The restored horror film “The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism” (German title: “Die Schlangengrube und das Pendel“) from 1967 will be shown today on Friday, 12 April 2024 at 7.45 pm at the Metropolis cinema in Hamburg as part of the Peter Thomas Retrospective, which is being distributed physically and digitally by UCM.ONE on the M-Square Classics label. The film stars Lex Barker, Karin Dor, Christopher Lee and Christiane Rücker.
More information about the event: Metropolis Kino
Peter Thomas‘ creative soundtrack lends the mystery western a unique flair. The film was shot at the Bavaria Studios in Munich-Geiselgasteig and in Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Walter Potganski from moviemax, who initiated the restoration of the film and made the release of the soundtrack, which is also available as a limited vinyl edition, possible in the first place, will provide guests with some additional information about the film after the screening.
The film, based on an original by Edgar Allan Poe, begins in 1801, when Count Regula(Christopher Lee) is quartered for the murder of twelve virgins. Many years later, the lawyer Roger Mont-Elise(Lex Barker) and the attractive Baroness Lilian von Brabant(Karin Dor) receive an invitation to the disreputable Sandertal. The journey through spooky forests leads them directly to the ruins of Count Regula’s castle and his torture chamber. Nobody can yet suspect that the count’s resurrection is being prepared here, but he still needs the blood of a thirteenth virgin to do so…
The film was directed by the famous Austrian Harald Reinl, who created absolute milestones with “Winnetou 1-3“, “Treasure in Silver Lake” or various Edgar Wallace films such as “The Frog in the Mask” or the war film “U 47 – Captain Lieutenant Prien“! The screenplay was loosely based on the story “The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism” by the master of the macabre Edgar Allan Poe.
More information about the movie: The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism
