The Pit (1981)

"They don't eat chocolate bars." - Jamie

A really weird kid finds a really weird pit.
Starring: Sammy Snyders, Jeannie Elias, Andrea Swartz, Larua Hollingsworth

Link to IMDB

Jamie Benjamin is a very strange 12 year old boy, he's a constant troublemaker at school and a total pervert towards females of all ages. Oh, and he also has a secret pit in the forest full of little weird creatures he calls trogologs!
Hated by kids and adults alike, Jamie doesn't have any friends except for his teddy bear, and he even hears Teddy's voice in his head when they have conversations. It's peculiar, but Jamie has no one else to talk to.

When Jamie's parents go away for a week, they hire a young lady named Sandy to be his nanny. She has experience with troubled children, so she's not intimated by the idea of caring for Jamie and she makes an effort to be his friend. She's soon going to get more than she bargained for, because Jamie quickly falls in love with her.

Sandy

Time for some pit talk. It's a large hole that no one except Jamie knows about, and he goes there to watch these little troll-like critters that are stuck down in it. Jamie tells Sandy about the trogologs, and she humours him by suggesting he should feed them chocolate, but Jamie soon realizes that they'll only eat meat.

After spending all his money at the butcher shop, he's gotta find a new way to get meat for his pit pals... Can you guess what happens?
Well, I'm just going to say that the list of people Jamie and Teddy don't want around anymore is pretty long, and Sandy better be one step ahead if she wants to stay out of the pit!



This is an intriguing and unusual movie in all the best ways possible. The creepiness is laid on thick, but not about the pit, no, it's Jamie himself that is the source of the disturbing vibes. He's so goddamn creepy! There's a lot of tension building about him falling in love with Sandy, spying on her and being a pervert, and that almost makes the middle of the movie drag a little bit. Honestly, that slow sensation is mostly just because I was dying to know more about the pit creatures.

When the pit does become the main focus of the plot, things become even more brilliantly bonkers. The dark humour aspects of the movie get a chance to shine here, as Jamie starts luring people into the woods to meet the hungry trogologs.

Wing night in the pit

The overall tone of the movie is difficult to pinpoint. It's often intense and dark, but also full of fun and outrageous moments. Much of this is shaped by the unpredictable Jamie, who is one of the strangest psychos I've seen on the screen in awhile.
The Pit is definitely unique and memorable, with a perfect mix of humour, Twilight Zone eeriness, and wacky critters.

Be sure not to miss:
- The wheelchair scene.
- #CowLivesMatter
- The creatures are basically miniature C.H.U.D.S.
- I recognized Jamie from an episode of The Littlest Hobo. This is a Canadian production.

Internet review:
"One of the best oddities of the 80's." - Johnny666

Should I watch it?
Recommended.

Where can I find it?
Links here.

The Pit gets...