The Pit and the Pendulum (released on DVD in the United States as The Inquisitor) is a 1991 horror film directed by Stuart Gordon and based on the short story by Edgar Allan Poe. The film is an amalgamation of several of Poe’s tales, including “The Pit and the Pendulum” and “The Cask of Amontillado“. The film also appropriates the anecdote of “The Sword of Damocles“, re-assigning it to the character of Torquemada.
The film stars Lance Henriksen as Torquemada, Stephen Lee as Gomez, William J. Norris as Dr. Huesos, Mark Margolis as Mendoza, Carolyn Purdy-Gordon as Contessa D’Alba Molina, Barbara Bocci as Contessa’s Son, Benito Stefanelli as Executioner, Jeffrey Combs as Francisco, Tom Towles as Don Carlos and Oliver Reed as The Cardinal.
Set in Spain, 1492, Grand Inquisitor Torquemada leads a bloody reign of terror, torturing and killing in the name of religion. Upset with the way the Church is practicing torture, Maria speaks out during a public burning and whipping of a title-stripped family. Maria’s own beauty leads Torquemada into temptation and brutal atonement. Confused over his desires, he accuses Maria of being a witch and to be tortured until confession. During Maria’s interrogation, Torquemada cannot help but to stare at her naked body leading him to order her put in the prison. Imprisoned, Maria is befriended by Esmerelda, a confessed witch. Together they struggle to save themselves from the sinister Torquemada.
Outside the castle walls, Maria’s husband Antonio breaks into the castle to rescue his innocent wife. After a failed escape, Antonio is imprisoned for his actions and Torquemada decides to test his new machine of pain on him; The Pit and the Pendulum…
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“Although The Pit and the Pendulum has an escalating pace and even odd moments of humour which makes it feel a long way away in tone from a period Gothic like, for instance, The Monk (2011), it does have substance and much to recommend it, aesthetically, stylistically and in its imaginative development of a classic horror short story (not forgetting Richard Band’s sweeping movie soundtrack). Stuart Gordon is a versatile filmmaker, and his foray into historical horror has a great deal to offer those who enjoy films of this genre.” Brutal As Hell
“It’s vintage Henriksen, and probably one of the roles that proved he could carry a show likeMillenium - even as the antagonist of the film, he’s still compelling and even somewhat sympathetic at times. It’s those gray areas that he excelled at in his prime, and even though he’s an outright villain, Lance brings a humanity to him where lesser actors would have turned it into a cartoon.”
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