Bloody Pit of Horror

Film: Bloody Pit of Horror (Il boia scarlatto)

Year: 1965

Director: Massimo Pupillo

Writer: Romano Migliorini and Roberto Natale

Starring: Mickey Hargitay, Walter Brandi and Ralph Zucker

Review:

This is a film that I learned about through the Fangoria Top 300 horror films issue. I started to work through that to expand out my horror film knowledge. I’ve now seen this a few times, with this recent watch being for my Voyage through the FiVes. This was one that I was intrigued to revisit.

Synopsis: a photographer and models go to an abandoned castle to shoot sexy covers for horror novels. Unbeknownst to them, the castle is haunted by a lunatic executioner from the 17th century.

This film begins with a quote from Marquis de Sade. We then see a man known as the Crimson Executioner. He is being executed for his crimes of torturing and killing people. He places a curse that he will come back to get his revenge. They use his own iron maiden to execute him. It is then sealed.

The scene shifts to a modern-day group arriving at a castle in three cars to take photos for a series of novels written by former reporter Rick (Walter Brandi). The group includes Rick, photographer Dermott (Ralph Zucker), financier Daniel Parks (Alfredo Rizzo), male model Perry (Nando Angelini), Raoul (Albert Gordon), cover girls Suzy (Barbara Nelli), Kinojo (Moa Tahi), Nancy (Rita Klein), and Annie (Femi Benussi), and wardrobe woman Edith (Luisa Baratto).

They knock and ring a bell trying to see if anyone is home. No one answers the gate. They sneak in and run into a guy, played by Gino Turini. He tells them that they shouldn’t be inside the castle. Rick and Daniel are taken to the owner. He is Travis Anderson (Mickey Hargitay). He is a former actor and bodybuilder. Like his assistant said, he demands that they leave.

Our duo comes back to the group, informing them to grab their stuff to leave. Travis comes over to a speaker and tells them that he changed his mind. They can stay only for the night and need to leave early in the morning. They are also told that his helpers, the other is played by Roberto Messina, will show them where they can shoot. They are not to go into the dungeons though.

Almost immediately, Rick and Dermott go to where they’re not supposed to. They accidentally hit an ax when a bat spooked them. It cuts off the seal to the iron maiden that the Crimson Executioner was sealed inside.

Our group then goes about taking their photos. The women get into skimpy outfits. We also see that Annie and Raoul sneak off for privacy. That’s when accidents start. Perry is killed by a pendulum-like device. Annie and Raoul are also attacked by someone dressed as the Crimson Executioner. Our group tries to figure out what is happening before it is too late and the question becomes, is this a specter from beyond the grave or someone who is insane?

That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I want to start is with the claim to be based on Marquis de Sade’s works. From what I’ve read, it is loosely based. It is crazy and scary that men like this really existed, torturing people for various reasons. I do like seeing the different forms of torture and the devices that were used.

Now that I’ve set that up, I will say that the setup we have is basic. It is interesting that our group we follow are trying to do covers for horror novels. They end up in the best place possible, belonging to the Crimson Executioner. That backstory there is good as well. This maniac who was a sadist, enjoying the pleasure from seeing people be tortured. What doesn’t work here though, it doesn’t do well in hiding the truth of what is happening in the modern times.

Then just other themes that I noticed would be perfection and in turn, narcissism. This comes from Travis. We learn that he was successful in acting and bodybuilding, before just disappearing. He has a connection to Edith. This also leads to misogyny as most of the victims in the past and present are women. This would fall into an early exploitation film. This also has a modern gothic feel being that it takes place in a castle, but in a modern time.

That should be enough for the story so let’s go over to the filmmaking aspects. The cinematography effectively captures the solid castle setting, particularly the dungeon, reminiscent of 'old dark house' films. The various torture devices are good, though some are clearly fake, limiting the effects. The bright color of the blood is something that I’m a mark for. The soundtrack builds atmosphere well, except for a jarringly whimsical moment during the picture-taking scene. The biggest sin is that this is just boring unfortunately.

All that is left then are the acting performances. Hargitay has a good build for this eccentric recluse. Turini and Messina are good as his henchmen. Brandi is solid as our lead. Baratto also works as the female lead. Then I’d say that Zucker, Rizzo and Gordon work in their roles. The women are all gorgeous so credit there. Everyone is limited, in part, due to the script. No one truly stands out in their performances. They do show feel well though, so credit for that.

In conclusion, this early exploitation cinema piece features models and a photographer in a haunted castle who become victims of the Crimson Executioner. The film creates an oppressive modern gothic atmosphere with effective cinematography and music, featuring interesting but obviously fake torture devices. However, it fails as a mystery by revealing the killer too early. Its focus on narcissism and misogyny firmly places it in the exploitation genre. Despite serviceable acting, the script is limiting. It is a worthwhile, yet flawed, watch for horror fans exploring exploitation and gothic horror origins.

My Rating: 5.5 out of 10