When twelve-year-old alienated boy Jamie Benjamin stumbles across a deep pit housing centuries-old troll-like creatures,he takes it upon himself to see that the monsters are well fed.But the finances of a twelve-year-old go only so far.After stealing both money and meat prove to be dead ends,Jamie decides to take the advice of his perverse teddy bear and lure all the unfriendly members of town into the inescapable bowls of 'The Pit'."The Pit" by Lew Lehman is a mixed bag:it definitely has an interesting concept and the acting is surprisingly decent,however the plot is quite boring and there is a minimal amount of blood and gore.Still the relationship between Jamie and Teddy is well-developed and has to be the strongest aspect of the film.Despite some obvious flaws "The Pit" is a truly original horror flick that kept me entertained.Give it a look.7 out of 10.
88 Reviews
That hot-damn frickin' OBNOXIOUS big-nosed freckled little bastard!!!
Vomitron_G9 June 2009
Warning: Spoilers
The horror, oh the horror this movie put me through...
THE PIT is one seriously messed up movie. Plain wrong, even, and it inflicted great horror on me, in a most peculiar way. For one reason, basically: The kid. That incredibly annoying, 12-year-old kid. I never ever loathed a child-actor so much in any film. His ugly face. His atrocious hair-do. His big stupid nose. His irritating voice. All his unfortunate facial characteristics fueled by the intolerable things he says and the way he stood there in every scene, acting his way horrendously throughout the whole movie... A friend of mine messed me up quite severely with having me watch this film. It evoked feelings deep inside me I didn't know were there. I hated that kid. I wanted to reach into my TV-set and hit him repeatedly. Frankly put: I wanted him to die, badly. So, can you imagine my joy when I witnessed what finally happened to him at the end.
During the first half of this film, I was convinced I'd be flunking it. I just couldn't get over that little brat. But... my friend was right by telling me I had to see this film, as it's simply an undefinable, demented piece of work. It really is a mess, as the script shows no coherence whatsoever, incorporating so many different elements that you never have any idea where this all is going to lead to. We have: psycho-trite (messed-up kid with imaginary friends), sleaze (all nudity in this film caries seriously disturbing undertones), creature features (trolls in the woods!?!?), demented humor (pulling cows and chasing chickens?), a stuffed toy bear (It moved! Withouth the kid being around even! It frickin' moved, I tell ya!) a warped variety of victims (from kids to wheelchair-bound blind grannies!), ghosts (I'll say that again: Ghosts?) of victims coming back from beyond, a stupid vigilante mob (they honestly believed it was a pack of wild dogs they shot?) and... to top it off: a wonderful, highly memorable 'freeze-frame shock ending' at the end (which I just felt coming during that final scene, and was so hoping for).
THE PIT indeed is so "ga-ga", it belongs up there with William Girdler's THE MANITOU and Ulli Lommel's THE BOOGEYMAN. I hope, for his sake, director Lew Lehman checked himself into rehab after this film, because that must have been some serious dope he was on while making it.
THE PIT is one seriously messed up movie. Plain wrong, even, and it inflicted great horror on me, in a most peculiar way. For one reason, basically: The kid. That incredibly annoying, 12-year-old kid. I never ever loathed a child-actor so much in any film. His ugly face. His atrocious hair-do. His big stupid nose. His irritating voice. All his unfortunate facial characteristics fueled by the intolerable things he says and the way he stood there in every scene, acting his way horrendously throughout the whole movie... A friend of mine messed me up quite severely with having me watch this film. It evoked feelings deep inside me I didn't know were there. I hated that kid. I wanted to reach into my TV-set and hit him repeatedly. Frankly put: I wanted him to die, badly. So, can you imagine my joy when I witnessed what finally happened to him at the end.
During the first half of this film, I was convinced I'd be flunking it. I just couldn't get over that little brat. But... my friend was right by telling me I had to see this film, as it's simply an undefinable, demented piece of work. It really is a mess, as the script shows no coherence whatsoever, incorporating so many different elements that you never have any idea where this all is going to lead to. We have: psycho-trite (messed-up kid with imaginary friends), sleaze (all nudity in this film caries seriously disturbing undertones), creature features (trolls in the woods!?!?), demented humor (pulling cows and chasing chickens?), a stuffed toy bear (It moved! Withouth the kid being around even! It frickin' moved, I tell ya!) a warped variety of victims (from kids to wheelchair-bound blind grannies!), ghosts (I'll say that again: Ghosts?) of victims coming back from beyond, a stupid vigilante mob (they honestly believed it was a pack of wild dogs they shot?) and... to top it off: a wonderful, highly memorable 'freeze-frame shock ending' at the end (which I just felt coming during that final scene, and was so hoping for).
THE PIT indeed is so "ga-ga", it belongs up there with William Girdler's THE MANITOU and Ulli Lommel's THE BOOGEYMAN. I hope, for his sake, director Lew Lehman checked himself into rehab after this film, because that must have been some serious dope he was on while making it.
"Think you can scare me, funny person?"
lost-in-limbo27 June 2010
Warning: Spoilers
You got problems
check your nearby woods and maybe they'll be solved. Twelve-year-old Jamie is a strange, sexually obsessed loner whose only real friend is a sinister, scheming stuffed teddy bear that talks to him. He has secret that in the nearby woods he finds a large hole in the ground which harbours a pack of prehistoric beasts known as troglodytes. He doesn't know what to feed them, until reads up on them and learns they're carnivorous. So those people who have harassed him or got on his bad side will soon find out about Jamie's secret. However he did tell his secret to one other; the attractive babysitter looking after him since his parents have gone away
but maybe that wasn't such a good idea.
"The Pit" is a very peculiar, but hypnotic b-grade l, drive-in rural psycho-kid outing that's a lot of fun. If you enjoy something rather twisted, senseless and perverse with a dark sense of humour. What it really has going for it is the extra creepy and disquieting performance of Sammy Snyders as Jamie. He striking visual features standout and he superbly plays a disturb mindset, as if he entirely lives in his own world along with his teddy. Quite a seedy little teddy, but still don't know if its because of his imagination or if it was possessed due to one sequence which has its head moving with Jamie being nowhere in the scene. The dialogues between the two are dementedly funny, but still there's a real sincerity about it. The lovely Jeannie Ellis plays the concerned babysitter who tries to communicate and understand him, but she finds out he's truly a little monster. Director Lew Lehman plays it as it is, never trying for anything truly clever. While its low-scale restrictions show it up at times (don't know why it began with a scene that shows up later on), but Lehman's vivid creativity shows in sequences along with the mean-spirited vibe and immensely unpredictable nature. There's a little touch sleaze (the voyeuristic peeping) and blood and gore, but the killings mainly happened off-screen (some moments were quite rib-tickling with how certain people just don't seem to see the pit before taking the trip in) and monsters are nothing more than cheesy costumes with the striking element being the glowing eyes. Most of the time they're in a dark pit, until later on when they come to the surface to cause havoc. The music score is sweepingly full of life, but terribly overwrought and the final shot ends on such a perfectly foreboding and ironic note that goes down so well.
"The Pit" is a very peculiar, but hypnotic b-grade l, drive-in rural psycho-kid outing that's a lot of fun. If you enjoy something rather twisted, senseless and perverse with a dark sense of humour. What it really has going for it is the extra creepy and disquieting performance of Sammy Snyders as Jamie. He striking visual features standout and he superbly plays a disturb mindset, as if he entirely lives in his own world along with his teddy. Quite a seedy little teddy, but still don't know if its because of his imagination or if it was possessed due to one sequence which has its head moving with Jamie being nowhere in the scene. The dialogues between the two are dementedly funny, but still there's a real sincerity about it. The lovely Jeannie Ellis plays the concerned babysitter who tries to communicate and understand him, but she finds out he's truly a little monster. Director Lew Lehman plays it as it is, never trying for anything truly clever. While its low-scale restrictions show it up at times (don't know why it began with a scene that shows up later on), but Lehman's vivid creativity shows in sequences along with the mean-spirited vibe and immensely unpredictable nature. There's a little touch sleaze (the voyeuristic peeping) and blood and gore, but the killings mainly happened off-screen (some moments were quite rib-tickling with how certain people just don't seem to see the pit before taking the trip in) and monsters are nothing more than cheesy costumes with the striking element being the glowing eyes. Most of the time they're in a dark pit, until later on when they come to the surface to cause havoc. The music score is sweepingly full of life, but terribly overwrought and the final shot ends on such a perfectly foreboding and ironic note that goes down so well.
"They don't eat chocolate bars."
Backlash00723 October 2001
The Pit could be the most unintentionally funny movie that I have ever watched. And let me say that I've seen a lot of those. There are some parts that are so funny. Like ever time someone accidentally falls into the huge, gaping hole in the ground that no one can seem to see. The wheelchair scene is a standout. And I'm not saying that the movie is bad. I own it and I recommend it to friends. Mainly because of the dark comedy elements. And also because Jamie gives me the creeps. He's way scarier than the Tra-la-logs. The back of the box mentions that he is autistic, but no where in the movie is the word autism ever used. Instead, you hear words like weird, stupid, crazy, funny person, and even hippie. The Pit is an extremely ridiculous movie, and I hope no one takes it too seriously.
Weird combo of a serial killer flick and a troll movie
carlykristen15 January 2007
Jamie is a 12 year old boy that cannot seem to get attention from his parents or avoid getting picked on. Left home alone with the babysitter, he begins to fixate on her. And when he discovers a pit full of Trogs (man-eating creatures), he seeks his revenge on his bullies.
Jamie is exceptionally creepy and well-acted by Sammy Snyders. Director Lehman effectively shows the child's abuse at the hands of his peers and how he is outcast. He is punched for wanting to join a club, called a weirdo for admiring a young girl's bike, and called a hippie by an old lady for just standing on a sidewalk. But there are the more disturbing scenes like when he talks to his Teddy and Teddy talks back! When his parents abandon him amidst his weird personality changes, he begins to fall in love with his nubile babysitter Sandy. Sandy is cherub faced and acts just as angelic with her endless patience with the weird kid. There are a variety of scenes with Jamie hitting on Sandy. He sneaks in when she showers, watches her sleep with her breast exposed (because women never notice drafts!), and makes her bath him in a tub because he is "dirty".
When he discovers the Trogs, he notices that they like fresh meat. He begins buying meat wherever he can get it and then turns to people when the money runs out. Soon he is luring random "mean" people into the woods and then into the pit. He even hijacks an old lady in a wheelchair and pushes her through the city, through the woods, into the pit, and then the cruises around in her wheelchair after.
There is a cute scene where he has exhausted his resources meat-wise and must feed the Trogs. He attempts to kidnap a cow, but it won't budge. He talks to it and tries to convince it that it will die anyway, so might as well be for his friends. It doesn't work by the way.
Jamie begins to run into trouble when a pesky librarian notices his penchant for art (nudes) and animal husbandry (carnivores). One scene of interest would be when he sneaks to her house, phones in as a man that kidnapped her daughter, and makes her strip in front of the window for him to take pictures! Produced by Amulet Pictures, it clocks in at a solid 96 minutes with an Aspect Ratio of 1.85:1.
Weird Fact: The director's wife refused to let him shoot the nude scenes, so the screenwriter shot them instead. The only shot involving nudity that the director was allowed to film was the "skinny dipping" scene and only because the actress was his daughter. Umm, this sounds incredibly gross and creepy to me. Also, this is the only film Lehman ever directed.
Favorite Quote: An 8 year old girl asks her mom, "What is wrong with boys? Is that boy Jamie crazy? They are all the same. Always stressing." DVD Extras: Just the poster and some stills.
Bottom Line: The movie is a weird combo of a serial killer flick and a troll movie. Good acting plus the strange premise helps it to hold up well over time.
Rating: 7/10 by Molly Celaschi www.HorrorYearbook.com
Jamie is exceptionally creepy and well-acted by Sammy Snyders. Director Lehman effectively shows the child's abuse at the hands of his peers and how he is outcast. He is punched for wanting to join a club, called a weirdo for admiring a young girl's bike, and called a hippie by an old lady for just standing on a sidewalk. But there are the more disturbing scenes like when he talks to his Teddy and Teddy talks back! When his parents abandon him amidst his weird personality changes, he begins to fall in love with his nubile babysitter Sandy. Sandy is cherub faced and acts just as angelic with her endless patience with the weird kid. There are a variety of scenes with Jamie hitting on Sandy. He sneaks in when she showers, watches her sleep with her breast exposed (because women never notice drafts!), and makes her bath him in a tub because he is "dirty".
When he discovers the Trogs, he notices that they like fresh meat. He begins buying meat wherever he can get it and then turns to people when the money runs out. Soon he is luring random "mean" people into the woods and then into the pit. He even hijacks an old lady in a wheelchair and pushes her through the city, through the woods, into the pit, and then the cruises around in her wheelchair after.
There is a cute scene where he has exhausted his resources meat-wise and must feed the Trogs. He attempts to kidnap a cow, but it won't budge. He talks to it and tries to convince it that it will die anyway, so might as well be for his friends. It doesn't work by the way.
Jamie begins to run into trouble when a pesky librarian notices his penchant for art (nudes) and animal husbandry (carnivores). One scene of interest would be when he sneaks to her house, phones in as a man that kidnapped her daughter, and makes her strip in front of the window for him to take pictures! Produced by Amulet Pictures, it clocks in at a solid 96 minutes with an Aspect Ratio of 1.85:1.
Weird Fact: The director's wife refused to let him shoot the nude scenes, so the screenwriter shot them instead. The only shot involving nudity that the director was allowed to film was the "skinny dipping" scene and only because the actress was his daughter. Umm, this sounds incredibly gross and creepy to me. Also, this is the only film Lehman ever directed.
Favorite Quote: An 8 year old girl asks her mom, "What is wrong with boys? Is that boy Jamie crazy? They are all the same. Always stressing." DVD Extras: Just the poster and some stills.
Bottom Line: The movie is a weird combo of a serial killer flick and a troll movie. Good acting plus the strange premise helps it to hold up well over time.
Rating: 7/10 by Molly Celaschi www.HorrorYearbook.com
Watching this as an adult, you can tell something seems missing...
Aaron137514 February 2004
Warning: Spoilers
I watched this film back in the day as a child and as a child you take what the film gives you in stride. Pit of monsters in the woods that kid dumps people in to feed. Watching as an adult, something seems to be missing from the film, explanations and crucial plot points seem to be removed. I listened to the screenwriter's interview on the DVD and come to find out, yes, a lot of elements crucial to the story had been removed. Also, as a kid I did not notice the quirks of the boy, and looking at it as an adult he does seem to be autistic, high functioning, but definitely causing him the troubles he has with the other children and adults.
The story, starts out poorly. They literally show you a scene of the boy leading two kids to his pit. Why is this bad? Because it is literally shown again in its entirety later in the film. Someone obviously thought the film was a bit too slow up front so they want to open with a bang, but this scene literally lets you know what is going to happen. You are literally given a spoiler by the movie itself! After that we are introduced to Jamie and see what troubles he gets into with others as his parents hire a babysitter to watch over him. Jamie's only friend seems to be a teddy bear he named Teddy who actually seems to be alive, but this is never really touched upon after a strange head turn. Jamie also has friends within the forest living in a hole in the ground. These creatures, come to find out, eat human flesh and so Jamie begins to feed them raw meat before moving on to all those that Teddy tells him are nasty!
In the original screenplay the creatures in the pit are imaginary and that really makes more sense as there is literally no explanation as to why these things would be just living in a pit without food. I believe the screenwriter's original intent was that the pit was akin to Jamie's aquarium, an imaginary place where he believed he was casting away people he did not like. Still, the ending bit is good as is because if the pit is real as played out in the movie then he deserved a taste of his own medicine as most of the people that wronged him did not deserve to be eaten alive! Still, the way the movie plays out currently does not explain the whole Teddy bear moving on its own and is kind of a loose end.
So the film is pretty good; however, I would love to see it remade as intended by the screenwriter as it was actually going to be a darker film. This one has touches of comedy as the boy lures the victims to the pit, my fave being the dude playing football, so it is entertaining, but as I have said, just feels the film is incomplete. There is a bit of nudity in the film, but not too much and there is gore, but it rarely shows the victims being devoured. The film also has a strange stretch where Jamie is not even seen as they hunt the creatures from the pit, seems almost out of place...
The story, starts out poorly. They literally show you a scene of the boy leading two kids to his pit. Why is this bad? Because it is literally shown again in its entirety later in the film. Someone obviously thought the film was a bit too slow up front so they want to open with a bang, but this scene literally lets you know what is going to happen. You are literally given a spoiler by the movie itself! After that we are introduced to Jamie and see what troubles he gets into with others as his parents hire a babysitter to watch over him. Jamie's only friend seems to be a teddy bear he named Teddy who actually seems to be alive, but this is never really touched upon after a strange head turn. Jamie also has friends within the forest living in a hole in the ground. These creatures, come to find out, eat human flesh and so Jamie begins to feed them raw meat before moving on to all those that Teddy tells him are nasty!
In the original screenplay the creatures in the pit are imaginary and that really makes more sense as there is literally no explanation as to why these things would be just living in a pit without food. I believe the screenwriter's original intent was that the pit was akin to Jamie's aquarium, an imaginary place where he believed he was casting away people he did not like. Still, the ending bit is good as is because if the pit is real as played out in the movie then he deserved a taste of his own medicine as most of the people that wronged him did not deserve to be eaten alive! Still, the way the movie plays out currently does not explain the whole Teddy bear moving on its own and is kind of a loose end.
So the film is pretty good; however, I would love to see it remade as intended by the screenwriter as it was actually going to be a darker film. This one has touches of comedy as the boy lures the victims to the pit, my fave being the dude playing football, so it is entertaining, but as I have said, just feels the film is incomplete. There is a bit of nudity in the film, but not too much and there is gore, but it rarely shows the victims being devoured. The film also has a strange stretch where Jamie is not even seen as they hunt the creatures from the pit, seems almost out of place...
Watch Out For The Pit!
gwnightscream12 January 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This 1981 horror film is based on a book, "Teddy" which tells about a young boy, Jamie (Sammy Snyders) who has trouble fitting in and is going through puberty. He's a bit odd, but is able to communicate with his Teddy Bear
that gives him bad ideas. Soon, Jamie meets his new babysitter/housekeeper, Sandy (Jeannie Elias) and is fixated on her, but in the process he starts feeding ancient creatures dwelling in a pit that crave human flesh. This is a bizarre yet amusing 80's flick with some gore and twistedness. It also precedes "Child's Play," "The Gate" & "Troll" with the evil creature/demon & toy aspects, so if you grew up with those, you'll probably enjoy this.
Excellent 80s Low Budget Monster Movie
TVTimdb16 January 2021
illogical, unpleasant, asinine....
Andy Sandfoss28 January 2000
I have watched unpleasant horror films before, but few left me feeling so befouled as "The Pit". Watching the little pervert Jamie push his friends and neighbors into the hole where the cannibal monsters live is laughable, but to place that side by side with his voyeurism and other unrelated sadistic behavior is just too much to bear even in the name of parody. Jamie is nothing more than a human abomination created for purely exploitationist purposes. Are we really supposed to have any kind of sympathy for him? Not even the alleged possessed teddy bear generates any empathy or understanding. In fact, the teddy bear business is an illogical distraction. The acting performances are uninspired caricatures. The direction is limp and pedestrian. The art values in the sets and cinematography are non-existent. Nothing about the film rings true. "The Pit" is a true contender for the title "Most Immoral Film Ever".
Bizarre psychological thriller/black comedy with added murderous monsters!
fishermensmell7 March 2021
I loved this! I want to give it more stars, but I'm trying to remain a little objective here. A film like this can really only come about through a case of "too many cooks". It feels like it's vying to be at least two different movies: both a psychological thriller and an all-out B-grade horror. Apparently the initial screenplay had a different tone and perhaps could have delivered an effective and chilling thriller focussing on the lonely 12-year-old Jamie and his delusions: ostracized by his schoolmates, labelled a weirdo by the townsfolk, and with a mostly absent, distant pair of parents, he talks only with his Teddy and plots to feed those who've wronged him to the imaginary creatures in the titular pit: an allegory for all sorts of adolescent angst. However, it seems director Lew Lehman wanted to make a more campy horror, and so there actually ARE creatures in the pit and in one scene, Teddy actually swivels his head independently, suggesting he really is talking to Jamie. Add to this madness visions of a supernatural nature and a tone that swings wildly from serious psychoanalysis of a bullied child to absurd black humour and slapstick and you've got one hell of a strange, but entertaining movie.
Sammy Snyders is great in the lead role of Jamie, really coming across as sinister and disturbed at times, but also able to evoke sympathy when showing his naive side. You felt there was a lot of neglect and hurt behind his strange behaviours. I felt a bit sorry for him being considered a pervert when literally all the women in his life (teacher, nanny, librarian) were willowy young women in sheer leotards and tiny short shorts: no wonder his libido was raging. His antics would have made him king of the frat-house if this was a teen comedy of the era! Jeannie Elias was also very believable as the sweet-natured psychology student, Sandy, who becomes his nanny whilst his parents are away on a trip, thinking she will be able to understand and help the young boy. She gets a lot more than she bargained for!
Whilst simmering along for the first hour, things take an unexpected tonal turn when Jamie starts luring and dumping people into the pit, since these scenes are all played for laughs with a ridiculous soundtrack to match. Following this, the tension building between Jamie and Sandy is eschewed for a simple "monsters on a rampage" storyline with costumed people running around the countryside for the closing fifteen minutes, before the movie delivers a wickedly satisfying ending.
It's a shame the filmmakers couldn't have shown a bit more discipline as they could have really made something powerful. Instead they delivered something quite silly and yet utterly unique, memorable and entertaining from start to finish. If you enjoy unusual horror films this is really worth a watch.
Sammy Snyders is great in the lead role of Jamie, really coming across as sinister and disturbed at times, but also able to evoke sympathy when showing his naive side. You felt there was a lot of neglect and hurt behind his strange behaviours. I felt a bit sorry for him being considered a pervert when literally all the women in his life (teacher, nanny, librarian) were willowy young women in sheer leotards and tiny short shorts: no wonder his libido was raging. His antics would have made him king of the frat-house if this was a teen comedy of the era! Jeannie Elias was also very believable as the sweet-natured psychology student, Sandy, who becomes his nanny whilst his parents are away on a trip, thinking she will be able to understand and help the young boy. She gets a lot more than she bargained for!
Whilst simmering along for the first hour, things take an unexpected tonal turn when Jamie starts luring and dumping people into the pit, since these scenes are all played for laughs with a ridiculous soundtrack to match. Following this, the tension building between Jamie and Sandy is eschewed for a simple "monsters on a rampage" storyline with costumed people running around the countryside for the closing fifteen minutes, before the movie delivers a wickedly satisfying ending.
It's a shame the filmmakers couldn't have shown a bit more discipline as they could have really made something powerful. Instead they delivered something quite silly and yet utterly unique, memorable and entertaining from start to finish. If you enjoy unusual horror films this is really worth a watch.
Why was this film ever made?
capkronos9 May 2003
Jamie (Sammy Snyders) is an impossible-to-understand, obnoxious 12 year old sociopath (and pervert!) who has no friends except for his possessed stuffed animal "Teddy," who talks to him. When his parents leave him alone with a live-in babysitter (Jeannie Elias), he discovers a deep hole in the woods full of hairy, yellow-eyed "trogs" whom he starts feeding chocolate and raw meat to.
About an hour into the film, Jamie finally takes Teddy's advice, and starts luring all his enemies into the hole while goofy music plays. The victims are a bratty little girl, an old blind woman in a wheelchair, a guy who likes the babysitter and a bully who punched him in the face. In one scene Jamie uses a bogus kidnapping scheme to get a librarian to take off her top so he can take pictures and bring them home to Teddy ("I'm gonna look at these a lot!"). Snyders is actually OK in the main role, but there's no gore until the end (it isn't much), the shaggy monster costumes are pretty bad and, as you can tell, the plot is stupid.
Score: 3 out of 10
About an hour into the film, Jamie finally takes Teddy's advice, and starts luring all his enemies into the hole while goofy music plays. The victims are a bratty little girl, an old blind woman in a wheelchair, a guy who likes the babysitter and a bully who punched him in the face. In one scene Jamie uses a bogus kidnapping scheme to get a librarian to take off her top so he can take pictures and bring them home to Teddy ("I'm gonna look at these a lot!"). Snyders is actually OK in the main role, but there's no gore until the end (it isn't much), the shaggy monster costumes are pretty bad and, as you can tell, the plot is stupid.
Score: 3 out of 10
Look Who It Is, Clumsy-Stupid!
CMRKeyboadist9 June 2006
The Pit is a great film not in the traditional sense. If you are looking for an award winning movie, go look at something else. The Pit is great on B movie levels. This is the definition of a cult classic.
Jamie is what you call an "Autistic" child. Getting in trouble by running around in his underwear with a superman cape on at the age of 12 is rather unusual. He also has a good friend, that being his Teddy, his Teddy bear. He also has a few more friends. They live in a big hole in the ground. They are called trollalogs and they like to eat... people that is! When Jamie discovers that they aren't getting enough food and that they may die, Teddy tells him he should start luring all the people that have been mean to him to the pit.
This is such a strange movie. Originally, I don't even think it was suppose to be a horror film. The idea of the pit, originally, was suppose to all be in Jamie's head but the directer didn't want to have such a serious approach. Thus, we end up with the silliness that is The Pit. Not to say that the film doesn't have a few gory moments or not to say that this movie dosen't have a few decent scary moments in it, because it does have a few very memorable scenes, in general it is just hilarious though. Look for scenes like when Jamie is pushing an old blind lady in a wheelchair to the pit. If you don't laugh during that scene there is something seriously wrong with you.
Anyway, The Pit is an awesome film and if you are a fan of B horror I highly recommend this movie. 9/10
Jamie is what you call an "Autistic" child. Getting in trouble by running around in his underwear with a superman cape on at the age of 12 is rather unusual. He also has a good friend, that being his Teddy, his Teddy bear. He also has a few more friends. They live in a big hole in the ground. They are called trollalogs and they like to eat... people that is! When Jamie discovers that they aren't getting enough food and that they may die, Teddy tells him he should start luring all the people that have been mean to him to the pit.
This is such a strange movie. Originally, I don't even think it was suppose to be a horror film. The idea of the pit, originally, was suppose to all be in Jamie's head but the directer didn't want to have such a serious approach. Thus, we end up with the silliness that is The Pit. Not to say that the film doesn't have a few gory moments or not to say that this movie dosen't have a few decent scary moments in it, because it does have a few very memorable scenes, in general it is just hilarious though. Look for scenes like when Jamie is pushing an old blind lady in a wheelchair to the pit. If you don't laugh during that scene there is something seriously wrong with you.
Anyway, The Pit is an awesome film and if you are a fan of B horror I highly recommend this movie. 9/10
Great for its strangeness
BandSAboutMovies17 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
I have no idea what mania exists within Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, but that's where this movie comes from and man, you know how people say that movies feel like transmissions from another dimension? They only think they know what they're talking about and really wish that they had seen this movie.
Everybody in town hates Jamie Benjamin. The kids in school, other kids who don't go to school with him, eben old ladies, everyone he meets either makes fun of him or abuses him. His only friend is Teddy, his stuffed bear, which may be sort of strange, as he's twelve. And yeah, he's starting to get into girls thanks to puberty, including his babysitter, who he soon takes to show one more secret.
You see, Jamie has a pit in the woods filled with Trogs that he feeds with raw meat. Teddy suggests feeding everyone who treats him badly to these monsters and Jamie agrees, but then Sandy gets knocked into the pit and gets devoured. A bitter Jamie allows the Trogs to escape and they attack the town before a militia kills them and he's sent to live with his grandparents.
Is puberty a pit filled with hairy beasts that love to destroy human beings? This film believes that. It's also a movie that has no interest in the thing you call real life. I mean, the original script definitely felt that way, as the Trogs were only in the mind of Jamie and not real.
This is the only movie Lew Lehman ever directed. He did write several films - Phobia - and for the Police Surgeon series, a TV show he also was worked on as the music supervisor. His wife wouldn't allow him to shoot the nude scenes, so the story goes that the screenwriter shot them instead. The only shot involving nudity that Lehman was allowed to film was the skinny dipping scene and only because the actress was his daughter Jennifer, adding one more bit of weirdness to an odd movie.
Everybody in town hates Jamie Benjamin. The kids in school, other kids who don't go to school with him, eben old ladies, everyone he meets either makes fun of him or abuses him. His only friend is Teddy, his stuffed bear, which may be sort of strange, as he's twelve. And yeah, he's starting to get into girls thanks to puberty, including his babysitter, who he soon takes to show one more secret.
You see, Jamie has a pit in the woods filled with Trogs that he feeds with raw meat. Teddy suggests feeding everyone who treats him badly to these monsters and Jamie agrees, but then Sandy gets knocked into the pit and gets devoured. A bitter Jamie allows the Trogs to escape and they attack the town before a militia kills them and he's sent to live with his grandparents.
Is puberty a pit filled with hairy beasts that love to destroy human beings? This film believes that. It's also a movie that has no interest in the thing you call real life. I mean, the original script definitely felt that way, as the Trogs were only in the mind of Jamie and not real.
This is the only movie Lew Lehman ever directed. He did write several films - Phobia - and for the Police Surgeon series, a TV show he also was worked on as the music supervisor. His wife wouldn't allow him to shoot the nude scenes, so the story goes that the screenwriter shot them instead. The only shot involving nudity that Lehman was allowed to film was the skinny dipping scene and only because the actress was his daughter Jennifer, adding one more bit of weirdness to an odd movie.
A film to be mocked, mocked, and mocked yet again (and you don't even have to be tired or drunk!)
yodergoat3 June 2000
This movie is mayhap the funniest I've seen yet. Regrettably, I lost my copy of it, but I shall doubtless get another! There is little to be said here that would not be a blatant repeat of the comments of others... it is just plain fun! And (as I said above) one does not have to be giddily tired, drunk, or high to enjoy it! Scarily enough, I have a stuffed toy beaver that has eyes remarkably similar to "Teddy's," but it has yet to compel me in a soft but undeniable voice to lure hapless victims to a mosnter-filled pit in the forest. Sigh.
I loved this flick!
jordzilla20019 May 2002
I've heard a lot about this movie, each time hearing it was boring, stupid, pointless, etc. Ok not really boring but definitely the latter of the complaints. I recently acquired a copy and from start to finish, I was having the time of my life. The movie just threw me for a loop time and time again. At first I felt bad for the main character, Jamie. He's looked down upon and pretty much hated by the local people. But after he acted perverted on several occasions (which grants the viewer with a handful of RANDOM GRATUITOUS BREAST SHOTS!!!!) I called into question how I felt about him. And another thing that confused me was Jamie's demonic Teddy Bear (which may have been the main character originally, hence the film's original title "Teddy"). But I ignored that fact since it added to the feeling that maybe Jamie was crazy, or just didn't get the love and appreciation he needed. And the Pit itself? It contains four flesh eating beasties that Jamie names the Tra-la-logs (or Trolls, but that isn't nearly as much fun to say). Jamie kind of treats the monstrous creatures as pets, first feeding them beef he purchases with his babysitters money; later feeding "nasty people" to the Tralalogs. All in all, I liked this one. It's different, it's strange, and there are plenty of funny scenes (and the occasional breast shot for the guys) that keep it interesting. Plus it has a great (but somewhat predictable) ending. I don't know about anyone else, but I'd certainly sit and watch it again.
Pitfall
sol-21 July 2017
Lonely and burdened with an usual sexual appetite for his age, a preteen boy finds unexpected solace with a group of monsters trapped inside a pit who he feeds and takes care of like the pets he never had in this very weird horror film from Canada. Sammy Snyders is perfectly creepy (while remaining sympathetic) as the confused lad in question with some truly oddball scenes as he tries to seduce his babysitter and as he plays one of the most imaginative telephone pranks ever committed to screen. 'The Pit' gets most of its edge though from its black comedy undertones; there is a hilarious scene in which he tries (but fails) to pull a cow towards the pit for his monster pets to feed on, the difficulty of which naturally causes him to consider using human meat instead! The biggest weakness of the film is the monster effects. There are some effective point-of-view shots as they stare up at Snyders from their dark abyss in the ground but they are not terrifying in the least when they become far more visible in the film's final third. That said, the movie ends on an incredibly strong note with an unforgettable freeze frame. Also, monsters or not, it is hard not to like the deeper messages that come with the offbeat narrative here as the entire project is underpinned by the negative effects of ostracising those who are different. At least the pit monsters are non-judgemental creatures!
The Story Of A Boy And His Monsters!
Celluloid_Fiend16 January 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Being a fan of both horror and grindhouse films, I've seen more than my share of strange movies. And while I won't go so far as to say "The Pit" tops them all, it is certainly high up the totem pole of weirdness.
The story revolves around a young boy named Jamie (played by Sammy Snyders), who is an odd sort of kid. Ostracized by the other kids, and even some of the adults, because of his unusual behavior, he finds friendship with his teddy bear (who speaks to him) and a small group of creatures that dwell in a nearby pit. But when he finds out what their diet consists of, all those who haven't been nice to Jamie end up finding themselves on the menu!
Almost from the start, the film has a very eerie and creepy tone to it. Jamie's erratic behavior tells you there is something not quite right here. Sammy Snyders really does a superlative job in portraying Jamie as a strange outsider. He's alone in his own little world and he has no problem with it at all. It's all the "normal people" who bug him. But when his crush on the babysitter, Sandy (played by Jeannie Elias), is threatened by her seeing him as just a kid and wanting to be with other men, eerie takes a turn into the outlandish. Unfortunately, how that is presented to us isn't always on an even keel. Jamie's luring his "foes" to the pit to feed them to his "friends," ranges from the scary (like what he does to the bully and his girlfriend) to the unintentionally hilarious (like how he handles the blind woman in a wheelchair). But for the first two acts, things remain coherent an entertaining, even if a bit rough in the execution. But at the end of the second act, with the death of Sandy, things go completely off the rails.
The last act of the film is almost a hodgepodge of situations, that often don't show how they are connected or even make much sense. The police investigating the disappearance of those Jamie has fed to the trolls, is absolutely ridiculous. To call it "keystone cops work," would be to insult incompetent police. Then, Jamie lets the creatures loose, but they don't go far or do very much. The mass slaughter of them is very anti-climactic, to say the least. And the end, where Jamie goes to live with his grandparents and we see his ultimate fate, just comes completely out of left field. What happened to his parents? Why didn't he move with them to Seattle? Was "Teddy's" voice only in Jamie's head or was there something else at work? And how many other pits full of these creatures are there? All questions to which we never get the answers. It's like the director just didn't know how to end it, so they just filled the last 20-25 minutes with pointless scenes that go nowhere and have no rhyme or reason. It drags down the film's enjoyment a bit and leaves you with a less than satisfying feeling, even though the rest of it has been interesting and entertaining.
As I said, "The Pit" is certainly among one of the most peculiar films I've seen, if not the most peculiar. And while the final act is a cluttered and disappointing jumble, the film's first two acts are engaging and it does keep you entertained throughout its 97 minute run time (something you can't say about many other "normal" horror films). I'd mildly recommend this for horror fans looking for a less-than-usual experience, due to its off-the-wall style and format. It is certainly one of the most unique specimens in the annals of horror cinema, that I have ever come across.
The story revolves around a young boy named Jamie (played by Sammy Snyders), who is an odd sort of kid. Ostracized by the other kids, and even some of the adults, because of his unusual behavior, he finds friendship with his teddy bear (who speaks to him) and a small group of creatures that dwell in a nearby pit. But when he finds out what their diet consists of, all those who haven't been nice to Jamie end up finding themselves on the menu!
Almost from the start, the film has a very eerie and creepy tone to it. Jamie's erratic behavior tells you there is something not quite right here. Sammy Snyders really does a superlative job in portraying Jamie as a strange outsider. He's alone in his own little world and he has no problem with it at all. It's all the "normal people" who bug him. But when his crush on the babysitter, Sandy (played by Jeannie Elias), is threatened by her seeing him as just a kid and wanting to be with other men, eerie takes a turn into the outlandish. Unfortunately, how that is presented to us isn't always on an even keel. Jamie's luring his "foes" to the pit to feed them to his "friends," ranges from the scary (like what he does to the bully and his girlfriend) to the unintentionally hilarious (like how he handles the blind woman in a wheelchair). But for the first two acts, things remain coherent an entertaining, even if a bit rough in the execution. But at the end of the second act, with the death of Sandy, things go completely off the rails.
The last act of the film is almost a hodgepodge of situations, that often don't show how they are connected or even make much sense. The police investigating the disappearance of those Jamie has fed to the trolls, is absolutely ridiculous. To call it "keystone cops work," would be to insult incompetent police. Then, Jamie lets the creatures loose, but they don't go far or do very much. The mass slaughter of them is very anti-climactic, to say the least. And the end, where Jamie goes to live with his grandparents and we see his ultimate fate, just comes completely out of left field. What happened to his parents? Why didn't he move with them to Seattle? Was "Teddy's" voice only in Jamie's head or was there something else at work? And how many other pits full of these creatures are there? All questions to which we never get the answers. It's like the director just didn't know how to end it, so they just filled the last 20-25 minutes with pointless scenes that go nowhere and have no rhyme or reason. It drags down the film's enjoyment a bit and leaves you with a less than satisfying feeling, even though the rest of it has been interesting and entertaining.
As I said, "The Pit" is certainly among one of the most peculiar films I've seen, if not the most peculiar. And while the final act is a cluttered and disappointing jumble, the film's first two acts are engaging and it does keep you entertained throughout its 97 minute run time (something you can't say about many other "normal" horror films). I'd mildly recommend this for horror fans looking for a less-than-usual experience, due to its off-the-wall style and format. It is certainly one of the most unique specimens in the annals of horror cinema, that I have ever come across.
What the heck!!! Big Spoilers!! But everyone knows about em anyway!!
Adam87814 February 2005
Warning: Spoilers
BIG SPOILERS
This flick was just weird and boring at the same time--- these 4 troll like monsters live at the bottom of a big hole or pit- hence the name- Sammy snyders has this teddy bear that talks- which actually sounds like Sammy snyders voice but with a echo- could be the teddy bear was like a "mirrored reflection of Jamie" of who he was talking to-- anyway Jamie leads all mean people to this big pit-- and instead of not walking AROUND the pit- they just drop themselves in- this was more like a long episode of "Gooesebumps".. not scary except for 2 years old maybe--- the monsters looked liked 4 people in hairy ape costumes-- there are a few shots of female anatomy which could of not been needed....VERY WEAK horror
This flick was just weird and boring at the same time--- these 4 troll like monsters live at the bottom of a big hole or pit- hence the name- Sammy snyders has this teddy bear that talks- which actually sounds like Sammy snyders voice but with a echo- could be the teddy bear was like a "mirrored reflection of Jamie" of who he was talking to-- anyway Jamie leads all mean people to this big pit-- and instead of not walking AROUND the pit- they just drop themselves in- this was more like a long episode of "Gooesebumps".. not scary except for 2 years old maybe--- the monsters looked liked 4 people in hairy ape costumes-- there are a few shots of female anatomy which could of not been needed....VERY WEAK horror
"I'm gonna go talk to Teddy!"
Foreverisacastironmess12326 June 2018
Warning: Spoilers
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
horrible
vita-246 June 2002
Warning: Spoilers
SOMEWHAT OF A SPOILER The only reason i saw this movie was because it was filmed in the town i used to live in. After i saw this i thought this movie is so pathetic. I mean come on killer trogs. How dumb is that. The only interesting part is where it was shot.I didnt like the movie because it seemed like a movie to unrealistic, not scary, and (yawn) to boring. It could put anyone to sleep.
Newsflash! Twelve year old boy obsessed with boobs!
Zeegrade3 May 2010
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.
Worth watching
atinder4 November 2017
I was really looking forward to this, a lot decent comments about on sites
This boy who is kinda off a outcast, he talks to his bear, who tell him what to do.
It wasn't to clearer if Bear was actually talking or they Boy was just thinking bear talking.
Anyone who upset the boy, the boy takes them in the wood, to see a Pit and pushes them in there.
We don't find until near the end, what is actually in the Pit as they escape the Pit.
We do get to see these creatures, they look okay for the time.
Acting was just Okay, some acting was really poor.
I found ending a little funny, I'm clad it ended it like that
4 out of 10, as I was expected more, it felt more like kids movie
This boy who is kinda off a outcast, he talks to his bear, who tell him what to do.
It wasn't to clearer if Bear was actually talking or they Boy was just thinking bear talking.
Anyone who upset the boy, the boy takes them in the wood, to see a Pit and pushes them in there.
We don't find until near the end, what is actually in the Pit as they escape the Pit.
We do get to see these creatures, they look okay for the time.
Acting was just Okay, some acting was really poor.
I found ending a little funny, I'm clad it ended it like that
4 out of 10, as I was expected more, it felt more like kids movie
Perhaps the most ridiculous film ever made
Klaus-927 September 1998
I must say that I have watched this film probably twenty times, and for those handful of people who have even heard of this movie - I have a feeling you think that that is excessive. I own two copies of the film, one reprint from 1992 which can be found in the 9.99 section at any Suncoast, and the other an original miraculously found in a bargain bin at a small Wal-Mart. I have had many profound thoughts about this movie and why I am so attracted to an obviously bad movie. The answer: Sammy Snyders' eyes. No actor can say so much with once glance like Sammy. When Sandy doesn't allow Sammy to pick up the knife Sammy's eyes say - I am 12, I am a little pervert, I am crazy. And no actor can mask the subtle signs of autism like Sammy can. The cover claims Sammy has autism, however, it is never brought up in the movie. It is a stain that Sammy covers well. And even you can't admit you didn't laugh when Sammy wheels Mrs. Oliphant's wheelchair through the meadow. What a rollicking time that was! God bless Sammy Snyders, it is a shame that Hollywood and fame consumed him.
Bizarre
Tikkin10 June 2006
I cant really decide whether I liked this film or not, because it has so many different elements which make it bizarre and truly unique. First off, there's the creepy little Jamie who keeps perving on women. It was a bit weird watching the woman "scrubbing his back" whilst knowing he's in love with her. Then there's Teddy. Teddy is a teddy-bear (!) who speaks and can even move. Since Teddy's voice is the same as Jamie's, we first assume that Teddy can't really talk and that it's all in Jamie's head. Then we see Teddy move when Jamie isn't with him. If this isn't strange enough, we also have the titular "pit", which contains some small ape-like monsters. The ending of the film is a bit of a mystery.
The reason I've only given The Pit 5 stars is mainly because it's too slow moving. You don't exactly get bored, but the pace really seems to drag. However it does give a good insight into how nasty young children can be, which is highlighted when Jamie comments about how people take joy in the pain of others.
People seem to like The Pit, but it's not to everyones taste, so tread carefully. I wouldn't recommend this film to slasher fans or gore-hounds, but it's perfect for those who can tolerate a slower pace and a bit of weirdness.
The reason I've only given The Pit 5 stars is mainly because it's too slow moving. You don't exactly get bored, but the pace really seems to drag. However it does give a good insight into how nasty young children can be, which is highlighted when Jamie comments about how people take joy in the pain of others.
People seem to like The Pit, but it's not to everyones taste, so tread carefully. I wouldn't recommend this film to slasher fans or gore-hounds, but it's perfect for those who can tolerate a slower pace and a bit of weirdness.
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