Bloody Pit of Horror (Italian: Il Boia Scarlatto) is a 1965 gothic horror film. The film, set in Italy, was directed by Domenico Massimo Pupillo and stars Mickey Hargitay, Walter Brandi, Luisa Baratto and Rita Klein. It tells the story of a group of women modeling for a photo shoot at a castle, whose owner takes on the identity of the Crimson Executioner, bent on their deaths.

Bloody Pit of Horror was produced by Francesco Merli and Ralph Zucker. The screenplay, by Roberto Natale and Romano Migliorini, was developed from their own story. Luciano Trasatti served as the cinematographer, Mariano Arditi as the editor. Gino Peguri composed the score.

The film was shot at Balsorano Castle while interior shots were filmed at Palazzo Borghese, Artena. Hargitay stated that he had little experience in acting, noting that he “wasn’t any more of an accomplished actor than a taxi driver”, but still felt he provided a good performance in the film.

Bloody Pit of Horror was distributed in Italy by M.B.S. Cinematografica, and released on November 28, 1965, at a runtime of 87 minutes. It grossed a total of 65 million Italian lire on its release. It was released on May 16, 1967, in the United States, distributed by Pacemaker Pictures as a double feature with Terror-Creatures from the Grave. The American version was cut to 74 minutes of predominantly expository scenes. The US promotion of Bloody Pit of Horror made claims that it was based on the writings of the Marquis de Sade. The film was re-released in Italy in 1972 under the title Io…il Marchese de Sade (lit. ’I…the Marquis de Sade’)

color, mono, widescreen, 86 minutes. DVD-R comes packaged as shown in color DVD case, wrapped in plastic!