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58% Critic Match
The Pit and the Pendulum
“A bizarre descent into hell from the creator of Re-Animator.”
5.8 / 10• 1991• 1h 37m•R• English
Horror
Storyline
Set during the height of Spanish Inquisition. The beautiful and kind-hearted Maria is arrested as a witch when she inadvertently cries out in horror at the public whipping of a child. As Maria’s husband Antonio tries to save her, Torquemada, the Grand Inquisitor, determines to punish Maria with torture for the desire she inflames in him. Loosely based on Edgar Allen Poe's classic short story.
Cast & Crew
Lance Henriksen
Torquemada
Lead
Stephen Lee
Gomez
WN
William Norris
Dr. Huesos
Mark Margolis
Mendoza
Carolyn Purdy-Gordon
Contessa D'Alba Molina
BB
Barbara Bocci
Contessa's Son
Benito Stefanelli
Executioner
Jeffrey Combs
Francisco
What People Are Saying
3.0
“A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. Stuart Gordon's vision lands with breathtaking precision.”
3.0
“Every frame feels alive. The Pit and the Pendulum is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.”
