The Pit and the Pendulum (1990 film)
| The Pit and the Pendulum | |
|---|---|
.jpg)
Theatrical release poster
|
|
| Directed by | Stuart Gordon |
| Produced by |
Albert Band Charles Band Michael Catalano |
| Written by | Dennis Paoli |
| Based on |
The Pit and the Pendulum and The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe |
| Starring |
Lance Henriksen Rona De Ricci Jonathan Fuller Jeffrey Combs Tom Towles Stephen Lee William J. Norris Frances Bay Oliver Reed |
| Music by | Richard Band |
| Cinematography | Adolfo Bartoli |
| Edited by | Andy Horvitch |
| Distributed by |
Full Moon Features Echo Bridge Home Entertainment (2011 DVD) |
|
Release date
|
June 27, 1991 |
|
Running time
|
97 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2,000,000 (estimated) |
| Box office | $3,331 (USA) |
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.
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.
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, Death Bed 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 UK.
...
Wikipedia