The Pit (1981)

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

I really enjoy this quaint charming little oddity of a horror picture, it might be kinda corny and downright dumb in places, but it's also genuinely edgy and even a little daring at points too, and it has a great creepy child performance in young Sammy Snyders, who is very effective in his role and holds pretty much everything together himself as a disturbed and lonely young boy who discovers a way to rid himself of his enemies after finding a pit deep in the woods that's full of mysterious yellow eyed monstrous primeval beasts that are very hungry! The last time I watched this I really couldn't stop thinking about how much more effective a viewing experience it would have been if the plot had been retooled just a little so that it turned out that Jamie had been murdering people all along and dumping the bodies into the pit, and the "Trol-lol-logs" had just been figments of his warped imagination and a way of justifying himself. That was what the movie was screaming out to happen in my book, it would have clearly been so much deeper, darker and meaningful that way. If they'd have had the balls to go with the more psychological route I'm certain the movie would have gone down as more of a classic, not to say that it isn't a classic to those who love it, I like it a lot, I find it to be a lot if strange old school fun, but if it fails, it fails the hardest because of the horribly mishandled tone and plot structure. It feels like a movie of two halves, you have the dead serious stuff like the intensity of Snyders and his crazy eyes and his voyeuristic tendencies and obsession with *adult* naked women, and then you've got the goofy whimsical music playing while an old lady comically gets dumped down the pit, and then it really changes things up when the monsters briefly get free to go on a little rampage and feast on sunbathers! Anyway it's not exactly ideal but it is worth watching for Sammy Snyders. You do feel for his character at first when you see how the horrible neighbourhood kids treat him like dirt and the ignorant adults who should know better judge and dismiss him as "no good", but then as his more deviant behaviours come to the fore and he's essentially a murderer it makes it pretty hard to care too much when he eventually meets his own demise via a little classic grim poetic justice at the hands of another disturbed child... Kooky, creepy, and a little bit deranged, this cool little gem is well worth checking out if you've never seen it, it's a fun flick, never quite seen anything like it. X

A low-budget, off-beat, horror/comedy, 1981's "The Pit" can be a pretty entertaining movie, if you keep your expectations at a humble level.That Jamie Benjamin, he's a real "funny person" (yep, that quote, said by the movies youngest cast member, is actually meant as an insult).Jamie Benjamin, the movies lead character - is a nerdy and sexually precocious, 12 year-old, autistic boy, who tends to rove around the neighborhood day and night causing mischief - just for kick's. But his brand of fun can get quite devious at times and an about hour into the film we see him graduate from a peeping tom to a reluctant serial killer. This is cheap, off-beat little film certainly does has it's moments of charm and humor, plus, there are are some pervy peeping tom interludes, that should definitely bring a grin - and they establish that part of his personality in the opening minutes. The movie seems to be at it's best when Jamie, our homely 12 year-old star performer, is running around causing mischief and enjoying himself to the fullest, that's when his performance shines the brightest - of which there are a handful of deviously lively scenes scattered about throughout the film. Personally I wish they had taken the peeping tom angle a bit further.Also starring is the beautiful actress Jeannie Elias, who plays the role of the foxy, young, babysitter, who stays with him for the next week or so, while his parent's go "check out a house in Seattle" that they're considering purchasing. And no sooner after his parents have left and just as Jamie's mom had warned her, he predictably develops a crush on his babysitter (he's gone through a lengthy succession of them in his 12 years - but Sandy's "the one" for him) and several mildly amusing instances, some of which involve brief nudity, proceed to occur between the two on a regular basis - mostly in bedrooms and bathrooms. You're seeing the world through the eyes of a "budding" 12 year-old, so expect to see many scenes revolving around youthful sexual curiosity and "voyeuristic activities", it'll be obvious that peeping's a favorite pass-time of his, however it sometimes goes beyond that - Jamie's a little perv (in fact that's the very word they used).The meat of the story however, is a hole in the ground, a pit, THE Pit and more importantly, what is it that's lurking in the bottom of it. What Jamie has found is a small pack of knew found, yet presumably ancient, carnivorous, fur-suit, hole-dwellers of a low level of intelligence; he refers to them as "Trogglodytes" and he takes up something of a parental guardian role towards them. In actuality these trolls or troglodyte's or whatever the hell you wanna call them, pretty much appear to be midgets in furry costumes with glowing orange eyes - I must say the costumes aren't nearly as bad as you'd think, considering the budget they were working with. It's with this pit and the furries that dwell within it, that the movie takes a dark turn and as mentioned earlier Jamie literally turns into a serial killer, either by luring or by physically pushing six people (all of which have "irked" him in the past) into the pit to be devoured by his... pets.Tragically, Sandy, Jamie's lovely young babysitter, in a moment extreme carelessness, inadvertently becomes their next meal and poor-poor Jamie is utterly devastated by her demise (though it won't be the last time he see's her, as some visitations from beyond the grave are in the plans) and completely grief-stricken, he runs home and cries to Teddy (Who? You'll see) and in his characteristic dulcet tones he comforts and consoles his grieving friend. The next day after having exhausted all his meat-buying-money and also having run out of "bad people" who he considers to be worthy and ripe for the slaughter, he sets them loose by throwing a pair of ropes into the pit and soon afterwards carnage ensues; in the form of a string of grizzly murders - leaving the police baffled. Meanwhile Jamie-boy plays it coy and ignorant with his gullible, just-back-from-Seattle parents and the coppers, who are naturally inquiring about Sandy's disappearance.For the next 8 to 10 minutes you'll have to do without the immense star-power and singular screen presence of Sammie Snyders/Jamie Benjamin; as a few more unsuspecting victims fall prey and more investigating unfolds. Which eventually culminate's in a manhunt with the sheriff leading a couple dozen shot-gun-toting-yokels out in the sticks, that ends in a blaze of gunfire. Then a bulldozer comes in and makes short work of The Pit! If by any chance you haven't seen enough of the likes of the little rascal Jamie, don't worry, because at the end he's due for a visit at his grandparents place, who have a house out in the country. Nearby is the seemingly sweet little neighbor girl "Alicia" - whose all smiles. They quickly buddy-up and off they go, giddily frolicking through the forest, where we see Jamie in his Toughskins striding along following Alicia's lead, then suddenly, lone and behold, another pit comes into view, Jamie wonders up to the edge AND! A good twist-ending.If, by any chance, you haven't noticed, Jamie's very nerdy and half the fun is watching this homely and awkward dweeb run around in his dorky clothes and badly-dated hair-cut. Having a raspy voice and a wiry frame, Sammie Snyders doesn't exactly scream: movie-star-in-the-making, not surprisingly his acting career was a brief one. However the beautiful Jeannie Elias would go on to co-star in more films, but mostly she's a highly prolific voice-over actress. The voice of "Princess Toadstool" from the Super Mario Brothers cartoon (remember that one). Also there's a Seinfeld cameo in there ("The Bris"), where she has a single, yet spirited, line: "DON'T TOUCH HIM!!!"

Now here's something worth seeking out for those genre fans with tastes tending towards the twisted, offbeat, and humorous. It's got enough laugh out loud moments to make it consistently entertaining, memorable creatures, and an amusing mean spirited tone coupled with a fairly decent body count.Young Sammy Snyders is effectively off putting as Jamie Benjamin, a creepy 12 year old boy who partakes in a variety of interesting extracurricular activities. Stuck with college aged babysitter Sandy O'Reilly (Jeannie Elias) while his parents go on vacation, he begins lusting after her, while consulting with his teddy bear confidante. He's also discovered a hole in the nearby woods in which a few troglodyte monsters - which he calls "tra la logs" - reside. He soon finds out that they eat only meat, and he's quite willing to provide it for them, taking care of his nemeses in the process.Little Sammy is quite the pervert, as we can see when he cons frosty librarian Marg Livingstone (Laura Hollingsworth) into stripping in front of her window. He similarly has no problem with ogling Sandy at every opportunity. Among his exploits, he takes crotchety blind senior Miss Oliphant (Lillian Graham) for an action packed wheelchair ride and cuts suggestive photographs out of books. This is one kid who likes to keep busy.Canadian produced but filmed on location in Wisconsin (!), this never ceases to entertain the viewer with its utter insanity. Lew Lehman directs, from a screenplay by Ian A. Stuart. A chief asset is a hilarious, old fashioned type of music score composed by Victor Davies. Elias is appealing as the babysitter and there's also a part for Canuck actress Sonja Smits ("Videodrome"), making her film debut.If you decide to check it out, you'll find that the priceless resolution is well worth waiting for. Overall, this is one obscurity that creates a pretty big impression.Seven out of 10.

I've got news for all of you. All twelve year old boys are obsessed with boobs. Well, most of them are. Sammy Snyders really makes this movie stand out as he really amps up the creep factor as Jamie Benjamin the neighborhood outcast that nobody, and I mean nobody, likes. This misfit is beaten up at school, teased by the local redheaded brat, looked down upon by most adults and has a strained relationship with his father who has grown tired of his antics. The only "friend" Jamie can confide in is Teddy, his stuffed animal that talks back to him and him alone. When his parents leave for an extended period of time they hire Sandy who is just the latest in a string of hired help that must look after the little pervert while keeping the house clean. Jamie is immediately smitten by Sandy and begins his own special way of wooing the older woman like staring at her naked breasts while she is asleep. Not a good start. After this odd morning encounter Jamie tells Sandy his secret. There is a massive pit about a mile from the house and inside this pit are little apelike trolls that only Jamie knows about. Sandy immediately dismisses the story as pure fantasy and tries to reign the little sex-fiend in. When Jamie learns that the "tralops" or whatever he calls them are carnivorous he at first tries to keep them fed by buying meat bought from a butcher until his money supply becomes quickly depleted. Teddy gives Jamie the idea of feeding the monsters all the bad people who have angered him over the years. This leads to one of the most amusing scenes as Jamie lures the people to the hole, knocks them in, quips sarcastically, and exits the forest with whatever booty he acquired from the victims. Eventually taking care of the beasts prove to be too much so Jamie drops a line down into the pit allowing the trogs to run rampant in town. A very enjoyable horror flick from the early eighties with enough naked breasts, goofy plots, and the aforementioned disturbing performance by Sammy Snyders. My only gripe is the fact that the relationship with Teddy is never really hashed out. In one scene the bear's head turns on its own indicating a supernatural explanation rather than Jamie just hearing his own voice during his conversations with it. What was the connection between Teddy and the monsters in the pit or was it just two separate details that just happened to have converged? Needless to say, this doesn't really detract from the movie as even the ending is pretty satisfying. A rather obscure movie that not a whole lot of people refer to when talking about good horror movies of the early eighties and I didn't even need my teddy to tell me that.