Bloody Pit of Horror (1965)
Speaking of perfect horror films...Bloody Pit of Horror isn't one of them. Not by a long stretch but it is fabulously entertaining.
The film was released by Pacemaker Pictures, the company behind the equally brilliant Terror Creatures from the Grave from the same year. Indeed both films are directed by Massimo Pupillo and star the excellent Walter Brandi. Interestingly Brandi was dubbed by the same voice artist in both films.
The plot is straightforward. A group of models and their crew arrive at an old castle hoping to use it as a photo shoot opportunity. Unfortunately for them it turns out to be an opportunity for hunky ham Mickey Hargitay to don the garb of notorious historical figure the Crimson Executioner and torture and kill them all with sadomasochistic glee.
Following a slowish start which introduces us to Brandi, Ralph Zucker and the girls the film then begins to take a turn for the ludicrous in a brilliant way.
Welcome to mad Mickey's torture chamber of insanity. We have a terrible cobweb / spider trap which Brandi shuffles around under in a vain attempt to save one of the girls from a bite from a giant spider. Of course we have an iron maiden, a rack, a cold water torture device, cages, blades, whips, you name it, it's here, as the brilliant / terrible Hargitay, oiled all over his torso, stomps around shouting about his perfect body whilst wearing the red hood of the Crimson Executioner. Nothing is spared. The horrors of the torture chamber lasts a good half hour and the film is all the better for it.
Fun isn't a word usually associated with the gothic horror genre but Bloody Pit of Horror is one of the most fun Gothic horror film's you'll find and should be in everyone's collection.
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