The Pit and the Pendulum

"The Pit and the Pendulum" is a work of short fiction by Edgar Allan Poe. The story is about the torments endured by one prisoner of the Spanish Inquisition; it is considered one of the classic stories of the horror genre. It is in the public domain and can be found in Project Gutenberg's online collection.

Roger Corman filmed a version of "The Pit and the Pendulum" in his series of low-budget adaptations of Poe stories, all of which starred Vincent Price.