Jun 27,1991
| nudity | Rated R-Gruesome Violence and Graphic Nudity A baker named Antonio (Jonathan Fuller) and his girlfriend Maria (Rono De Ricci) kiss and fondle each other at the start, they remain fully clothed though. Maria is forcibly stripped by three men, full frontal nudity is shown including nipples, breasts and pubic hair. She is then 'examined' by the men who take the opportunity to fondle her breast and bum. Maria is again stripped and fondled by Torqumada (Lance Henriksen) on his bed. |
| violence | The Pit and the Pendulum is a film which deals with the Spanish Inquisition and therefore contains many scenes of torture although they are generally neither very graphic or gory. A mummified corpse is shown being whipped and falling to pieces. A woman about to be burned at the stake is seen being strangled, she starts to foam at the mouth. Her young son is whipped in front of her, this scenes is achieved by recation shots and sound effects as the the whip hitting the boy is never shown. Antonio (Jonathan Fuller) is hit on the head and knocked out. A woman is burned at the stake. An Inquisition guard cuts Maria's (Rono De Ricci) forehead with a sword. A prisoner is seen getting out of an Iron Maiden torture device with puncture wounds all over his torso. Torqumada (Lance Hendriksen) is seen to insert his finger into an open wound on his servants hand, he then takes a corset off lined with razors which has cut his torso, he then smashes a vase on the floor and he walks over the broken glass before kneeling on it, he is then repeatedly whipped. A woman has a funnel forced into her mouth and water poured down it to deliberately choke her. Maria is dragged by her hair and tied to the rack which is then used to torture her. Antonio is made to sit on a metal chair which has a fire lit underneath the seat. Antonio splashes boiling water into someones face, there are several sword fights as Antonio tries to escape. Maria's head is bashed against a wall, she is laid on a table and Torquemada cuts her tongue off, the shot of her tongue being cut is never shown as it is represented by blood splashing over a nearby book. Maris is seen with bloodied clothes and blood running down her chin. A woman burning at the stake explodes, several people are caught in the blast and have burn like injuries. Rats chew on Antonio's open wounds on his hand. A rat is sliced in half by a large axe. Antonio grabs half the rat and squeezes it so it's insides and blood pour out onto his wrists which lubricate them so he can slide his hand through the ropes which hold him prisoner. A man is stabbed and has a crucifix forcibly inserted into a wound on his hand. An Inquisition guard is hit by a huge axe, blood splatter across the floor is seen. Torquemada is seen impaled on several large spikes at the bottom of a pit. |
| profanity | Infrequent use of mild profanity. |
| alcohol | Only one character is seen drinking, unsurprisingly it's the Cardinal played by, who else, Oliver Reed. |
| frightening | The Pit and the Pendulum is a deliberately grim film depicting torture some of which could be quite frightening and intense. |
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