Edgar Allan Poe's The Pit and the Pendulum

Seven students arrive at a secluded institute to take part in an experiment that promises something remarkable: the elimination of pain itself. Their host, the scientist JB Divay (Lorielle New), uses hypnosis and an array of antique devices to test how far the mind can be pushed before the body stops responding. As the volunteers settle into their rooms and their sessions, one of them vanishes, then another, and the true purpose of the research begins to reveal itself. Prolific genre director David DeCoteau loosely reworks Edgar Allan Poe's classic tale into a moody, low-budget chiller with a young ensemble that includes Amy Paffrath, Andrew Bowen, Greg Sestero and Tom Sandoval. Made in 2009, the film follows DeCoteau's signature approach, with a cast of largely LGBTQ+ characters whose identities are simply part of the story rather than its source of conflict.