Daily Archives: 20Apr12
Random Movie Mention Double-Shot Edition: “THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM” (1961 And 1991)
So Which One Is Your Favorite???
“THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM“
(1961)
…Starring…
VINCENT PRICE
??? ??? ???
Or…
“THE PIT AN THE PENDULUM“
(1991)
…Starring…
LANCE HENRIKSEN
??? ??? ???
??? ???
???
?
Well…
…I’m VERY SURE Y’all Already Know MY Answer.
If It’s A Horror/Thriller Film…
…And It Stars…
VINCENT PRICE
…Then It’s VERY LIKELY To Be A Personal Fave-Fave Of Mine, Fo SHO!
However…
…It’s Honestly Hard To Compare The Two Flicks.
They’re Both VASTLY Different.
The 1961 Version Was Produced AND Directed By…
ROGER CORMAN
("The Fall Of The House Of Usher" "Battle Beyond The Stars" "The Tower Of London" etc etc)
…The Master Of Schlock Film-Making…
…And It’s A WONDERFUL Adaptation Of The…
EDGAR ALLAN POE
…Story.
It Doesn’t Go Over-The-Top, And Relies Heavily On The Unknown.
The 1991 Version Was Directed By…
STUART GORDON
("Re-Animator" "Castle Freak" "Fortress" etc etc)
…The Master Of Over-The-Top Film-Making…
…And He TOTALLY Goes Way Way WAY Over-The-Top With This One.
*** *** ***
I Really Do GREATLY Enjoy Both Flicks, Sure Sure.
However…
…The 1961 Version Has Won A Special Place In My Heart As One Of THE MOST Fun Horror/Thriller Flicks EVER.
The 1991 Version Is Pretty Fun…
…But It’s Just Not As Much Fun As The 1961 Version.
Like I Said, Though…
…They’re Two VASTLY Different Flicks.
In The 1961 Version…
VINCENT PRICE
…Is A Man Being Driven Insane By The Thought That His Wife Was Buried Alive And That She Now Haunts Him And Their Home.
Check Out This Tagline:
("BETRAYAL CUTS BOTH WAYS!")
!!! !!! !!!
I Know, Right!!!
I Love It, Also!!!
For My Money…
…It’s Hard To Beat The…
VINCENT PRICE & ROGER CORMAN
…Combo.
They Worked Together Many Times, And This Is One Of Their Best.
.Period.
As For The 1991 Version…
…It’s Completely Different.
In Fact, The Only Thing That’s Really The Same Between The Two Flicks…
…
…
…Is…
…
…
…The PENDULUM Itself.
Well…
…And They Both Take Place In Spain.
But The1961 Version Takes Place AFTER The Spanish Inquisition.
The 1991 Version Takes Place DURING The Spanish Inquisition.
BUT…
…The 1991 Version Is Simply JAMMED-PACKED With Familiar Faces, Including…
…The Star…
LANCE HENRIKSEN
…But Also…
JEFFREY COMBS
TOM TOWELS
…And Even…
OLIVER REED
!!! !!! !!!
Totally, My Peeps.
I So Agree.
Nifty Little Cast For A Brutal, Bloody Horror Flick.
Some Of My Faves, Fo SHO!
Especially…
JEFFREY COMBS
…Who Has Been In Almost Every Film Directed By…
STUART GORDON
…And The Same Goes For…
TOM TOWELS
…Of Course!!!
The 1991 Version Is Mainly About A Young Woman Who Has Been Falsely Accused Of Witchcraft…
…And Now She’s Been Brought Before THE GRAND INQUISITOR…
…Played To PSYCHO-FREAKY-TWISTED-PERFECTION By…
LANCE HENRIKSEN
…Who Always Has Been…
…And Always Will Be…
…A Personal FAVE-FAVE Actor Of ALL-TIME, Fo Flippin’ SHO!!!
The Meat And Potatoes Of The 1991 Version Is TORTURE!!!
And NO, I Don’t Mean It’s Been A Torture To Watch It…
…I Mean It’s ALL ABOUT TORTURE!!!
It’s Kinda Wildly CRAZY As To Just How Much Torture They Pack Into This 97-Minute Flick.
And It’s GORY-GORY And Totally BRUTAL…
…But In A Fun, Twisted Sort Of Way.
π
*** *** ***
So My Peeps…
…Any Way You Slice It…
“THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM“
…Is A Helluva Lot Of Fun…
…Whether You’re Watching The 1961 Version…
…Or The 1991 Version.
I Totally Prefer The 1961…
VINCENT PRICE & ROGER CORMAN
…Edition…
…But I DO Enjoy The 1991…
LANCE HENRIKSEN & STUART GORDON
…Edition.
I’ll Leave It All Up To You, My Peeps, As To Just Which Version YOU Like Most.
Either Way It Goes…
…I TOTALLY Recommend Y’all To See BOTH Versions.
Okie The Dokie???
COOL BEANS, KIDS!!!
ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND, Fo SHO!!!
Try To Squeeze-In A Flick Or Two.
Trust Me…
…You’ll Thank Me For It Later.
π
π
The Best Of “The Last…”: EPISODE V
For This One…
…We’re Going HORROR/THRILLER!!!
Can You Guess It???
Do You Know What It Is???
Think, My Peeps!!!
Think Think Think!!!
Awe…
…YOU GOT IT!!!
That’s Right, Kiddies…
…Today We’re Talkin’…
SEAN S. CUNNINGHAM’s
…Production Of…
WES CRAVEN’s
“THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT“
*** *** ***
So What Could I Say That Hasn’t Been Said Before?
This Flick Has Been Reviewed To DEATH…
(Pun Totally Intended)
…And I Know That.
So…
…Instead Of Reviewing It…
…I’m Going To Touch-Upon The First Time I Actually Watched It.
“THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT“
…Honestly…
…Truly…
…FREAKED-MY-ASS-OUT The First Time.
I Had Honestly NEVER Seen Anything Like It.
It Blew Me Out Of The Water, As They Say.
When It Begins…
…It Tells You That What We’re Watching ACTUALLY HAPPENED!!!
T’is Based On A True Story…
…With The Names And Locations Being Changed, Of Course.
What Got Me, Though, Was How Realistic It Felt.
It Was More Like Watching A Lavishly Produced Snuff-Film, Ya Know?
SURE YOU DO!!!
π
I’ve Been A Fan Of BOTH…
SEAN S. CUNNINGHAM
…And…
WES CRAVEN
…For As Long As I Can Remember…
(And I Can Remember So SO Much)
...BUT…
…I’ve Also Always Been A Fan Of…
DAVID HESS
…Who Is The Psycho Leader Of The Baddies In…
‘THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT“
.Period.
I Became A Fan Of His As A Child When I First Saw…
“SWAMP THING“
…Another Film By…
WES CRAVEN
…That I Truly Love And Enjoy.
When It Comes To…
“THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT“
…You’ve Seriously Got To Be IN-THE-MOOD To Pop It On.
It’s A Flick I’ve Seen A Dozen Times (or more)…
…Yet Its Impact Continues To Remain Steady And True.
It’s A Harsh Flick…
…And It’s NOT Something You Break-Out When TheΒ Squeamish Are Watching With You.
It’s Disturbing.
It’s Brutal.
It’s A Classic.
If You’ve Seen It, You TOTALLY Get What I’m Saying.
If You’ve NOT Seen It, You TOTALLY Should.
Just Don’t Break It Out When You’re Watching Movies With Your Grandma.
Just Sayin’.
π
π