The Pit and the Pendulum
The Pit and the Pendulum
NR | 24 April 2009 (USA)
The Pit and the Pendulum Trailers

Seven students answer an advertisement to participate in an experiment to explore how the sensation of pain can be eliminated. Arriving at a secluded institute, they are welcomed by mysterious scientist JB Divay. Initially, JB's fascination with hypnosis, clocks and cactus plants are dismissed by the group as mere eccentricities. But as the students begin to disappear one by one, they begin to question JB's true intentions.

Reviews
Incannerax What a waste of my time!!!
Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.
Numerootno A story that's too fascinating to pass by...
Beulah Bram A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.
Icons76 Oh my! I'd like to know: Who finances these terrible movies? Who Does? When there's plenty of great directors and writers,out there, that even on the 'so called' Exploitation genre(if this is even an attempt to make an Exploitation film,since I'm not sure anymore!) could pull off some -at least- more stylistic, more erotic,more fun "guilty pleasure" type of pictures! And,who does not love to watch a real 'guilty pleasure' movie,once in a while,or even more than once a week?? But... This is just a waste! An offensive way of spending money to create virtually just, non Cinema, to damage Genre flicks' reputation, and ultimately to undress a bit morbidly, a few young actors, with broken dreams, and little talent, who try very hard not to feel sick in front of the camera. Why making such movies? And I'm a fun of cult stuff, of Horror,even of well done(and real) erotica,like certain great classic euro films from the 1960's/1970's! But this is just a misfire with no direction,and a true insult to whomever tries hard to make it in the industry. Don't ever think about renting it,even if you were a voyeur, these days,believe me, there's some excellent porn for any taste, which i give more credit for,than this ineptitude, for at least, being blunt, and deliver the thrills of what some people may enjoy watching,thinking to find it maybe more 'tastelessly produced and presented' in such productions. But,again,there's nothing here, just plain nothing. A true realm of Boredom! Maybe try to discover,instead, some new artsy erotic horror,because there's really a lot better in the Indy scene today, but not from Rapid Hearts or Regent,apparently,since,after checking their other titles,this project,which even does have the guts to say "inspired by the subliminal Edgar Allan Poe's novel", appears to be one of the better Titles available, according to other reviewers! Oh,well.. if this non movie, is what they have best to offer, maybe they should consider approaching a different business,quickly. Or, fire immediately who is in charge of making this type of choices over plots, and most of all,over directors/writers! Why would you keep giving a decent low budget to such abominable filmmaking? It is criminal. What a disappointment! What a cold,sad perception of cultural decadence,and lack of any sense or sensibility, you'd get by watching this one: Despair, that's actually, maybe,the best definition, to nail, exactly,how i felt while watching this,and even until its end,since i just wanted to be fair,and write what i was feeling with a clear mind,about these movies,that get made surprisingly so often,too often, and always, more and more awfully descending to a place of degradation. Please, Stop! And,people at Here or Logo Cable TV(showing often similar stuff): Please try to encourage movies, that do not make people feel ashamed of being gay, or of watching genre movies with a gay theme! The moral disservice and damage,done to their community, is huge, by showing, or even just endorsing such products! Sorry, i truly don't enjoy writing so badly about a film, I'd just like to see if they'd give a chance to much better stuff out there,so present at Festivals, or other events, that,sadly, does not even barely seen, by wider audiences.
sandersofthec If you have seen the original movie version of this and expected much of the same then you shall be sorely disappointed. The cast are, in a word, shocking. Wooden acting, poor dialogue, there is nothing endearing about them. You almost want bad things to happen to them just so you don't have to see them anymore.The whole film seems to exude a sense of TV melodrama. That is, the lighting and sound seem better placed for a daytime TV movie: Cheap.I sense the directors seem know this and to counteract it have introduced, rather bizarrely, an almost softcore porn edge. Nudity, homosexual encounters ll give the movie a very surreal edge. It would be a disgrace to even relate this to Poes' work. Terrible film.
Chris Clark (horrormoviejournal) I learned something from watching "The Pit and the Pendulum". I learned that failing to research movies properly can lead to you wasting the coveted top spot on your Netflix queue. Hey, I could have rented "The Princess and the Frog"...but no, I rented this straight-to-disc "horror" movie that is not really a horror movie at all. You see, I first read Edgar Allan Poe's classic tale of terror when I was in high school; I fell in love with it and its chilling descriptions of torture. So, fast-forward a few years when I notice that a cinematic updating of that story is about to be released on DVD. Having never heard of the filmmakers, the studio, or the cast, I simply assumed that it would be just another horror movie about some person being tortured. I didn't read the plot synopsis nor did I read the reviews by Fangoria or Dread Central, though I did notice their presence. So, imagine my surprise when I pop the DVD in and begin to watch a movie about a handful of scantily-clad metrosexuals asking a notorious hypnotist, JB Divay (Lorielle New), to help them improve their performances in their respective sports. Hmm, I thought, that isn't the Poe story I remember from high school, not even close. Oh, but it gets even weirder and more out-there when the movie becomes...well, strangely homoerotic.Please Read The Full Review On My Blog: www.horrormoviejournal.blogspot.com
radam186 This is one of the worst "things" I've seen for ages. I call it a "thing" because it is not a film or movie, but unfortunately it does exist so it gets credit for existing.I loved reading Edgar Allan Poe's The Pit and the Pendulum, and hated torturing my poor eyes on this monstrosity. It has nothing to do with Poe's story. It doesn't even seem like they read the cliff notes before mashing there ill informed hands down on the keyboard. I wouldn't have much issue with it if it was titled something like The Spooky Homo-erotic Mansion Mystery or David Decoteau's Middle School Video Class Project, in the later case I'd give little David a grade of C for getting it done, but points must be taken off for being ever so boring and poorly acted, directed, written, shot, edited, scored and any other aspect you could think of.This "thing" even falls short of late night soft core porn. It's not the funny kind of bad, it just is bad. If you like naked dudes touching and stuff... you might get it, but probably not. This is a movie made for nobody except for the people in it to try to please their parents by showing them art school wasn't a waste of money. It was... FailedDon't watch it, burn it! Helen Keller would cover her eyes and ears if subjected to this horrid "thing". Booo! Boooooooooo!