Leofwine_draca
Part Hammer horror, part Grimm fairytale, part Italian Gothic, this magnificent film is an overlooked gem when it comes to the horror genre, lost amongst a slew of unnecessary re-titling and editing. This West German production has a throw-away plot involving an elixir of life; upon this flimsy plot is based a superb visual feast for the eyes with many weird and wonderful scenes and set-pieces which haven't been seen before. My advice is to just sit back and soak up all the atmosphere, while enjoying the colourful palettes and props that the producers use to make this such an eye-opening experience.Things open with an excellent, shocking sequence in which Christopher Lee - playing the evil Count Regula - is sentenced to death. Before this happens a mask (with spikes on the inside) is hammered on to his face, just like in BLACK Sunday (originality isn't one of this movie's strong points, but luckily it borrows from so many sources that it doesn't really matter). A cool red-masked executioner leads him out into the town square, where he proceeds to be drawn and quartered by four horses as the townsfolk watch. A grim and shocking scene, it is here that the art director grabs you with his colourful palette; from the authentic old German town with its old-fashioned houses to the contrasting bright red velvet mask of the executioner, there's a whole spectrum of colours to enjoy.Just as Lee's limbs begin to tear from their sockets, the film cuts forward 35 years to the present day where we are introduced to the fresh-faced and handsome Lex Barker. Barker - a former Tarzan actor well past his prime but who still looks young and great - has been invited to Regula's castle for some unknown reason. The frightened townspeople refuse to talk about WHY they're frightened, so Barker has no other option than go and find out for himself, taking a carriage through the plush green German countryside to the location. Along the way he picks up the amusing Father Fabian (Vladimir Medar pretty good in a comedic role) and two women who have been attacked and abandoned by robbers. The first is Baroness Lilian von Brabant, played by Karin Dor, the second Babette, her little-seen servant. Dor is notable for being a Bond girl and also for her stunning resemblance to Barbara Steele, her long-lost twin perhaps? Either way she makes for a fetching female in distress.As nightfall grows close, the initially lush and beautiful countryside begins to turn into a sinister, mist-enshrouded landscape haunted by the unknown. In an excellent scene, the coach driver notices that the trees surrounding the path are draped with human body parts! This makes for a very creepy image, one to stay with you, and highly imaginative. Things get worse to the point where the carriage is driving OVER bodies lying in the road, whilst corpses swing from the trees either side! Great surrealist stuff, but the driver doesn't think so as he promptly has a heart attack and dies.While the father and Barker are investigating, Anathol shows up again to kidnap the girls and take the carriage. Thus the pair must travel on foot, through a spooky old graveyard, before they find themselves in a massive dungeon full of chambers and corridors which is where the remainder of the film takes place (not sure if the castle has an upstairs because we never see it!). The dungeon is another great example of set design, with weird paintings strewn everywhere and disturbing moving statues; rarely in a horror film is such a celebration of death shown. Skulls line corridors, corpses are draped over torture devices, so it's all pretty macabre.There's a lot of incident going on in this movie and the eighty-minute running time positively flies by. My only complaint is with the twee music score which, thankfully, isn't used very much anyway. Otherwise the photography is good, the sets and locations authentic, and the film expensive-looking in scope. The special effects are also of a high standard. The cast is a great one; aside from Barker and Medar, who are both fine as the heroes, we have Christopher Lee in one of his best European horrors from the period. Sure, Lee isn't required to act or do much as the chief villain, but he's adept at playing a corpse and his makeup is fantastic. Special mention should also go to Dieter Eppler, who plays the wonderfully fiendish Anathol! My advice is to seek out a good print of THE TORTURE CHAMBER OF DR. SADISM and watch the movie for what is it: a neglected classic of the horror genre!
Horst in Translation ([email protected])
"Die Schlangengrube und das Pendel" or "The Snake Pit and the Pendulum" (there are several alternate titles to this one) is a German 80-minute film from Germany and you can look out for German and English language version of this relatively short movie. Lead actor Lex Barker (who looks like Alec Baldwin occasionally) made this one already very much at the end of the Winnetou franchise that he, lead actress Karin Dor and director Harald Reinl became famous for. And you can also say "at the end of his life" as he died pretty prematurely only slightly over 5 years after this film here was made. It is a mix of horror, mystery and drama and of course a touch of romance was always there in the films from that time, especially with that final shot. The horror component is delivered by Christopher Lee here, who once again plays a vampire. The name is Regula this time although the Dracula reference is obvious. I like Lee as an actor, especially as Scaramanga, but here he was really not enough to let me enjoy this film. Then again, he is basically only in this film in the first 10 minutes and last 20 minutes, the rest is all about Barker's character. I personally wondered why they would even go to this place all of them with the danger waiting there for them. Truly reckless and strangely enough the carriage driver, the only one who acted reasonable and preferred not to go gets killed and presented as a coward while the brave ones survived. This doesn't make sense, they weren't brave in my opinion. They were foolish. Oh well.. I guess films were surely of a different crop back then. I do not recommend this film here. Thumbs down.
HumanoidOfFlesh
"The Torture Chamber of Dr.Sadism" was loosely inspired by Poe's famous story 'Pit and the Pendulum'.It opens with Count Regula(Christopher Lee)being executed for twelve virgin killings.Before his execution he declares revenge from beyond the grave on the magistrate who sentenced him and all his descendants.A lawyer played by Lex Barker is invited to the castle of Count Regula,the one whose name is feared.The Baroness' letter suggests she'll be getting some kind of inheritance while the orphaned Mont Elise is promised information about his mysterious childhood.The long journey to the castle is dangerous and spooky.The haunted forest of human limbs and hanging people is memorably eerie.Upon arriving at the castle they find themselves at the mercy of a re-animated Count Regula and his invulnerable servant Anatol.Vastly entertaining Gothic horror with paper-thin plot.The castle itself is filled with vultures,cobwebs,dangerous traps,snake pits,torture devices and a pit and pendulum.The soundtrack is pretty inappropriate,but the film is surprisingly atmospheric and spooky.8 out of 10.
dbborroughs
Christopher Lee is the villain of the piece in this story of a nobleman who was in league with the devil who is quartered, vowing revenge on the families of those that caused his death. Years later letters seemingly from the dead man are sent to the children of those involved asking them to come to his castle. They of course go and find their host very much alive. In all my years of watching schlocky horror films I never saw this film before and I don't know why because its a good little rainy night film. There is something fun about this film, which is not really scary, but which does keep you on the edge of your seat simply because it plays with the typical madman in a castle genre. I just had a good time watching this, and I can't say anything more about it then that.
