“…the agony of my soul found vent in one loud, long and
final scream of despair.” – POE
Thus ended The Pit and Pendulum, at least the
1961 movie version of the classic Edgar Allan Poe story.
The movie was the second in a series of eight from producer
and director, Roger Corman,
that were loosely based on stories by Poe.
All but one starred Vincent
Price. Some other notable actors that appeared in the series were Boris Karloff (the
original Frankenstein’s monster) and Peter Lorre (whose voice
and acting style would send chills through the strongest of men). In the
movies, Vincent Price portrayed a demonic yet sympathetic character capable of
doing great harm and commanding complete attention. Even in real life, his sneering smile and
impish glare could frighten the bravest soul.
I heard him tell in an interview of watching one of his own movies in a
theater. When the house lights came up, he leaned forward and poked his head
between the women sitting in front of him. “Did you enjoy the movie?” Price
crooned, and the women ran screaming out of the theater.
This was also a time in film making before green screen and
digital effects. Camera angles, distorted lenses, smoke, colors and chilling
music all played into the macabre atmosphere.
Cob webs, plenty of cob webs, touching the hero’s face and tangling in
the pretty girl’s hair added to the suspense. Then came a scream just when
things seemed to get better, sending the cast running to see what new horror
waited for them. The background shots in the movies yielded a mood that Poe
had created in his stories, being both melancholy and somber, although I expect
many were created with a movie technique back then called matte.
At age ten, after days of begging my mother to take me to
see The Pit and Pendulum, I got my wish. I spent much of the time in the lobby,
sneaking peeks through the crack in the doors that went into the theater and
listening to the shrieks and sound effects. I laid awake much of the night
unable to sleep and when I did I dreamed of Vincent Price wearing a henchman’s
cowl and pulling a chain that
slowly lowered the swinging pendulum to slice John Kerr in half. Did
that deter me from ever seeing another one of these movies? Of course not! I
also caught Tales of Terror, Premature
Burial and House of Usher.
Now the movie The Raven is out with John Cusack playing the
role of Edgar Allan Poe. I’ve watched
the trailer and wonder if it will capture the chills and thrills of those old
movies? Will it be so memorable that decades from now I’ll still relive those horrifying
moments?
“…And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the
floor shall be lifted–nevermore!”– The Raven, Edgar Allan Poe
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