature's more cherished tales and one of history's darkest moments.

Is this the face of a witch?

It is the year 1492. A Spanish baker named Antonio (Jonathan Fuller) and his wife Maria (Rona De Ricci) make a living selling bread. He wants to travel to the Auto de Fe in order to make some money, but she, against the Spanish Inquisition, rejects the idea. He's the head of the household, however, and off they go. Unfortunately, they get caught up in a mob and witness an execution. When Maria speaks out against it, she is taken, stripped naked, and stood before a man named Torquemada (Lance Henriksen). While Antonio efforts to set her free, Torquemada finds himself hopelessly attracted to Maria. He accuses her of witchcraft and locks her away with another suspected witch named Esmerelda (Frances Bay) in order to keep her beautiful body close to him.

Though the film lacks scope, it doesn't lack a baseline sense of authenticity, nor does it feel confined or hollow. It's true that the film is absent a more sprawling, involved production, but it makes good use of what it has at its disposal, and its focus on mood and character rather than its visual prowess -- which is efficiently impressive in its own right -- elevates the film beyond its somewhat more meager constraints and allows it to exude a fairly intoxicating flavor of terror. The film's darkly inspired set pieces are a perfect match for its themes of corruption and craziness, for its study of man's crossing of the line where his own sensibilities give way to bloodlust and power trips. Here, men convince themselves, and one another, that they're doing God's work, even as they literally revel in searching every bodily nook and cranny of a young woman charged with witchcraft because she dared speak against their unholy dealings. The film takes no pleasure in depicting these men taking pleasure in torture, but it does linger on the tortured souls that operate in this world, depicting with great clarity the inward struggle that Torquemada faces throughout the film, which is itself, thanks to Henriksen's expectedly strong performance, as spine-tingling as any of the more outward bits of violence that are scattered throughout the movie.

While The Pit and the Pendulum works best, then, as it depicts that inward and intimate struggle within Torquemada and between Marie and Torquemada, the film's outward stylings remain impressive. The movie's violence, which is often inflicted offscreen, is terribly brutal and leaves the audience feeling unsettled and further pulled into the dark, depressing world the movie so finely recreates. It's eerie and frightening, too, making strong use of not only dark ideas but convincing locations and moody lighting to create an atmosphere that's just as disturbing as both the violence and the characters who inflict it. The picture's climax, which takes place above and below the title "pit" and "pendulum," respectively, is very well done, reminiscent of modern torture Horror but focusing less on the (pending) violence and more on the scramble to escape, which Gordon frames with both an intimacy and an urgency that will quicken pulses and make the moment significantly more frightening, particularly considering all the audience knows beyond the moment and how the character's death or escape will alter the outcome for others involved in the story.

The Pit and the Pendulum Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Pit and the Pendulum's 1080p transfer isn't masterful, but it's certainly more than capable. Full Moon's presentation is of nice film-like quality, revealing a light grain structure that helps accentuate details both in lighter and darker scenes. Frayed clothes, regal adornments, ragged ropes, musty stone, and of course facial close-ups are all nicely revealing in what is a generally clear, accurate, crisp frame. Light softness appears on occasion, but never to much bother. Colors are robust but only have a chance to shine in the brighter outdoor scenes. Darker indoors prove mostly capable, too, at least outside of the darkest, most shadowy locations. Speaking of, blacks are frequently crushed and littered with compression artifacts. Skin tones, however, generally appear accurate. The image is also home to far more in the way of speckles and debris than most will want to see. Though it's not without flaws, this is a good, filmic presentation from Full Moon.

The Pit and the Pendulum Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Pit and the Pendulum's Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is rather good. Though it lacks the clear, nuanced dynamics of many lossless tracks, this one's not at a loss for sufficient musical clarity and placement. Notes enjoy aggressive front end space and adequate surround accompaniment. There's also a fair bit of heft to the low end. Background ambience is frequent but inconsistent in accuracy. In the scene following the opening titles, chipping birds are well placed in the back but there's also a muddy, indistinguishable clump of sound, too. But there are plenty of great little moments later, such as crackling fires, moaning prisoners, and dripping water droplets that fill the stage to eerie effect. Canon fire as heard in one scene is rather weak, and no other major action effects stretch the system all that aggressively. Dialogue is clear and center-focused.

The Pit and the Pendulum Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Pit and the Pendulum contains a couple of featurettes and a blooper reel.

• Behind The Pit and the Pendulum: The Inquisition of Stuart Gordon (1080p, 8:24): Gordon discusses film origins, originally casting Peter O'Toole and the failure of the original, larger project. He also focuses on working on a lower budget with Full Moon, cast and performances, and tales from the shoot.
• Videozone: The Making of Pit and the Pendulum (480i, 26:02): A vintage making-of that features a look at the project's history, characters, cast and performances, visual effects, and life on the set. The piece is crafted largely of cast and crew interviews and film footage, supported by voiceover narration. The supplement also offers an interview with Ted Nicolau (Director, Subspecies) and previews for other Full Moon features.
• Rare Blooper Reel (480i, 1:46).
• Full Moon Trailers (1080p): Ooga Booga, Reel Evil, Puppet Master X, Killjoy Goes to Hell, Castle Freak, Subspecies, Puppet Master 3, and Grindhouse Promo.

The Pit and the Pendulum Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Pit and the Pendulum is a quality motion picture that's more inwardly frightening than it is externally gruesome, and the film certainly does not lack in physical violence (albeit with its harshest moments frequently depicted offscreen). It makes for a quality character study and a good examination of a dark period in world history by shaping a microcosm of both through the interactions of two characters, Torquemada and Maria. The Blu-ray is one of Full Moon's best to date when considering quality of film, higher end technical presentation, and included supplements. Recommended.