There was a time, back in the 1980s and the 1990s, when video rental stores were at their peak (my small town of 7,000 had no less than four of them), that teenage boys across America would scour the shelves for B-grade horror movies that, as the moniker implies, were no cinematic masterpieces, but often nevertheless did feature aspiring starlets who delivered on the nudity.

With its salacious cover depicting a young woman with clothes in tatters, overseen by a lecherous Torquemada played by no less than Aliens' (1986) Lance Henriksen, Stuart Gordon's version of the Pit and the Pendulum (1991) seemed poised to not disappoint. So back then, as a horndog of 16, I gave it a rent, and . . . what I got was a film of surprisingly high quality.

I ordered the Full Moon Blu-Ray of this film a few months back, and finally got around to watching it again last night, though I have seen it a few other times since those testosterone-laden days of decades ago. Newcomers to this film-- and it is a film, not a movie --will see several well-known actors of the time giving professional performances, not just Mr. Henriksen, but also a younger Mark Margolis (a man with extensive acting credits, but perhaps best-known nowadays for his role as Hector Salamanca in the Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul TV shows), Jeffrey Combs and Oliver Reed, among others.

The creative practical special effects with the gore, and the use of actual rats crawling over Jonathan Fuller as his character Antonio lies tied down beneath the massive swinging pendulum, should still interest contemporary film buffs today. No CGI here!

Now, concerning that girl on the cover-- I don't know if that's the actual actress or a model, but that is the character of Maria, played by Rona De Ricci, who is the wife of Antonio. She is falsely imprisoned by Torquemada after he is taken by her innocent beauty. And, I've got to say, Rona De Ricci was perfect for the role, and has got to be one of the most exquisitely stunning actresses to ever grace the medium. I will not lie, when she is first brought before Torquemada and he orders her to be stripped, I can remember back to that first time seeing this film, and my anticipation was about as high as a teenage boy's could get. And my gosh, was she beautiful. The thing is-- unlike many relatively unknown actresses who agree to scenes like this, presumably to use as a springboard to bigger and better roles --De Ricci could actually act. All throughout the film, her lines are delivered with genuineness, and in a short interview included on the Blu-Ray, which was recorded right after she had finished the film, the viewer can clearly see that she was no dummy. Her real life is something of a mystery, as she only appeared in a couple of films before this one-- one of them the critically-acclaimed Israeli film from 1984, Rage and Glory --and then disappeared after the release of The Pit and the Pendulum. Not literally, as far as I know, it's just that she no longer continued to pursue the craft after this film, despite implying in the interview that she wanted to go on. I have my own theories-- it used to be that younger actresses who agreed to do nude scenes early in their careers often found themselves type-cast in those sorts of roles, and sometimes quit out of frustration, although I think it has gotten better now. And sometimes, younger actresses who start families drop out of the industry, although again, I don't know if that was the case here. Rona De Ricci's fate remains a mystery.

In any case, horror movie aficionados who appreciate a well-written script with capable actors and skillful use of non-CGI special effects should enjoy this film.