The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism

I think this 60s Gothic horror is a re-imagining of Poe’s The Pit and the Pendulum. Unfortunately, the story and direction is pretty flat and dull. Everything feels restrained. The first thirty minutes are a boring carriage ride to the castle where we are slowly introduced to the characters. The stand-out here is Vladimir Medar energetic portrayal of the not-so-honest priest. When they finally get to the castle the art direction kicks into gear. There are Bosch inspired murals, torture devices and colored gels galore. It’s too bad that they couldn’t make more of the inspired visuals. Christopher Lee shows up at the end as the main villain and does his best to salvage things. I have a feeling this one might improve with repeated viewings.