enuinely eerie music and sounds announce the arrival of Francis Barnard (John Kerr) by carriage to the cavernous Medina castle, where his recently deceased sister Elizabeth (Barbara Steele) has been interred below – in a wickedly morbid, dungeon-like labyrinth of corridors, littered with cobwebs and devoid of bright lights. The master of the house, Don Nicholas Medina (Vincent Price), clearly isn’t telling the whole truth about Elizabeth’s death, caused by “something in her blood,” which is aggravatingly vague. And Nicholas’ own sister Catherine (Luana Anders) is similarly secretive, exchanging surreptitious glances with her sibling every time Francis asks a question.

“Literally, she died of fright.” Even Dr. Charles Leon (Antony Carbone), who inspected the body, seems to be in on the deception. But eventually, Medina reveals that Elizabeth fell under the evil spell – or the “malignant atmosphere” and the “miasma of barbarity” – of the blasphemous torture chamber beneath the grounds, where Medina’s father once served as a Grand Inquisitor. So, too, has Nicholas, who can’t seem to stay away from the death and destruction that stalks the property.

The 16th century setting and the foreboding castle are appropriately unnerving, though much of the ghastliness is spoken about rather than shown. A couple of flashbacks touch upon the horrors, but ensuing episodes of terror tend to begin with a scream and end with a mere description of some startling act of haunting. Barnard is entirely unconvinced, however, intent on uncovering logical reasons behind the seemingly supernatural events – from ghostly whispers to a harpsichord that plays itself to a ruckus in Elizabeth’s locked room. “Too many things need fuller explanation.”

Price is once again excellent in his role, wholeheartedly embracing the exasperation and madness of a tormented, traumatized man, sensationally adding to the brief shots of bloody violence and twisted corpses (and jumpy sound effects). And, indeed, this film boasts some of the more frightening, macabre imagery seen in the works of producers Samuel Z. Arkoff and Roger Corman (who also serves as director), particularly concerning Elizabeth. Based on one of Edgar Allan Poe’s most renowned stories, with a screenplay by Richard Matheson (the writer of “The Incredible Shrinking Man” and “I Am Legend”), the climax is absolutely breathtaking, lending concepts to a wealth of subsequent shockers, as well as boasting a number of striking surprises. The scares and ghoulishness here are ahead of their time, with the titular pendulum proving a perfectly nightmarish set piece. “You are about to enter hell!”

– Mike Massie