Edgar Allan Poe’s
Director: David DeCocteau
Here/Regent Releasing
David
DeCocteau is one of a new generation of filmmakers who takes traditional horror
tales and subverts them into something new and exciting. His style is camp,
cheesy and erotic, but with a good dose of suspense and traditional horror as
well. He eschews trends toward ultra violence and uses inference and suggestion
to tell a good tale. His films are marked by beautiful women and even more
beautiful men and while the old Hammer classics may have been filled with buxom
babes, DeCocteau offers us sublime men and same sex love.
The
Pit and the Pendulum DeCocteau style centres around the world of radical hypnotherapy.
It seems Dr.Dimitri developed an unorthodox approach to his treatment of the
mentally ill using pain experiments on the patients in the mental institution,
Archway Aslyum, that he had built for the purpose. He believed that if he
pushed his patients to their pain thresholds and beyond, while under hypnosis,
they would be immune to pain in real life. Sadly he pushed many of his patients
too far and they died in the process.
Now
his daughter JB Divay is advertising free sessions to those who wish to
experiment with a new form of hypnotherapy. A group of sexy young woman and men
apply, each with their own goals and desires. They range from Trevor and Vinnie, the
strapping but IQ challenging wrestling champions, Alicia, who has come to
investigate the clinic and Julian, narcissism, self centred and a weight
lifter. There is also Gemma, a naïve yet lovable diver, Jason the long distance
runner and Kyle, the storm chaser. Of course as the tale unfolds all manner of
personal relationships develop and we are treated to more than a few sublime
young male bodies, including a rather hot wrestling scene !
As
JB explains her methods and they note her obsession with time, having clocks in
every room of the house, she claims she is very different from her father. Yet we
come to realize she has her brother tied and gagged in a chair in her study. It
seems he is a failed experiment from their father’s time at the Asylum, not
only is he not immune to pain but is hypersensitive to even the slightest
stimulus.
As
JB begins to undertake her experiments the students start to disappear. At
first Julian, but this can be overlooked as he argued with his girlfriend, but
as more and more of the students go missing it seems JB is trying to achieve a
goal from which only the most fit will survive.
This
is an intriguing and captivating re-envisioning of The Pit and the Pendulum, it
is fun, erotic, campy and yet suspenseful and atmospheric. It has a great house
as a backdrop and has a real sense of style. It enjoyed it immensely.
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This
review will appear in Volume 2 No.5
(2009) of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.
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