The Pit and the Pendulum (1991 film) - Alchetron, the free social encyclopedia

Stuart gordon the pit and the pendulum 1991

The Pit and the Pendulum (released on DVD in the United States as The Inquisitor) is a 1991 American horror film directed by Stuart Gordon and based on the eponymous short story by Edgar Allan Poe. The film is an amalgamation of the aforementioned story with other Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado", and it also appropriates the anecdote of "The Sword of Damocles", reassigning it to the character of Torquemada.

The pit and the pendulum 1991 blu ray trailer

Plot summary

The Pit and the Pendulum (1991 film) movie scenes

In 1492 Spain, Grand Inquisitor Torquemada leads a bloody reign of terror. Opposed to the use of torture by the Church, Maria speaks out during the public execution of a disenfranchised noble family. Torquemada is tempted by Maria's beauty, and atones through self-torture. Confused by these new desires, he accuses Maria of witchcraft and orders that she be tortured until she confesses. During Maria's interrogation, Torquemada cannot stop himself from staring at her naked body; he orders that she be imprisoned. Maria is befriended by fellow prisoner Esmerelda, a confessed witch. Together they struggle to save themselves from the sinister Torquemada. Maria's husband Antonio breaks into the castle to rescue his innocent wife. He fails and is imprisoned for his actions. Torquemada decides to test a new torture device, the Pit and the Pendulum, on Antonio.

Cast

Lance Henriksen as Torquemada

Rona De Ricci as Maria

Jonathan Fuller as Antonio

Frances Bay as Esmeralda

Mark Margolis as Mendoza

Jeffrey Combs as Francisco

Stephen Lee as Gomez

Tom Towles as Don Carlos

William J. Norris as Dr. Huesos

Carolyn Purdy-Gordon as Contessa D'Alba Molina

Oliver Reed as Cardinal

Benito Stefanelli as Executioner

Geoffrey Copleston as Butcher

Release

The Pit and the Pendulum (1991 film) wwwgstaticcomtvthumbmovieposters13281p13281

The film was given quick runs at many film festivals until its home video release in the summer of 1991. In 2000, Full Moon Features released a DVD of the film, which has now been discontinued for copyright reasons. Since then it has been released on DVD as part of the "Stuart Gordon Boxset", which also includes Castle Freak, Deathbed, and a bonus disc. The film was re-released on DVD on 2 August 2011 by Echo Bridge Home Entertainment. The film was released on Blu-ray on April 30, 2013 by Full Moon and on August 12, 2013 by 88 Films in the U.K.

Critical reception

The Pit and the Pendulum (1991 film) Stuart Gordon The Pit and the Pendulum 1991 YouTube

The Pit and the Pendulum has received a mixed reception from critics, and currently holds a 56% 'rotten' rating on movie review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes based on eight reviews.