2 out of 5

Director: Stuart Gordon

While opening with a nicely staged, garish scene that highlights the Inquisitions silly and yet cruel tactics, Stuart Gordons Pit and the Pendulum stops short here, and takes about another hour before revving up for a worthwhile finish. The problem is in the balance of story-telling. This opening sequence does an excellent job of having Henricksen be waaay evil, his goons be the comic relief, and the horrors be appropriately horror-ful. The lighting, set, and colors also play to Gordons style well. But once the other main two protagonists are put into place – a husband and wife, who soon get embroiled in witchcraft claims – the film has this wandering nature. I kept wondering when the plot would start, without realizing that it already had. The movie also drops a lot of the comedy at this point, or buries it, and Jeffrey Combs few moments of awesomeness are just sort of great guest-star moments instead of integral aspects of the film. Without the black humor, Henricksens evilness just become bleak, and the toilings of the plot stumble along. As mentioned, though, it comes back for a pretty good blend of styles in the finish (along with the titular pit and pendulum). The acting and sets are pretty good throughout. I have a sense that this is better upon second viewing.