The Pit and the Pendulum

The Pit and the Pendulum is a work of short story by Edgar Allan Poe. The story is about the torments endured by one prisoner of the revived Spanish Inquisition; it is considered one of the classic stories of the horror genre. It is in the public domain and can be found in Project Gutenberg's online collection.

Several film adaptations of the story have been produced, most notably a 1961 American International Pictures release directed by Roger Corman and starring Vincent Price. More than the other installments in the Corman/Price "Poe Cycle", the screenplay bears minimal resemblance to the Poe story: the torture apparatus of the title makes its appearance only in the final 10 minutes of the film.

Czech surrealist animator Jan Svankmajer made a movie short called The Pit, the Pendulum and the Hope, loosly based on this story.