The Pit and the Pendulum by Edgar Allan Poe (1842): A Review
Author: Edgar Allan Poe
Publication Year: 1842
Pages: 20
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Horror, Gothic
Source: eBook
"The Pit and the Pendulum" is another horror masterpiece by Edgar Allan Poe. In this story, Poe successfully evokes a profound sense of fear in the reader by placing his character, a victim of the Spanish Inquisition, in a dungeon where he is left alone, except for the looming presence of the inquisitors. If this were a movie—a very well-made one—I would never ever watch it. The terror is so intense that you either gasp repeatedly, hold your breath, or even forget to breathe! Poe creates this atmosphere of horror through human involvement rather than relying on supernatural monsters. We humans are great monsters by ourselves and do not need any supernatural monsters.
At first, you might think you are reading about the character's nightmare or hallucination. Perhaps he is truly sick on a deathbed, experiencing this as a fever dream. Soon, you wish it were just a hallucination; however, you realize that the deathbed aspect is not mistaken. He faces various forms of torture by the Inquisition, one of which involves a room that is gradually closing in on him. This element recalls "The Iron Shroud" by William Mudford. While Poe's story is not entirely original and shows signs of borrowing (aka plagiarism if he wrote this now), he elevates it by introducing a pendulum to the already shrinking room. He cleverly designs the pendulum to swing from side to side while also descending slowly—voilà, a terrifying torture chamber!
Poe ensures that both his character and the reader feel every second of the horror as it intensifies, drawing closer to death. Interestingly, although Poe's darkness is not as profound as Mudford's, as he offers a glimmer of hope with a happy ending for his character, one could argue that saving him from imminent death does not guarantee a return to a normal life. Instead, it suggests he might end up in a mental asylum like many of Poe's other characters. Ultimately, we won't know, as this is not the focus of the story.
Thank you, Poe! Now, I cannot look at any regular pendulum without recalling the horrifying feelings I experienced after reading this story.
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