The Pit and the Pendulum

1991, 1080hd

The Pit And The Pendulum is a horror movie of sorts, but more a drama than a scary or psychological thriller, A baker's wife, Maria (Rona De Ricci), intervenes in the whipping of a boy during the Inquisition and is declared a witch by the church. The head of the church, Torquemada (Lance Henriksen), locks up her husband when he attempts to free her and then becomes unstable as his obsession with Maria grows, including killing a Cardinal who tells him to stop torturing people (Oliver Reed, clearly turning up for drinking money). Well, it turns out Maria actually is a witch and after she has her tongue cut out by Torquemada, Maria with the help of her witch cellmate, goes on a journey to find her inner witch.

Incredibly silly stuff - not surprising, considering Stuart Gordon is the director and he loves a bit of nuttiness. It's not one of his best, not helped by Henriksen who appears to have gone completely method and is so over-the-top. It wouldn't surprise me if he went insane during the production. There's no need for what he is pushing in this movie, absolutely batshit stuff.

Rona De Ricci film clip (collages below)