"Pit and the Pendulum" always was a fun read for me as a youngster. Hearing the description of the "pit" when it was completely pitch black and waking up to a swinging pendulum. It terrified and enthralled me at the same time, as did many of Poe's works. I was hoping this would transfer to the silver screen with my favorite actor of yesteryear, Vincent Price. I was sadly disappointed as it focused much more on the build up than the actual "Pit and the Pendulum".
It was a beautiful film and the acting was on par but I was sitting on my hands waiting and waiting for the climax and once it came, it didn't live up to my expectations. The fight scenes especially are bad as they simply looked very staged and the actors themselves show no emotional response. No grunting, yelling or anything to persuade you into thinking they wanted the other person dead.
I gave the film 3 stars out of 5 so that should let you know something. I didn't hate it and I would even recommend it. But if you're looking for a good Price movie check out "The Masque of the Red Death" or "The Last Man on Earth".
