_**Haunted chateau, cobwebs, rats, grisly cadavers, adultery, murder and a torture chamber**_

In 1546, a man from London (John Kerr) visits an ominous castle on the coast of Spain to find out the mysterious events surrounding his sister’s sudden death (Barbara Steele). Vincent Price plays the lord of the manor, Luana Anders his sister and Antony Carbone his doctor.

"The Pit and the Pendulum" (1961) was the second in Roger Corman’s “Poe cycle” of eight movies from 1960-1964, plus other Poe-like flicks, like “The Terror” (1963).

Like practically all of the Poe adoptions of the 60s, including those done by other directors, e.g. the “The Oblong Box” (1969), this film was simply inspired by Edgar Allan Poe and is far from a faithful adaption. Yet it was the most successful at the box office and Richard Matheson did a great job of fleshing out an entertaining story, especially considering the one-dimensional proceedings. What I mean is that the entire story takes place in the forbidding castle, except for a couple coastal shots.

From the 70s to the present horror flicks have resorted to increasing gore to shock audiences while filmmakers in the 60s had to focus more on spooky atmosphere, melodrama and creepy innuendo mixed with ghastly shocks, albeit relatively bloodless. This is a colorful eerie flick for the Fall season (or any season) if you’re in the mood for dark castles, haunted hallways, horrific chambers, cobwebs, Medieval décor, gallantry, sinful secrets and the threat of ghastly death.

Both Luana Anders and Barbara Steele were only 22 during shooting and attractive.

AIP was basically the American version of Hammer in England, so devotees of Hammer horror should eat this up.

The movie runs 1 hour, 20 minutes, and was shot at Raleigh Studios, Hollywood, with the coastal shots done at Palos Verdes, which is about 20 miles south on the seaside.

GRADE: B+/A-