The Pit and the Pendulum in Gartenbachenau

Corman’s THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM was shot in just 15 days and grossed around $2 million. Corman was known for working efficiently, which meant making the most of a small budget and a few days of shooting. Corman knew how to use tricks, which is why his films often looked like they had a much bigger budget than they actually did, similar to Mario Bava, who was working in Italy at the same time. Speaking of Bava: Barbara Steele became an overnight horror icon with his BLACK SUNDAY (seen at Nachtblende in March 2024) and here too the (presumed?) deceased haunts us.

“The climactic sequence stands out as a technically complex and visually stunning conclusion. Dressed in an executioner’s hooded robe, Medina mistakenly subjects his brother-in-law, not the doctor, to the pit and pendulum torture. John Kerr is strapped to a table, staring at a giant, sharp pendulum. The blade swings with increasing force and begins to descend toward the table as Medina stands in the background, the control a noisy, grinding movement. Danny Haller has built massive sets all the way up to the trusses and ceilings of the soundstage to create an aura of depth and menace. In places the film feels more detailed than it is [House of] guide.”

From “How I Made a Hundred Movies and Never Lost a Cent” by Roger Corman