Is The Pit a Hidden Treasure or Dumpster Fire?
Blu-ray Distributed By: Kino Lorber / October 18, 2016
Craig’s Take 
(5 / 5)
A true oddity from a time in genre filmmaking that seemed to create oddities at an alarming rate, The Pit is a one of a kind viewing experience. Surreally mixing horror tropes, comedy, sappy family-film music and a healthy dose of sleaze, the film defies conventional ideas of tone and genre to create a mind bending trip of a film. Sure, it’s not scary and when it tries to be funny it doesn’t really work but there’s just something about it that lingers.
Sammy Snyders (Huckleberry Finn and His Friends) plays Jamie, a young boy with no friends, a terrarium and a habit of sending librarians naked lady pictures cut out of books. Obviously he’s got a few issues. His parents need a damn vacation so they hire Sandy (Jeannie Elias of Sledge Hammer!) to look after him. Of course Jamie develops a crush on his pretty new babysitter. Between her football player boyfriend, mean old ladies, and terrible little girls, Jamie is having a rough year. Good thing he’s got a pit full of bloodthirsty troglodytes (or trolologs as Jamie calls them) to feed his enemies to.
The film shifts from psychological horror to monster movie to black comedy frequently and contains so many what-the-fuck-just-happened moments that conventional viewing isn’t really recommended. You really should have some friends and some alcohol handy when viewing The Pit. You’ll want someone there to help hold on to your waning sanity. And you’ll need a friend who understands when you call someone ‘clumsy stupid’.
Kino Lorber’s new 2K scan of The Pit looks gorgeous. I’ve grown up with this film through late night TV viewings to VHS to DVD. It’s never looked this good. The colors really pop here and they have maintained a nice sheen of grain that maintains a great filmic look. I have nothing but praise for this transfer. Audio is similarly good. I have no complaints at all.
And holy shit, they produced extras for this disc! First, you get a very informative commentary track with Paul Corupe and Jason Pichonsky that details the history and production of the film. They get a few interviews with people who lived in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin in there so they did do their research. Also included are video interviews with stars Sammy Snyders and Jeannie Elias, an interview with composer Victor Davies and a final, bitter interview with screenwriter Ian Stuart. Unfortunately there isn’t a trailer included.
Jimbo’s Take (5 / 5)
Craig calls The Pit a “one of a kind viewing experience” and he means that in the most positive and sincerest of ways. It was Craig who introduced me to this amazing little surprise. We were attending film school and Craig invited me over for pizza and a movie. We watched The Pit on VHS and I was so impressed by the film that I almost immediately bought a used copy on eBay for retail price (a steal in my opinion since it was long out-of-print at that time).
Since then, I’ve purchased The Pit for the subsequent DVD release and now for Kino Lorber’s impressive blu-ray. I have to echo Craig’s feelings on the the film transfer and extras. Simply outstanding, especially for a film as weird and obscure as The Pit.
The Pit opens with a birthday party scene that appropriately establishes Jamie and his shenanigans with the “Tra-la-logs”. The scene not only works as a great intro to the film, but is so good they have to show it twice…in its entirety…later in the film. Obviously, this was probably done because the production was out of money and they needed to extend the film’s run-time. This is just one of many examples of the production failures or WTF moments that inadvertently turn negatives into assets in The Pit.
One of The Pit‘s greatest assets is Teddy. I can’t believe Craig forgot to tell you about Teddy! Jamie’s best friend is Teddy, his talking teddy bear! Just when you thought a pit full of “Tra-la-logs” was bat-shit crazy enough, the screenplay adds a talking teddy bear.
Is Teddy a demonic possessed stuffed animal bending Jamie’s will towards evil? Or is Teddy simply Jamie’s unconscious consciousness projecting onto his favorite toy? The film is so clumsy in its portrayal of these events that it propels Teddy into a nearly show stealing inanimate object. I defy you not to laugh when Teddy is on screen.
The Pit is exactly the kind of film we cherish on this site. It’s not a 4-star film in the same sense that Citizen Kane is considered the best picture in the annals of film history. However, it is 4-star material as entry-level trash. The Pit is a very accessible, hilariously absurd, but most importantly it’s fun!
Jamie’s Take (5 / 5)
What else can I say that hasn’t already been said? Without sounding like a clumsy stupid, I would just like to point out that Kino’s new blu ray transfer looks absolutely amazing. Seeing the same old VHS and even DVD that my counterparts have mentioned and seen, this new transfer is gorgeous and sounds amazing. There is a commentary track, interviews, all features that I thought wouldn’t ever exist for such an obscure, low budget gem.
How can I dislike a film whose main character is named Jamie???? Also played by the great Sammy Snyders (Tomorrow Never Comes, another low budget exploitation film with an all-star cast – Sammy Snyders and Raymond Burr!) who I guess is suppose to be autistic in the film but comes off as some introverted nerdy man-child. His Teddy talks to him (sometimes about sex or nudity which is all the more funny) and he has a hole in the backyard where the evil Tralalogs await for human flesh.
The film eventually fly’s off the handle and goes batshit, almost turning into a separate movie once Jamie *SPOILER!* kills off his babysitter. The movie then turns into a slasher film with everyone getting their just dues by these monsters.
If you can’t have fun with The Pit, then you need a fucking sense of humor.
Hidden Treasure/Dumpster Fire?
| Craig: |  (5 / 5) |
| Jimbo: | (5 / 5) |
| Jamie: | (5 / 5) |
| Average: | (5 / 5) |
[amazon_link asins=’B01IO7NX86′ template=’ProductAd’ store=’trashmenamaz-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’47aceedf-f7e0-11e7-91cf-85297e917c72′]Special Features
- Audio Commentary by Paul Corupe of Canuxploitation.com and Fllm Historian Jason Pichonsky
- Interview with Star Jeannie Elias
- Interview with composer Victor Davies
- Interview with star Sammy Snyders
- Interview with screenwriter Ian A. Stewart
- Trailer Gallery
