It's the Roger Corman Classic Tonight- as Vincent Price Cuts In on Poe's "The Pit and the Pendulum"!

Tonight on MeTV- we pay tribute to the recently passed cinema icon Roger Corman by presenting one of the films from a series he was known for- based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe- and featuring Vincent Price in the lead role. When a young man journeys to a castle in Spain to investigate his sister’s death, he tries to pry the reason for her demise from her grieving husband- which leads to frightening flashbacks, the revealing of family secrets, and weird ghostly events. Horrifying danger awaits in the castle’s subterranean dungeon that houses “The Pit and the Pendulum”!

This film, like others in the Corman series, seems more appropriate to be labeled “SUGGESTED” by the original Poe story, but it retains some of the classic elements. Set in 1547, it begins with the arrival of Francis Barnard, who has travelled from England to Spain, at the castle of his brother-in-law, Nicholas Medina, to find out why his sister Elizabeth passed away. He is met by the sister of Nicholas, Catherine, and then meets Nicholas- who seems somewhat evasive, but says that Elizabeth was stricken with a blood disease a few months ago. Francis declares he will not leave until he gets full details on her demise.

At dinner, another guest arrives- Dr. Leon, the Medina family physician- who finally reveals that Elizabeth died of a heart attack- in fact, like the wife in last week’s “The Tingler”, she died of fright. After this truth is revealed, Nicholas regretfully brings Francis to the place his sister died- down in the old castle’s torture chamber, still equipped with various torture devices from the Spanish Inquisition (who, according to Monty Python, no one expects…)- and claims that Elizabeth became obsessed by the evils of the torture chamber, which lead to her demise.

When Francis will not believe Nicholas’ story, Catherine takes him aside and reveals some horrible information- that, as a boy, Nicholas witnessed his father Sebastian, a leader of the Inquisition, confront his mother and the father’s own brother of having an affair! He murders his brother and then turns his attention to Nicholas’ mother.

The family doctor reveals another part of the story- that Mom was not tortured to death- but buried alive behind a brick wall in the castle! This horrid memory fuels Nicholas’ fear of premature burial (the title of another Poe tale)- and he worries that perhaps his beloved Elizabeth has suffered the same fate. He seems to be having the delusion that her spirit is now roaming the castle, seeking vengeance for being buried while still alive- as more and more bizarre incidents occur that might be evidence of such a thing. Francis accuses Nicholas of being behind everything that has happened- which leads to his brother-in-law demanding that they tear open Elizabeth’s resting place- leading to a shocking discovery. more haunting horror and madness- capped off by the implementation of the title apparatus!

This 1961 film was written by Ricard Matheson, who, knowing it would not be possible to make a full movie from Poe’s short story, created his own story in the style of the author, and utilized the actual Poe story elements later in the film. It’s a truly shocking film, one that Stephen King is a fan of, and stars Vincent Price as Nicholas, with famed horror actress Barbara Steele in the role of his late wife. We’ll talk about the rest of the cast, give some insight into the production, and pay special tribute to Roger Corman. Get set for yet another addition of “Too Drawn Out” and we’ll give you a new way to get fit (or have one). Plus, we’ll receive a visit from gorgeous Gwengoolie- and have Anita X. Orcist here to accompany us in a new song.

“The Pit and the Pendulum” swings into action tonight at 8 pm eastern/pacific, 7 central time. We have been trending every week on Twitter’s list of top subjects during the show- and you too are invited to live-Tweet during the program, using the hashtag svengoolie.com in your Tweets. For our Chicago area viewers, our CW26 channel will rock your world with an encore of “The Monolith Monsters” at 11 am.

We had a tremendous response to the new Sven anniversary merchandise featuring the outstanding artwork of Christopher Jones, with so many fans purchasing the various items in huge numbers! Please check them out in our store- and be prepared for even more anniversary inventory as the year progresses.

We had an amazing turn out for our live appearance with a screening of “Destroy All Monsters” at the sold-out Music Box Theatre in Chicago. It was a great way to kick off our anniversary which, by the way, occurs tomorrow- Sunday! We’ll also talk a little about that in tonight’s show. And- anniversary events will continue on through this year. As they approach, we will post the information under the “appearances” tab here on our website. I am so honored to be celebrating my 45 years of being Sven with everyone!

Tonight,though-it’s one for the mayhem, two for the Poe, and three to get creepy with the Svengoolie show!