An article in the 28 Sep 1958 NYT noted the recent popularity of horror films and stated that Twentieth Century Fox planned to adapt three Edgar Allan Poe short stories, including “The Pit and the Pendulum” (1839). Nearly two years later, the 4 Aug 1960 LAT announced that filmmaker Roger Corman would make a screen version of “The Pit and the Pendulum,” as a follow-up to his recent box-office success, The Fall of the House of Usher (1960, see entry), which was an American International Pictures (AIP) release based on the 1839 Poe story of the same name. Fox’s project received no mention in the LAT item, which suggests the competing project may have been dropped or placed in turnaround by that time.
Corman re-teamed with screenwriter Richard Matheson and actor Vincent Price, both of whom had collaborated on The Fall of the House of Usher. Although the 2 Aug 1960 DV noted Corman’s plans to produce and distribute the picture through his company, The Filmgroup, Inc., the 11 Apr 1960 DV had previously listed The Pit and the Pendulum as part of AIP’s production slate, and the 14 Oct 1960 DV again listed AIP as the financier and distributor.
Shooting was originally scheduled to take place in Italy; however, in fall 1960, AIP announced a shift in its production model from mostly overseas filming to U.S.-based productions. Principal photography ultimately took place at California Studios in Hollywood, CA, beginning on 4 Jan 1961, as announced in that day’s DV. Although no exact budget was cited in the 4 Aug 1960 LAT, it was noted that AIP was moving away from low-budget fare and focusing on films that cost $500,000 or more, at that time.
The film was ready for release by mid-Jun 1961, according to a 23 Jun 1961 DV item. It opened on 23 Aug 1961 at the Palace Theatre in New York City, and the following week, a premiere event took place at Chicago, IL’s Roosevelt Theatre, as noted in a 25 Aug 1961 DV brief. For the occasion, a “giant pendulum” was hung from the marquee, and was set to swing during the last fifteen minutes of the picture to make sure no one was allowed into the theater at that time.
Despite mixed reviews, the film became a box-office success. By early 1962, it was poised to surpass The Fall of the House of Usher’s $1.2 million cumulative domestic gross, according to the 28 Feb 1962 Var. Based on those earnings, Corman continued to produce and direct adaptations of Poe’s work, including Premature Burial and Tales of Terror (1962, see entries), and The Masque of the Red Death (1964, see entry).