“The Pit and the Pendulum at the Palace” from In the Shadow of the Master

Peter Robinson

1If I hadn’t become a crime writer, I think I would have written horror or science fiction. I certainly did when I was a teenager. Poe’s tales of mystery and imagination enthralled me from the start. And I came to them first through the films of Roger Corman.

2In England in the early l960s, you had to be over sixteen to see an X film. X ratings weren’t reserved for films about violence but were applied to just about every exciting horror and science fiction film that came out in that golden age—from The Blob toPsycho. For a twelve-year-old fan, the pickings were pretty slim.

3Luckily, though, there was a local fleapit, incredibly named the Palace, where the old woman in the ticket booth didn’t really care how old you were. At twelve or thirteen, I was tall enough that I could pass for sixteen there, or so I thought. At any rate, she took my money and let me in without a second glance. I can still recall the sense of excitement and anticipation I felt before the lush red velvet curtains parted. I was doing something I shouldn’t be doing, seeing something forbidden—at least to kids my age—and I had no idea what wonders to expect. Now here I was, alone in a dark cinema, waiting for the ultimate experience in terror—in living color on a large screen: The Pit and the Pendulum. No wonder my stomach clenched as I slunk down in my seat.

4There was the impossible castle on its hill, surrounded by a ring of mist, and the coach driver who would only take his passenger so far. But it wasn’t so much the castle, and the cobwebs, and the dungeon, and the strange colors, and the distortion used in flashbacks, and dream sequences that made me squirm in my seat. Poe, I discovered through Corman, was a master of morbid psychology. He was a master of the language of grief and loss and how they could lead a man (usually Vincent Price) to madness beyond the grave.

5Certainly there are moments of pure shock. There was the opening of the stone tomb to reveal the skeleton of a woman who had obviously died trying to claw her way out and then the reappearance of the woman in the flesh. There was the revelation of the “ultimate torture device” itself, and the heaving swishing sound it made as it got faster and faster. But mostly it was atmosphere, the unspoken, the hint of terrible mysteries beyond the grave. It was a world where people are condemned to relive terrible acts or suffer the ancient curses of their ancestors. And of course, you couldn’t go home after seeing any of these films without being absolutely terrified of being buried alive.

6No doubt I slept uneasily that night, but the next day I went out and bought Tales of Mystery and Imagination.In no time I was immersed in “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “Berenice” (the teeth, the teeth!), and “The Cask of Amontillado.” I probably produced my own pale imitations in the notebooks I filled with drivel in those days. It also didn’t take me long to discover that Corman’s movie had little to do with the actual plot of Poe’s story, though he excelled in re-creating the atmosphere of Poe’s work. In later life I studied Poe, and his work has since given me hours of pleasure (and many sleepless nights).

1. What is the meaning of the word enthralled as used in paragraph 1?

  1. Fascinated
  2. Disgusted
  3. Repelled
  4. Apathetic

2. In the passage, what is a synonym for the word enthralled as used and found elsewhere in the passage which has similar meaning?

  1. reserved (paragraph 2)
  2. immersed (paragraph 6)
  3. distortion (paragraph 4)
  4. terrified (paragraph 5)

3. What is the meaning of the word revelation as used in paragraph 5?

  1. Something that is made for torture
  2. That which is imagined
  3. Something that is disclosed
  4. A moment of pure shock

4. Which word(s) and/or phrase(s) from the paragraph 5 provide assistance in determining the meaning of the word revelation?

  1. “to reveal” and “reappearance”
  2. “heavy swishing sound” and “mysteries beyond the grave”
  3. “pure shock” and “absolutely terrified”
  4. “the unspoken” and “the hint”

5. Which sentence best describes the films of Roger Corman?

  1. They are not films that people under 16 years old should watch.
  2. They have many humorous and amusing parts.
  3. They capture the mood of Poe’s work.
  4. They follow the plots of Poe’s stories closely.

6. Select theanswer that supports your response to question 5.

  1. “Corman’s movie had little to do with the actual plot of Poe’s story” (paragraph 6)
  2. “he excelled at re-creating the atmosphere of Poe’s work” (paragraph 6)
  3. “you had to be over sixteen to see an X film” (paragraph 2)
  4. “ I had no idea what wonders to expect” (paragraph 3)

7. Which phrases support the idea that Corman felt a “sense of excitement and anticipation” while he waited for the movie to start? Choose the twothat apply.

  1. “Now here I was, alone in a dark cinema, waiting for the ultimate experience in terror” (paragraph 3)
  2. “No wonder my stomach clenched as I slunk down in my seat.” (paragraph 3)
  3. “Certainly there are moments of pure shock.” (paragraph 5)
  4. “I probably produced my own pale imitations in the notebooks I filled with drivel” (paragraph 6)
  5. “In England in the 1960s, you had to be over sixteen to see n X film.” (paragraph 2)
  6. “Poe’s tales of mystery and imagination enthralled me from the start.” (paragraph 1)

8.Why does the author say that the movie theater he attended was “incredibly named the Palace”?

  1. Fleas lived in the theater and made it their home.
  2. The name is ironic for a theater so old and rundown.
  3. The movie theater used to be very beautiful but is not anymore.
  4. It is unusual for a movie theater to be named the Palace.

The Mystery of the Poe Toaster

1A mysterious man walks through the midnight mist in a Baltimore cemetery, seeking an old grave where he will pay his yearly tribute. He wears only black, including a dark fedora and a scarf wrapped around his face to disguise his appearance from any curious onlookers. He reaches the grave, kisses the tomb, and then leaves behind his carefully selected tribute: three blood-red roses and a half –filled bottle of French cognac. It is January 19, and the Poe Toaster has struck again.

2Every year between 1949 and 2009, the Poe Toaster completed this private ceremony at the grave of Edgar Allan Poe, the master mystery storyteller. The meaning of the ritual was unknown, as was the man’s identity. The three roses were commonly interpreted as offerings for the three people buried under the monument: Poe, his wife, and his aunt. Presumably, the mysterious visitor drank a toast to Poe from the cognac and left the rest for Poe. Only the selection of the date was clear: January 19 was Poe’s birthday.

3At first, the tribute was barely noticed, but in the last few years of the ritual, the dark figure attracted his own admirers. The curator of The Baltimore Poe House and Museum and a group of observers began to gather to await the return of the Toaster. They made no attempts to interfere with his ceremony or to uncover his identity – they merely wanted to observe and pay their own respects to a growing tradition. Most viewers believed that more than one man had performed the ritual since it began. Some suspect that the duty was passed from generation to generation; others believed it was the initiation rite of a secret society. In 1993, the Toaster left a note at the grave saying, “The torch will be passed.” But in 2010, the Poe Toaster failed to appear, and by 2012, it seemed that the Toaster was gone for good.

1. What can be inferred about why the Poe Toaster likely visited the grave each year?

A.The Poe Toaster wanted to encourage people to read his poetry and short stories.

B.The Poe Toaster desired to pay tribute to Edgar Allan Poe’s legacy.

C.The Poe Toaster struggled to solve the mystery of Poe’s death.

D.The Poe Toaster wanted to hide his or her identity from others.

2. Which of the following best describes the setting where the Poe Toaster’s ritual takes place?

A.Gloomy and traditional

B.Remote and secret

C.Melancholy and dark

D.Chaotic and maddening

3. What can be inferred about why people gathered to watch the Poe Toaster in later years?

A.They were interested in the ritual.

B.They were curious about his identity.

C.They were suspicious of his motives.

D.They were critical of an old tradition.

4. What technique does the author use in the introduction to hook the reader?

______

How does this technique achieve the author’s overall goal?

______