The Pit (1981) Old Review

 January 2010:

Really, really warped black comedy about a sick kid who feeds those he doesn't like to a giant pit filled with prehistoric monsters who resemble little sasquatch with sharp teeth. Jamie(Sammy Snyders) is singled out by the community as a freak, and appropriately so since it's quite easy to see that he's a perverted creep. His parents are wary of his "dificiencies" getting away on a trip, leaving Jamie with a babysitter with a history of tending to "extraordinary" children. Boy, has she got a challenge on her hands. Jamie carries a torch for Sandy O'Reilly(Jeannie Elias), likes to watch her sleep or shower, and becomes obsessed with her love-life, offended by her "betrayal" to him when she calls up other potential boyfriends. For instance, her jock boyfriend, whose future as a football star is evident, and he even attempts to show kindness to Jamie, plays catch with him, leading to his eventual doom. One girl, with a bicycle Jamie likes, insults and ridicules him, her aunt, a librarian, he's fixated with sexually. They are ripe for the pickings(..Jamie, the little bastard, following the advice of his teddy bear(!), has the librarian strip or else her niece would remain kidnapped!)as are two kids who pick on Jamie when he asks to be a part of their exclusive gang. Anyone that crosses Jamie are in trouble of being fodder for the pit beasties. The crux of the film is teddy bear's involvement in Jamie's shenanigans..in a more sinister voice resembling Jamie's, the teddy offers solutions and answers to problems he might face or currently suffer, motivating the twisted youth to follow them, with only tragic results normally occurring. Sammy Snyders is perfectly cast as Jamie, he has an unsettling quality that gets under your skin. Jeannie Elias, with a bright smile, tries to accommodate him, hoping to equip herself against his strange behavioral issues with that warm personality. Her fatal flaw is trusting Jamie, ending horrifyingly. Laura Hollingsworth is Marg Livingstone, the librarian Jamie torments. The film questions whether or not the creatures exist in reality or as a figment of Jamie's imagination..I'm not sure their release was the correct one, although it provides some stalk sequences and scenes of baffled police quizzically attempting to come to grips with why so many locals are vanishing from their small town. The ending should amuse those who couldn't grasp the idea of Jamie getting away with his crimes. The film isn't as gratuitous as it could've been, but for some reason it's shocking, unforgettable all the same because of the subject matter. This is certainly a one-of-a-kind movie, a real oddity to be experienced. Anytime you see a kid roll an old lady out of her wheel chair into a pit to be eaten alive by carnivorous monsters, you know this isn't your more conventional movie.