User reviews

Recently viewed this little gem as "The Torture Chamber of Dr. sadism". Originally released in the US and UK as "The Blood Demon", while it's German title was "Die Schlangengrube und Das Pendel". An odd film that seemed to be a sort of German take on a mixture of Bava with one of Corman's AIP Poe efforts.

Count Regula (Christopher Lee) is drawn and quartered for the death of 12 maidens, but swears his revenge. 35 years later a disparate group ends up at the Counts ruined castle. The 4 travelers are Baroness Lillian (Karin Dor of Bond fame), her maid Babette, Roger (Lex Barker, former Tarzan and a huge star in Germany) and the monk Fabian (a hilarious turn from Vladimir Medar). As it turns out, Roger and the Baroness are the descendants of the folks that originally put the Count to death and he wants revenge. The crazed servant Anatol lures them to the castle and reanimates the Count. The Poe elements then come into play as Roger faces a deadly pendulum and Lillian is faced with a pit full of snakes. Do they foil the reanimated Count or meet their doom? Check this fun film out to see for yourself!

I expected this to be a really bad film, but was very surprised to find that I enjoyed it tremendously. Christopher Lee's performance is all menace, but with just a smattering of black humour to keep things moving. Lex Barker, more than a decade after playing Tarzan, looks great and is a perfect heroic figure. Karin Dor is lovely and does a fair bit of over the top shrieking, but still manages to give a convincing performance. This was a whole lot of fun! A bit of dark humour, Grimm's fairytale mixed with a Mario Bava sensibility and a little Poe thrown in for good measure makes for a superior European horror flick. Hopefully a nicer print will turn up or a DVD release, as the Magnum Entertainment video that I viewed was murky, faded and very badly edited.

It is fortuitous that this film has at last reached the light of day again, (via DVD) since it provides a welcome reminder of the type of Saturday matinée "scary" fare 1960s parents could safely drop the youngsters off to see--in some ways similar to 1962's "The Magic Sword."

Boasting a very "Siegfried" style hero in Lex Barker, a particularly comely brunette heroine, and Christopher Lee at his most cadaverously malevolent, horror fans should not be disappointed in the regulation personalities. Nor will they be disappointed in the abundance of Gothic contrivances: snakes, skulls, potions, glass coffins, razor pendulums etc. etc. And to those with questions about the logic of the narrative, don't bother with them--the rapid fire pacing won't wait for you to find an answer anyway--if nothing else this film does move!

Ultimately, however, it is in the visuals that this film most impresses. Production design and color are of a very high order indeed, ranking very favorably against Jack Asher and Mario Bava, and it is impossible to believe that the previous work of these two gentlemen is not deliberately evoked here.

Much could be observed in this connection, but suffice it to say that rarely has a nocturnal forest been presented more balefully, with gnarled trees juxtaposed against an ultramarine sky.

Even more in its favor is the effective use of a medieval Bavarian town, whose quaint architecture seems right out of E.T.A. Hoffmann. Here is an example of location shooting that counts for something! Overall, although the credits credit Edgar Allan Poe as the basis of the story, the piece feels altogether more like a "penny-dreadful" hybrid pastiche of the aforementioned Hoffmann and Ludwig Tieck.

Highly recommended for admirers of the genre.

We see Christopher Lee as Count Frederic Regula, who used the blood of 12 virgins for his experiments. He is drawn and quartered but not before swearing vengeance on the descendants of the Judge and the woman who escaped and turned him in.

Now, we come some years later, Roger Mont Elise (Lex Barker) has come to claim his inheritance. He is joined on his journey by a somewhat randy priest, Father Fabian (Vladimir Medar), and a young woman, the the beautiful Baroness Lilian von Brabant (Karin Dor) and her servant Babette (Christiane Rücker). They were travelling in a separate coach that was beset upon by robbers, who took their horses.

The setting near the castle is surreal, with body parts seemingly growing out of the trees.

Carl Lange as the Count's servant was particularly good. Lee, himself, was particularly evil in his appearance. Karin Dor did this film the same year as she was a Bond girl in You Only Live Twice. The art direction was excellent in the castle, with many strange paintings, and the cinematography was superb. The buzzards in the castle were a nice touch, as were the scorpions and spiders and snakes. Roger's escape from the pit with the pendulum can only be described as miraculous.

Next to "The Whip and the Body", this has got to be Lee's weirdest movie.

Lee plays Count Regula which is a very fitting name since he "regularly" frequents the local village & steals away young girls to his castle. He tortures them & uses their blood for his "life elixir". His final victim manages to escape to inform the local authorities and he is executed for his crimes (check out how its done). He manages to come back years later to exact his revenge on the descendants of his last victim & the judge/magistrate that sentenced him to death.

Among the actors you've got to check out is the guy who portrays the Count's butler/servant. He's really wild. In some scenes, he actually steals the scenes from Lee!This guy takes the phrase "loyal servant" to a whole new level! If the average household of today had a madman like him in service, we'd all be in trouble!

Lex Barker is the Count's adversary/good guy here. Sometimes Lex acts as if he's sleep-walking through his scenes. His voice also never seems to change its tone. The other performers are good.

The locales are incredible. I believe this film was shot in Germany.Very beautiful & peaceful but don't be alarmed horror fans. You will love the scenery around the Count's castle. Can you picture a countryside littered with dead bodies everywhere? You will once you've seen this movie.

For those of you that love a little ham in your horror, this one's for you! Its very hard to find in mainstream video stores so you may want to check the ones that cater to specialized genres. It will be worth the search.

This "Castle of the Walking Dead" contains – hands down – one of THE creepiest sequences I've ever seen. A carriage with four people inside is on its way to a sinister castle with a dark past when suddenly the driver notices they're going through a woods where there's a dead body hanging from nearly every three! The sight of and atmosphere during this particular sequences is truly horrific. In fact, the entire film somewhat relies on powerful isolated sequences of the macabre, as the story itself is quite familiar and routine Gothic stuff. "Castle of the Walking Dead" is another loose adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe's legendary tale "The Pit and the Pendulum"; which also already existed in a version directed by Roger Corman and starring Vincent Price. The film gives top-billing to veteran actor Christopher Lee, but apart from the intro sequence and the exquisite finale, his role isn't too extended. Lee plays the malicious and murderous Count Regula, who gets quartered for the all the vicious crimes he committed, but of course not before placing a curse on the judge who pronounced the death sentence and the last female victim who managed to escape and get him arrested. 35 years later, their unaware relatives are lured to the castle where the score shall be settled once and for all. I'm a big fan of Gothic horror and, generally speaking, rather forgiving when there are shortcomings. That's why I'm still very fond of "Castle of the Walking Dead" even though it definitely could have been even better. Many isolated sequences are terrific, but the wholesome is a bit incoherent. Once the almighty Christopher Lee is resurrected again, the quality level of the film rises again. His character is masterfully malevolent (another evil count consuming the blood of virgins to gain eternal life) and this great actor's natural horror charisma already delivers half of the powerful impact. The scene with the giant pendulum remains a brilliant highlight, regardless of how many times you've seen this before in other films. The titular castle is like a theme park full of wondrously sinister Gothic attractions. It even has vultures patiently waiting outside of the pendulum room!

This film has some of the best Gothic imagery I've seen from a 1960s horror film. Very, very atmospheric with skeletons, a dark and scary forest, the 7 dark riders representing the 7 deadly sins, old castle, medieval torture devices, a dungeon, horse and carriage, spiders, scorpions, snakes, death lingering all around and more!

The story is pretty good - Count Regula has killed 12 virgins and is put to death 35 years earlier, fast-forward in time to our story the Count has been resurrected and in need of his 13th virgin victim to complete his task of becoming immortal!

I find liked the long (very long) carriage ride to the castle the best because that is where we get some of the greatest spookiest scenes. I also liked Anatol, the counts right-hand or helper, he's very eerie.

Unfortunately, Christopher Lee might get 20 to 25 minutes of actual screen time... too bad but the story is meant to play out that way for his character.

7.5/10

Does anybody remember that some of the best Wild West and Indians films were made in Germany in the 60s, inspired by novels of Karl May? The director of these series was Harald Reinl, and here we have a try of his in another genre, which was to become very popular and mainstream in the coming decades. Inspired by a story by Edgar Allan Poe, this film is visibly aged, with some very conventional dialogs and avoidance of any explicit violence on screen. Yet it succeeds to suggest much of the atmosphere that in later movies of the genre required a lot of ketchup by using a strong visual language and very elaborated and sometimes sophisticated settings. Watch the scenes in the castle of count Regula and remember that they were filmed more than ten years before H.R.Giger borrowed his talent for the start of the Alien series. See the exquisite use of light and colors in the scene where the coach approaches the castle and you get some of the best use of color processing in the pre-computerized film era. All these make the film interesting to watch despite of its aging and not so original story line.

¨Torture chamber of Dr Sadism¨ is a classic Gothic terror loosely based on the horrific story "Poe's The Pit and the Pendulum" and competently directed by the prolific German director Harald Reinl . Entertaining as well as thrilling horror film produced by Constantine Films , with a monumental team of terror , and an European all-star-cast such as Christopher Lee , Lex Barker and Karin Dor . Vintage chiller German picture with eye-popping images , some good shock scenes and slick direction . Decapited , quartered and drawn for sacrificing 12 virgins , the creepy Count Regula (Christopher Lee) is placed together 40 years later to go on his wicked ways . As the sinister Count executed for murdering twelve virgins in a bid for immortality goes back to life , seeking vengeance on the daughter of his intended thirteenth victim and the son of his prosecutor . To find out exactly what happened Roger Mont Elise (Lex Barker) goes to the eerie stronghold . The villain count lures to Roger von Marienberg and Baroness Lilian von Brabant (Karin Dor) to his foreboding castle in order to right an imagined wrong . Regula has a torture chamber which he often uses to punish his victims . There are various bloodcurling torture instruments , such as : ¨Iron Maiden¨ and a ¨pendulum¨ . Unbelievable ! . Until You See It With Your Own Eyes! Beauties! The Prey of a Monster's Desires! A mature person's trip through the ultimate in horrific wickedness !. A New High in Horror!

A stylish and first-rate chiller film , confidently realized , plenty of enjoyable moments , goose bumps , scary scenes and plot twists . This is a true terror movie , great fun , it is immaculately staged , stylishly realized , very literate , confidently made and full of attractive , horrific images . Shivering terror has strangely been more skillfully made than in this agreeable horror Harald Reinl directed . A familiar story that has certain Bava and Corman feel , although it doesn't live up to its material or title . The picture packs striking scenarios including mists rise the ground , lugubrious castle , creepy corridors , frightening grottoes, shrieks come from gloomy coffins , and vague shapes move behind the dismal castle gone to the bad , including terrific art direction . The astoshing torture threatening to quivering Lex Barker paying tribute to Edgar Allan Poe's "The Pit and the Pendulum" and to Roger Corman. The wall paintings bear remarkable resemblance to "The Last Judgement" from "The Garden of Earthly Delights¨ by Hieronymus Bosch . Excellent cast and special mention for Christopher Lee chewing the scenario on a loopy screenplay . This standard Horror film was shot in budget enough and only remotely derived from the classic Edgar Allan Poe story , but beware of the heavily edited DVDs.

This Die Schlangengrube und das Pendel (1967) also titled The Blood Demon (Ireland, English title) , Blood Demon (United States) The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism (United States) , Torture Chamber (United States) or The Blood Demon was well directed by Harald Reilm . German director of commercially successful entertainments, often Heimatfilms, war dramas or crime thrillers . Reinl began in films as a stunt skier for Arnold Fanck in 1930 and then doubled for Leni Riefenstahl in The White Intoxication (1931). A junior ski champion, he managed a French ski school during the 1930s, before taking up full-time directing just prior to World War II. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1950s and '60s, cleverly anticipating genre trends, especially with his series of Karl May westerns (The Treasure of the Silver Lake , Winnetou I , Winnetou: Last of the Renegades) , Adventures (The Crazy Jungle Adventure, Night on Mont-Blanc , Romarey: operation Mazaref, Bergkristall, Hell Hounds of Alaska, Nibelungs ) , Thriller or Euro-spy (Death and Diamonds , Agent X against the red tigers, Jerry Cotton ,Fatal Gun Shots on Broadway, Death in a Red Jaguar) and Edgar Wallace krimis (The Fellowship of the Frog , The Invisible Claws of Dr. Mabuse, The forger of London) . Rating : 6.5/10 . Decent horror movie . Worthwhile watching.

The Castle of the Walking Dead is the first film that I have seen directed by Harold Reinl, the filmmaker who helmed numerous 'krimi' (German-made horror-thrillers based on the works of Edgar Wallace, precursors of the Italian 'giallo'), several entries in the 'Dr. Mabuse' series, and most of the 'Karl May' westerns. If this movie is any indication, Reinl is a major talent ripe for rediscovery by fans looking for a cinema that revels in flamboyant visual pyrotechnics, rather than in quotidian literacy and a politically correct 'sensibility'. Reinl may not be Mario Bava, but his extravagantly baroque camera style is nonetheless extremely impressive. The Castle of the Walking Dead is relentlessly designed; each shot has been carefully thought out and executed to its fullest illustrative potential. Set decoration, lighting, and camera movement are all carefully integrated; there is almost no shot that is arbitrary, accidental, or unnecessary. Reinl is an obvious practitioner of the great expressionist tradition in cinema, in which the significance of each shot is determined by the director's architectural and illuminative insight, in opposition to current film dogma, in which the subordinate elements of the shot (the acting, the script) dictates its formal structure. Significantly, only Christopher Lee, a performer who, like Lugosi, his predecessor, understands the physically revelatory importance of the actor to the overall impact of a film, is able to rise to the director's challenge. The Castle of the Walking Dead is ultimately derivative, badly acted, and pointless, but, for fans of cinema, can be a joy to behold. I should note that the DVD that I watched was faded and crappy; one can only hope that in the future the rest of Reinl's output will be rediscovered and restored with the loving care that it deserves. I can't wait.

This was another desirable title, largely because of Christopher Lee's involvement, which had a tortuous {sic} history for me; ordered as a SE DVD (paired with Joe D'Amato's DEATH SMILES AT MURDER [1973], which I also eventually obtained separately and which I may well get to in this current Euro-Cult month-long marathon), it was abruptly deleted, then I acquired it in an Italian-dubbed version, before settling on this English-language copy which, however, cuts off abruptly at the very end! Being a German production, as with the Krimi genre in comparison with the Italian Gialli, I wasn't as enthused by the end result as that country's brand of Gothic Horror (such as THE VIRGIN OF NUREMBERG [1963], another Lee vehicle which I have just watched)! Still, the film looks good, though the score often becomes incongruously jovial.

The opening scene sets the tone for the rest, as depraved aristocrat Lee (disappointingly, his presence in these type of films amounts to just a fraction of the duration each time!) is brutally executed – via spiked mask and dismemberment!; typically, before expiring, he swears vengeance on Karin Dor (a would-be victim who escaped his clutches and reported him to the authorities) and Lex Barker (as the judge who condemned him). His re-appearance bafflingly occurs only 35 years after the fact, by which time his exploits have already been rendered by troubadours into mass entertainment – but, then, the lookalike relatives of his two nemeses are not only unfamiliar with one another but have no knowledge of the curse hanging over their heads!

A disciple who had himself survived the gallows and become immortal(!) proceeds to revivify Lee and he immediately kidnaps and hypnotizes Dor – with Barker finding himself an unwilling guest in Lee's castle when he eventually sets out in pursuit (after having already saved her from a bandit raid). The castle is equipped with any number of torture devices/death traps, such as swinging pendulum and snake pit – but, naturally, Lee's plans are ultimately thwarted at the eleventh hour and he and his disciple crumble to dust (much like a vampire would; incidentally, one suspects Lee had insisted on utilizing a classic Dracula line here, "The blood is the life", in an attempt to lend this a semblance of prestige!).

This is an unknown surreal little masterpiece of horror! Borrowing loosely from Poe's "The Pit and the Pendulem", director Reinl does a masterful job of pacing and fills the screen with surreal and spine tingling images. There is atmosphere a plenty throughout the film and a sense of uneasiness. The set pieces and costumes are beautiful and are enhanced by the color filming of the movie. Christopher Lee is the rejuvenated Count Regula out to destroy the last member of one of the families that put him to death. Karin Dor is the last female member of one of the families and her blood will give the count what he needs for his "life exlixer". A fun and atmospheric movie that one can watch over and over again. Just beware the heavily cut video rental version and try to find the complete print.

The ridiculously named "Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism" has everything you need to be a classic of b-grade Gothic horror. It's got fantastic locations, brilliant sets, beautiful ladies, capable actors, and Christopher Lee.

The film begins with Lee, who plays a male version of Countess Bathory, being drawn and quartered for his crimes against young women.

The film jumps forward a few hundred years or so with a group of people who are travelling through the European countryside in search of the evil Count Regula (no, he's not called Dr Sadism) and his castle. We get that staple of Euro-horror: everyone the band of adventurers ask for information refuses to give any. No one will speak Regula's name. The movie stops short of the whole "travellers enter a bustling pub or restaurant and when they mention the name of the castle/bad guy everyone stops talking immediately", but it gets its point across.

When the people finally arrive at the castle - it seems to take longer than it should - they encounter the count's creepy servant, and realise his plans for them.

The castle is probably the best set I have ever seen in a gothic horror flick. They should all look that good. It has everything you expect - medieval decor, torture devices, weird paintings, and even a mad scientist set-up with bubbling beakers and lots of tubes.

The count himself, of course, is Christopher Lee, a brilliant choice who unfortunately feels a bit under utilised here.

The movie is also just so much better photographed than perhaps any other movie of its kind. Jess Franco made a bunch of movies like this in the '60s, but none of them looked this good. The scenery on the way to the castle, particularly, is breath taking.

However the movie is not perfect. The only real problem I had with it was its structure. It takes too long to get to the castle, and then too long for the evil Count to appear.

I can easily imagine that this might not be a problem for many viewers, however, and regardless, I feel confident in recommending "The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism" as a must-see for anyone interested in Gothic horror on the big screen.

I have the Aikman Archives 2003 DVD release which has a quoted running time of 81 minutes, but I do not know if it is uncut. It says that it is digitally remastered... but that is a pretense only. The opening scenes have some severe film scratches on it, and minor scratching is visible in many later scenes, although the color is not too bad.

The charm of this film is obviously the sets and general creepiness. Story wise, it is typical of the "Revenge" and "Curse" plot lines in horror movies, but adds a few twists to make it a little more bizarre. It's mostly a vehicle for the well-realized castle and torture chambers. Huge Hieronymus Bosch paintings dominate the walls while trained vultures greedily peck at bloody leftovers. Corpses hang along dimly viewed roadside trees; and with every move a spiked portcullis or oaken door closes behind the protagonists sealing their passage. With a more coherent plot and more subtle and cohesive dialog and editing this would have been more than a "B" movie. To me, it lacks some measure of suspense, although the torture chamber sequences aren't too bad. Christopher Lee needed more screen time and better lines, and Lex Barker could have been replaced with Ron Ely or Gordon Scott (my favorite Tarzans).

A strange West German reworking of the classic Edgar Allan Poe tale The Pit And The Pendulum. Already filmed by Roger Corman in 1961 with Vincent Price in the lead role, the Germans - with their infinitely subtle touch - throw almost every possible horror cliché into the mix. The result is a virtual smörgåsbord of unearthly delights, presided over by veteran horror actor Christopher Lee who, by playing the bloodless Count, seems to be having a leisurely walk through the Black Forest, having spent almost as much of the Sixties in Continental potboilers as he did in their British counterparts.

Looking even more pale and cadaverous than his Dracula appearances, Lee plays Count Regula, a creature of pure evil sentenced to be drawn and quartered whilst wearing a spiked mask (trust Teutonic sadism to add a generous amount of Bava's Black Sunday). Before he expires, he curses the Judge (American B-actor Lex Barker) and his entire Von Marienberg family; thirty five years later his estranged son Roger (also played by) is summoned to Regula's now ruined castle, along with Lillian, the daughter of the woman who framed him (striking German actress Karin Dor, also a Bond villainess in You Only Live Twice the same year).

Their carriage passes through some genuine old German towns (complete with authentically craggy townsfolk) and into a hostile and increasingly surreal landscape - bodies hang from trees with severed arms for branches - towards a castle crawling with vultures and every other possible harbinger of doom, not to mention a resurrected Regula and the bodies of the twelve bodies of the virgins he sacrificed to perfect the elixir of eternal life. Lillian, it seems, is the thirteenth and final virgin (..?), while Roger is destined to be the end of the family line, strapped under a ghastly pendulum in a torture chamber covered in what looks a Brughel mural of A Clockwork Orange.

Lee is superb as always, even sleepwalking through these zombie Count roles, and the art direction in the cobweb-covered catacombs brings a dry tickle to the throat. It's not classic Poe by any stretch, but then every Corman adaptation with Vincent Price had the unmistakable aroma of ham, and the Germans really know what to do with their pork products. So.let's go down the basement to see what the Swinging Sixties has to offer - possibly a bloody big pendulum blade, that is, swinging on the end of a chain. Sweet dreams sinners,as we enter The Torture Chamber Of Dr Sadism.

Roger: So these are the 12 murdered girls? Servant: Yes. But that's no reason why you shouldn't make yourselves at home.

Talk about a title that jumps up and grabs you THE TORTURE CHAMBER OF DR SADIST is one of those titles conjuring all sorts of images of depraved physical and sexual violence - until you stop to consider it's from 1967 and stars Christopher Lee which means you should be expecting something along the lines of a Hammer horror film and indeed we're shown a pre title opening hook followed by a stranger entering a 19th Century town that is surrounded by forests and have inns that don't have many strangers same as in Hammerland . Much of the early exposition takes place on a coach just like in the Hammer films

The above sounds like it plays out like the much remembered Hammer horror films but the crucial difference is TORTURE CHAMBER is a German production and this means if you're watching it in English then it's dubbed . This gives an unnatural character to the actors voices , but that's not so much the problem . The problem is that it sounds like the original German has been too literally translated in to English . Try this sample for instance " Oh we went over the root of a tree , lucky the driver didn't stop , highwaymen are common in the forest , that's why it's dangerous to be caught napping " Does that sound like natural dialogue ?

It also exposes another great weakness in the film - the exposition is over emphasised to the point where everything becomes quite ridiculous . You watch a film like Leslie Norman's DUNKIRK and the dialogue sounds like text from a history book but you're able to forgive that to an extent seeing perhaps that was the film's agenda . In a mere horror film like this one it's rather more difficult to be forgiving . Everything involving backstories such as Roger Mont Elise have to feel the need to state " I am Roger and I came here because.... " at every opportunity . Nothing that happens on or off screen can take place without a character explaining what has happened , why someone is doing something and what motivates them . You'd think this was a production for the blind

This is a pity because being based on a book by Edgar Allen Poe there is a potential for a macabre drama and when the characters arrive at the trademarked spooky castle that only exist in these type of movies then it does concentrate on the bizarre memorably grotesque aspects of a Poe tale but by this stage you're halfway through the film and not really bothered anymore

BTW a number of people on this page and message board have complained how inappropriate the soundtrack is . If that's the case try and track down Michael Mann's THE KEEP , a film not only has an inappropriate soundtrack but visuals that look like they come from another film , kind of like LORD OF THE RINGS on acid

"Die Schlangengrube und das Pendel" of 1967 aka. "Castle Of The Walking Dead" is a cheesy, but amusing little German Gothic Horror film. This was arguably made to cash in on the earlier success of Roger Corman's brilliant Poe-cycle (starring Vincent Price). And while the film is quite entertaining overall, this German Gothic attempt can in no way come anywhere near the brilliance Corman's films, or the many ingenious Italian Gothic masterpieces and British Hammer flicks that were made in the 60s. While this has a partly nice atmosphere, and, most memorably, the great Christopher Lee (who sadly has way too little screen time) as the villain, it is sadly less stylish, and incomparably tamer and more well-behaved than its Italian, British or American counterparts. While the film does occasionally build up a mood, it lacks aspects such the macabre touch of the Corman films or the nastiness of Italian Gothic gems. This is not to say, of course, that the film is a complete waste. On the contrary, it is pure camp fun which I highly recommend to any of my fellow Gothic Horror fanatics.

The cruel count Regula (Christopher Lee) is drawn and quartered for tormenting twelve virgins to death at his castle. Thirty-five years later, Roger von Marienberg (Lex Barker) and Lilian Von Brabant (Karin Dor) are invited to the count's castle. The two are the spitting image of the judge who sentenced the count to death (Barker), and the count's only surviving victim (Dor)...

The film is very loosely based on Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Pit And The Pendulum". Roger Corman had made a film based on the story in 1961, namely the brilliant "The Pit And The Pendulum" starring Vincent Price (my favorite actor) and Barbara Steele (my favorite actress), which became one of the greatest Gothic masterpieces ever in cinema. "Die Schlangengrube und das Pendel" (which translates "The Snakepit And The Pendulum" - also the German title of Poe's short-story) is, of course, no masterpiece of the kind. Harald Reinl, who is mainly known for Edgar Wallace films, the naive German Karl May Westerns and his interpretation of the Nibelungs, was no Roger Corman. Lex Barker was certainly no Vincent Price, and while Karin Dor is certainly no Barbara Steele either, she is still beautiful enough to make this film worthwhile. The film's greatest quality is, of course, the great Christopher Lee (another favorite actor of mine), who plays the sardonic villain. Sadly, he has far too little screen time. The overacting Carl Lange also fits in his role of the evil count's sidekick. This one's negative aspects lie mainly in its (very German) harmlessness, and partly also in the censorship, which was stricter in Germany at the time (green blood? - you gotta be kidding me). Yet it is an amusing film which may be highly entertaining to some of my fellow Gothic Horror lovers. Just make sure to watch all the Gothic masterpieces from Mario Bava, Antonio Margheriti, Roger Corman, the Hammer Studios, etc. before giving this a try.

Whoever produced this film sure had a thing for reptiles! Be that as it may, it had some good points, like the music background that was both eerie and lighthearted, giving the impression that this was not a tale to take seriously, just to have fun with. The coach long trip through the different times of day, with accompanying visual shots of a afternoon, evening, twilight, and night sky was impressive.

The story not so much. While I can't fault the acting, there wasn't all that much material, just a silly revenge plot about the evil Count Ragula (any reminder of Dracula was coincidental, of course) having been thwarted in his plans for immortality and returning from the dead to seek vengeance on the descendants who prevented this (the hero and heroine of the story), with help from his apparently immortal servant. There were hints of family secrets, ancestral homes, identity quests, etc., that sound intriguing but then all fall flat.

The same goes for Christopher Lee as the Count, who doesn't get much chance to display his acting skills in what turns out to be a pretty thankless, rather insipid role, not up to his usual standards. Nothing against him, just the material he had to work with.

The faux priest was the best one in the movie, trying to convince everyone he was pious man of the cloth, but never quite making it, especially when he's so quick to draw a gun. He lent some comic moments, as did the hero, when he attempts to be White Knight for his damsel and instead falls through a trap door in the floor! Maybe that wasn't intended to be funny, but it sure turned out that way!

This has its good moments, but no big deal if you skip it.