A Return to the BLOODY PIT OF HORROR (1965)

No sane person is ever going to tell you that BLOODY PIT OF HORROR is a good film. It is not. It is little more than a silly mash-up of cheesecake model ogling and medieval torture chamber madness aimed at base level titillation and thrills. But that is what makes it a sick little charmer and possibly a GREAT film! 

The thin-to-the-point-of-invisibility plot is ludicrous - a horror story publisher is trucking a group of gorgeous cover models around Europe in search of scenic locales for sexy cover photo shots. They find a castle owned by a reclusive body builder (actual body builder Mickey Hargitay) who allows them access to the place but then begins killing them off under the delusion that he is heir to the legend of the Crimson Executioner. This.... story.... gives the film the chance to parade several attractive actresses around in negligees AND have a shirtless Hargitay inflicting dastardly violence on their nubile flesh. Of course, even though this is a European production it is still the mid-60's, so the cruelties are mostly left up to the imagination. Or, at least in some cases, they should have been. I will never understand the thought process that led filmmakers to think the poisoned mechanical spider was a good idea. The sight of it is giggle inducing and no amount of threat from the other devices in the room are going to excuse it. There are some bloody moments in this absurd effort such as the sight of swords smearing red paint across the cleavage of a couple of the pretty ladies. But overall the blood on display is tame enough to pass for a kiddie matinee these days. The film does take a bit too long to kick into gear but once it does it manages to present a reasonable facsimile of a fun time. 

One thing this film has going for it is a real sense of energy in the second half. This is heavily aided by chopping and shortening certain scenes that are viewable on most DVD editions of the film. In almost every case these deleted scenes add very little but make the quick pace the thing that keeps the viewer intrigued, even after they realize that the film is going to constantly pull its punches when it comes to violence. Obviously the filmmakers assumed that the energy and the sight of Mickey Hargitay in full madman mode would be enough to keep viewers in their seats until the end credits.

But there is one bit of torture in the film that is actually pretty effective. And oddly it's effective mainly because of what it suggests rather than what it shows. This is when the book publisher (who one could argue is responsible for this entire disaster) is placed in a cage over an open flame and slowly roasted to death. The director chooses carefully to only suggest the horrible nature of this character's demise but it lingers regardless. The after-effects are never shown and indeed the cage in which the body is suspended is artfully hidden by a stone archway after it's clear he's dead. This ghastly death is disturbing and it stands out as a moment of actual horror in an otherwise silly film.