The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre
a film by Danny Ashkenasi
from the short story by Edgar Allan Poe
A desperate composer imagines himself both the victim and the Inquisition in Poe’s “The Pit and the Pendulum”. Reality and fantasy converge with frightening consequences.
” “The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre” is a mesmerizing musical film. This chilling adaptation of Poe’s classic tale delves into the plight of a desperate composer ensnared by the menacing Inquisition. Blurring reality and fantasy, the film offers a spine-tingling journey through terror and imagination. It’s a masterful fusion of drama, music, and visuals that you don’t want to miss.” – Pitch to Screen
“Danny Ashkenasi has remained fairly faithful to Poe’s story but put it into a narrative context via his framing story, as well as setting everything to music, so much so that some of Poe’s words are actually sung on screen. And this works remarkably well, as not only does Ashkenasi hit the right note when it comes to the film’s mood, he also enriches the story with nightmarish and often surreal imagery, often goes for associative rather than linear storytelling, and ultimately delivering an enjoyably disturbing piece of cinema.” – Mike Haberfelner – re(Search) My Trash
“Just the balance of the music, the dialog and some very interesting artistic chances that [are taken] within the film… As an artistic piece it is very impressive.” – Joe Mauceri – Winter Film Awards
“It was a true experience, not just a film. The directional sound was amazing, the look of the film, the voices, the whole composition just breathtaking. Bravo to the whole team on this.” – Josh Mabe – Horror Movie Freaks Film festival
“The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre” on IMDb.com
Official Selection
Afraid. Online Film Awards – Alibag Short Film Festival – American Filmatic Arts Awards – Angaelica Film Festival – Antikyno – Aphrodite Film Awards – Art Film Awards – Art is Alive Film Festival – The Artists Forum Festival of the Moving Image – Asia Film Festival – Asia South East Short Film Festival (Special Mention) – Autumn’s Dawn Film Festival – 180′ Berlin Film Festival (semi-finalist) – Berlin New Wave Film Festival – Best Short Fest (semi-finalist) – Big Apple Film Festival and Screenplay Competition (Quarter Finalist) – Bloody Hats Film Festival – Brooklyn International short Festival – Chain NYC Film Festival – CK Film Festival – Couch Film Festival – Cuckoo International Film Awards – Cult Critic Movie Awards – The Cutting Room International Short Film Festival NYC – The Cyprus Horror Society – Denver Monthly Film Awards – Diabolical Horror Film Festival – DreadRock: A Horror Film Festival – Druk International Film Festival – Festival Angaelica – FFTG Awards Film Fest – FILMESQUE Cinefest NYC – Fotofilm International Short Film Festival – Germany International Film Festival – Goa Short Film Festival – Gold Star Movie Awards – Golden Horse International Film Festival – Golden Short Film Awards – Gothamite Monthly Film Awards – Guttercast – H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival – Haunted House FearFest – Himachal Short Film Festival – Hollywood Gold Awards – Horror Bowl Movie Awards – Horror Island – Horror Movie Freaks Film Fest – Horrors4You – iFilms International Short Film Festival – Indapuram International Short Film Festival – Independent Horror Movie Awards – Indie Gathering International Film Festival – International Film festival Manhattan – International New York Film Festival – International Short Film Festival – Jersey Shore Film Festival – King’s Cross Film Awards – L’HIFF Love and Hope Barcelona International Film Festival – Liberty Film Awards – Lift Off Global Network New York – London International Film Festival – Lonely Wolf International Film Festival London – Los Angeles Independent Film Festival – Luis Bunuel Memorial Award – Maverick Movie Awards – Mexico Film Festival Awards – MP Film Award – Naked Mountain International Independent (short) Film Festival – New York City IO Film Festival – New York Monthly Film Festival – New York Movie Awards – The New York Science Fiction and Horror Film Festival – New York State International Film Festival – The North Film Festival New York City (TNFFNYC) – Nyack International Film Festival – Oakland Awards – Offshore Film Festival – Pigeon D’Or Awards – Piermont Film Festival (Honorable Mention) – Pitch To Screen Film Festival – Pune Short Film Festival – Rising International Short Film Festival – Rangkarmi International Short Film Festival – Ravenwood Film Festival – Romford Film Festival – Royal Society of Television and Motion Picture – Sacramento World Film Festival – Shanghai Short Film Festival – short-filmz – Silver Mask Live Festival – Skiptown Playhouse International Film Festival – So You Think You Can Direct/Act Competition – SOFIE Short Film Awards – South Film and Arts Academy Festival – Spooky Empire Horror Film Festival – Spotlight Film Awards – Stanley Film Awards – Stardust Films and Screenplay Festival – Sunfest International Short Film Festival – Swiss International Film Festival – 13Horror.com – Thrills and Chills Film Awards – Top Line Distribution Showcase – Transparent Film Festival – Tuesday of Horror – Uruvatti International Film Festival – Virgin Spring Cinefest – Winter Film Awards International Film Festival – World Cine Fest – World Premiere Film Awards
Awards
(Short) Film
Afraid. Online film award – Alibag Short Film Festival (Nominee) – American Filmatic Arts Awards (Best Experimental Short) – Art is Alive Film Festival (nominee) – The Artists Forum Festival of the Moving Image (Juror’s Awards & Best Dark Themed Short) – Berlin New Wave Film Festival (semi-finalist) – Brooklyn International short Festival (semi-finalist) – Couch Film Festival (nominee) – Cuckoo International Film Awards – The Cutting Room International Short Film Festival NYC (Honorable Mention) – The Cyprus Horror Society – Denver Monthly Film Awards (Finalist) – Diabolical Horror Film Festival (nominee) – Druk International Film Festival – FFTG Awards (nominee – Film: Musical) – Fotofilm International Short Film Festival (nominee) – God Star Movie Awards – Golden Horse International Film Festival – Gothamite Monthly Film Awards – Haunted House FearFest (nominee) – Hollywood Gold Awards – Horrors4You (nominated) – Indapuram International Short Film Festival (semi-finalist) – Indie Gathering International Film Festival – King’s Cross Film Awards – LA Indie Horror Fest (Honorable Mention) – L’HIFF Love and Hope Barcelona (Best Experimental Short) – London International Film Festival (Honorable Mention) – Lonely Wolf International Film Festival London (Nominee Medium-Length Film / Dance or Poetic Film / Comedy or Musical) – Love and Hope International Film Festival (Best Experimental Short) – Luis Bunuel Memorial Awards – New York City IO Film Festival (2nd Place) – MP Film Award (nominee – best short film) – New York Monthly Film Festival (nominee) – New York Movie Award – The New York Science Fiction and Horror Film Festival – New York State International Film Festival – The North Film Festival NYC (nominee) – Nyack International Film Festival (Best Musical) – Oakland Awards (nominee) – Ravenwood Film Festival (Best of the Fest) – Robinson Film Awards (Best International Short – December and Annual & Best Experimental Short – December) – Royal Society of Television and Motion Picture – Sacramento World Film Festival (semi-finalist) – Silver Mask Live Festival – South African Horrorfest – 13Horror.com (Honorable Mention) – South Film and Arts Academy Festival – Spotlight Film Awards (Gold Award) – Triborough Film Festival (nominee Short Film / nominee People’s Choice) – Uruvatti International Film Festival – Virgin Spring Cinefest – World Premiere Film Awards
Actor
Art is Alive Film Festival (nominee) – The Artists Forum Festival of the Moving Image – Druk International Film Festival – FFTG Awards (Supporting Actor winner / Actor nominee) – Golden Horse International Film Festival – Haunted House FearFest (nominee) – Independent Horror Movie Awards – Romford Film Festival Audience Award – SOFIE Short Film Awards (nominee Actor and Ensemble Cast) – South African Horrorfest – South Film and Arts Academy Festival (Honorable Mention) – Stardust Films and Screenplay Festival – Transparent Film Festival (Nominee) – Triborough Film Festival (nominee)
Music
Cult Critic Movie Awards – The Cyprus Horror Society – Druk International Film Festival – FFTG Awards (nominee) – Golden Horse International Film Festival – Golden Short Film Awards (soundtrack finalist) – Gothamite Monthly Film Awards – Haunted House FearFest – Hollywood Gold Awards (Honorable Mention) – Independent Horror Movie Awards (Nominee) – Jersey Shore Film Festival – Luis Bunuel Memorial Awards – Naked Mountain International Independent Film Festival – New York True Venture Film Festival – Pigeon D’Or Award (Honorary Mention) – Pitch To Screen Film Awards – Robinson Film Awards (December and Annual)- South African Horrorfest – Spooky Empire Horror Film Festival – Thrills and Chills Film Awards (Nominee) – Transparent Film Festival – Triborough Film Festival (Nominee) – Uruvatti International Film Festival – World Premiere Film Awards
Technical
Art is Alive Film Festival (Cinematography – Directing nominee) – Art Film Awards (Sound Design) – The Artists Forum Festival of the Moving Image (Directing / Editing / Cinematography nominee / Sound Design nominee) – Autumn’s Dawn Film Festival (Cinematography / Editing / Sound) – Bloody Hats Film Festival (Scenography) – The Cyprus Horror Society (Costumes) – FFTG Awards (Nominees: Cinematography/Post-Production) – Gothamite Monthly Film Awards (VFX) – Horror Movie Freaks Film Festival (Cinematography)- Independent Horror Movie Awards (Editing & Special Effects Nominee) – Indie Gathering International Film Festival (Cinematography / Editing nominee) – Lonely Wolf International Film Festival London (Nominee: Production Design) – Maverick Movie Awards (Art Direction) – The NEXT International Short Film Festival (Editing) – Pitch To Screen Film Awards (Cinematography nominee / Editing nominee)- So You Think You Can Direct and Act (SYTYCA) – (Directing) – SOFIE Short Film Awards (Styling – nominee) – South Film and Arts Academy Festival (Awards: Art Direction, Costume Design, Editing, Lighting – Honorable Mention: Direction, Production) – Spooky Empire Horror Film Festival (VFX nominee) – Triborough Film Festival (Production Design / Sound Design / Wardrobe) World Premiere Film Awards (Costumes)
Select Articles
On Set Diary:
P&P – Today the Hair Gets Shorn
Thank You to the Crew of “The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre”
P&P – The Revealing of the Cake
P&P – Day 2 – Blood on the Floor
P&P – Day 2 – The Merchant’s House
P&P – Day 2 – The Destruction of the Cello
P&P – Day 3 – Adventures with a Porta-Jib
P&P – Day 5 – The Pendulum Swings
P&P – Day 6 & 7 – The Walls Close In
P&P – Day 7 – Into the Kiddie Pool
P&P – DAY 8 – Hanging On For Dear Life
P&P – DAY 9 – The Day the Hair Went Bye-Bye!
P&P – DAY 10 – Shooting the Mirror Masks
Pre/Post-Production:
Announcing the Next Poe Musicabre
P&P – Intimations of the Horrors to Come
A Thank You from Hair We Share
P&P Portraits in Color Grading
“An Enjoyably Disturbing Piece of Cinema”
Astoria Filmmaker’s Club Article
Festivals
PIT AND PENDULUM in the EAST VILLAGE
P&P at NEW YORK LIFT-OFF FILM FESTIVAL
P&P at the OFFSHORE FILM FESTIVAL
P&P at CHAIN NYC FILM FESTIVAL
P&P WEDNESDAY in KOLKATA and NYACK
The FILM FESTIVAL EXPERIENCE at INDIE GATHERING, CHAIN NYC & NYACK
P&P Screening in NEW YORK this Friday
Up the Hudson to Albany and NYSIFF
3X P&P in OR, AR & NC this SAT
P&P Climbs the NAKED MOUNTAIN in the SPOOKY EMPIRE
“Thank you for making me enjoy a musical, in a special way.”
P&P at TRIBOROUGH FILM FESTIVAL
P&P’s ART is ALIVE & ALIBAG WEEKEND
P&P WFA Screenings Sunday & Thursday at the CINEMA VILLAGE
Astoria Filmmaker’s Club Article
Watch (and vote for!) P&P at P2S!
POE MUSICABRES Screen Together 11/17 in NYC
P&P at FFTG AWARDS FILM FESTIVAL
Special 4/26 NYC Screening of “The Pit and the Pendulum – a musicabre”
Awards:
P&P VIRGIN SPRING CINEFEST AWARD
P&P’s GOTHAMITE and ART FILM AWARDS
P&P’s STARDUST BEST ACTOR AWARD
P&P WORLD PREMIERE FILM AWARDS
P&P’s INDEPENDENT HORROR MOVIE AWARD
AFRAID. ONLINE FILM AWARD for P&P
NYTVFF awards BEST MUSIC SCORE to P&P
SHORT FILM AWARDS Nominations for P&P
P&P wins 3 AWARDS at AUTUMN’S DAWN FILM FESTIVAL
5 Awards for P&P at The Artists Forum Festival of the Moving Image
SYTYCA DIRECTING AWARD for P&P
P&P SOUTH AFRICAN HORRORFEST AWARDS
NEW YORK CITY IO FILM FESTIVAL AWARD
P&P’s INTERNATIONAL FILM NOMINATION
P&P at TRIBOROUGH FILM FESTIVAL
P&P’s AMERICAN FILMATIC ARTS AWARD
P&P wins BEST HORROR FEATURETTE at NYSFFF
2 ANNUAL ROBINSON FILM AWARDS for P&P
P&P wins BEST MUSIC at HAUNTED HOUSE FEARFEST
Romford Film Festival Audience Award – Best Performance
SFAAF Honorable Mentions:
AWARDED for PRODUCTION DESIGN, WARDROBE & SOUND DESIGN
also NOMINATED for the PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD
ANNUAL AWARDS
DECEMBER AWARDS
BEST EXPERIMENTAL SHORT FILM
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (SHORT) – BEST EDITING NOMINEE (SHORT)
THE CYPRUS HORROR SOCIETY
BEST HORROR MUSICAL
BEST COSTUME DESIGN – BEST FILM SCORE
BEST SOUNDTRACK
NAKED MOUNTAIN INTERNATIONAL INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL
Also nominated for
Best Actor in a Drama & Best Ensemble Cast
BEST MUSICAL – NYACK INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2022
Winner:
Best Supporting Actor – Edward Elder
NOMINEE:
BEST FILM – MUSICAL
BEST ACTOR
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
BEST BACKGROUND MUSIC
BEST POST PRODUCTION
WINNER – BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – ACTION/ADVENTURE SHORT FILM
NOMINEE – BEST ACTOR – SHORT FILM
NOMINEE – BEST DIRECTOR – ACTION/ADVENTURE SHORT FILM
NOMINEE – BEST ACTION/ADVENTURE SHORT FILM
(that really should be 2023, but they didn’t make that available…)
Best Film – Budget over $5000 (nominated)
MAVERICK MOVIE SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: BEST ART DIRECTION
Notes from a Composer 