The Pit and the Pendulum (1961) - Quotes

Betrayal's Dual Nature

Taglines: Betrayal cuts both ways!

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Enslaved by Evil in a Haunted Castle

Taglines: She was enslaved by evil in a terror haunted castle.

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Edgar Allan Poe's Dark Masterpiece

Taglines: Edgar Allan Poe's diabolic classic

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The Ultimate Tale of Terror

Taglines: The Greatest Terror Tale Ever Told!

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A Bold Adaptation of a Classic Horror

Taglines: Until now no one has dared to film this ...... the most diabolical classic of all time!

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Desperation and Helplessness in Crisis

Doctor Leon: [after Nicholas has fallen down the stairs and appears to have died] I told you to wait.

Elizabeth: [she and Dr. Leon kiss] I couldn't. What about my brother?

Doctor Leon: He's supposed to leave in the morning , but now... why couldn't you wait one more day?

Elizabeth: [goes down to where Nicholas is laying] I've waited too long already. And now, my dear Nicholas, I have you exactly as I want you - helpless.

Doctor Leon: Elizabeth, there is no time for this.

Elizabeth: I've waited an eternity for this moment. There has to be time. Is it not ironical, my dear husband, your wife an adultress, your mother an adultress, your uncle an adulterer, your closest friend an adulterer - do you not find that amusing, dear Nicholas?

Doctor Leon: Elizabeth.

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Acceptance of Vengeance and Regret

Doctor Leon: I beg of you leave with me.

Don Nicholas Medina: I can never leave. I must accept whatever vengeance Elizabeth chooses to inflict upon me.

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The Impact of Environment on Sensitivity

Don Nicholas Medina: I should never have brought her here. She was too sensitive, too aware.

Francis: Aware of what?

Don Nicholas Medina: The malignant atmosphere of this castle. It destroyed her.

Francis: My sister was a strong and willful woman - not subject to the influence of atmospheres.

Don Nicholas Medina: You have been here only a matter of hours, Mr. Barnard. You cannot know what it is to live here, month upon month, year after year, breathing this infernal air, absorbing the miasma of barbarity which permeates these walls.

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A Room Preserved in Memory

Don Nicholas Medina: [opens the curtains in Elizabeth's room] The atmosphere is heavy in here.

Francis: Why have you brought me here?

Don Nicholas Medina: It is her room, sir. I've had it kept exactly as she left it.

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Struggling with Inherited Guilt and Identity

Don Nicholas Medina: Was he not my father? Am I not the spawn of his - his depraved blood?

Catherine: His depravity is not yours, Nicholas. Why scourge yourself because of it?

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A Night of Uncertainty and Inquiry

Don Nicholas Medina: Will you stay the night with us?

Francis: The night - and more, sir. Until I know exactly what has happened here.

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The Weave of Life and Death

Doctor Leon: Buying and selling. Living and dying. The weave of life.

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Confronting Fear and Seeking Truth

Doctor Leon: This groundless dread must finally be put to rest. We will exhume Elizabeth.

Self-Punishment and Perception of Haunting

Doctor Leon: She does not haunt you, Nicholas. Can you not see that? It is you punishing yourself.

Doctor Leon's Assurance of Elizabeth's Death

Doctor Leon: Elizabeth was quite dead. I would stick my reputation on that fact.

The Inescapable Nature of Fate

Don Nicholas Medina: The razor edge of destiny. That's the condition of man. Bound on an island from which he can never hope to escape - surrounded by the waiting pit of hell. Subject to the inexorable pendulum of fate - which must destroy him finally.

A Threat of Agony and Death

Don Nicholas Medina: Harlot! You will die in agony! Die!

Entering the Abyss of Torment

Don Nicholas Medina: I will tell you where you are. You are about to enter hell, Bartholomew. Hell! The Netherworld. The infernal region. The abode of the damned. The place of torment. Pandemonium. "Abbadon, "Tophet", "Gehenna". "Naraka", the pit! And the pendulum.

Struggling with Unconscious Guilt and Memory

Don Nicholas Medina: Could I have kept that ring without knowing it? Play the harpsichord without knowing it? Destroyed Elizabeth's room all without knowing it? My inner mind - creating evidence of Elizabeth's vengeful return because that mind knows. But I don't know! I will find out.

A Lasting Adoration for Sister's Beauty

Don Nicholas Medina: [displays a painting of Elizabeth] I worshiped your sister. I worship her still. Without her, life is meaningless. She was that substance of loveliness. I tried to capture it, but it was the way she walked and moved - her smile, her voice. She sang like an angel. And she could play the harpsichord as no other woman I've ever known could play.