Tormented — Tormented( Blu Ray)
Tormented is a cheap, cheerful, and cheesy blend of thriller and horror genres- regarding an ageing playboy/ light jazz pianist who is due to get married, but is literally haunted/ being pestered by the spirit of one of his X’s. The films from the early ’60s, though feels way more from the 50’s- with its tone/set-up, and brief brushes of noir in its make-up.
Here from Film Masters is a new special Blu-Ray edition- taking in a 4k scan, a commentary track & a selection of extras, and a colour inlay booklet featuring a new essay.
Tormented (Tormented... by the She-Ghost of Haunted Island!, Eye Of The Dead) is from the year 1960 and was filmed in black & white. It was directed/ co-written by Kenosha, Wisconsin-born Bert I. Gordon who was behind a fairly few examples of schlocky exploitation going from Village of the Giants( 1965) a comedy sci-fi regarding a group of teens who drink a substance and grow thirty feet tall, taking over their small town. When giant animals attack sci-fi horror Food Of The Gods ( 1975), and mommy boys sex comedy Let’s Do It (1983).
The film is set on a small island- largely around its beach, a few nearby houses & a lighthouse. We open at nighttime where we find our mid 50’s lead Tom Stewart( Richard Carlson) at the top of the lighthouse- with him is blonde & busty X Vi ( Juli Reding), she says she still loves him, and is trying to stop his upcoming wedding. She mentions using letters she still has to blackmail him with letters he sent her. The pair move outside at the top of the lighthouse, and one of the pieces of the guard rail is missing- she missteps, seemingly falling to her death on the rocks below.
The next morning Tom is out swimming, and he thinks he sees a body bobbing in the water- he swims over pulling it out. It’s the body of Vi, though just after he places it on the beach it morphs into a body-sized pile of seaweed just as the precocious Sandy (Susan Gordon) is coming along- she is the around ten-year-old sister of his intended Meg( Lugene Sanders).
As things unfold Tom starts seeing Vi’s footprints in the sand, dreaming of her ghostly image, her hands, and her floating head appear later. Added into the mix we have cool-talking Nick, who is trying to blackmail Tom- he’s played Joe Turkel- who is most known for playing the bartender on Kubrick’s The Shining. And Sandy & Meg's parents, who don’t look much older than Tom.
The cheap superimposed effects are neat, and at points decidedly cheesy. And the acting shifts from hamming it up, to decidedly bad- with some wonderful cringe-inducing/ awkward dialogue for example young Sandy wants to marry Tom herself, and at one point she says it’s just not fair she can’t, and in other countries children of her age get married to men.
The film has a rather trim/ tight runtime of seventy-one minutes- and at points plays like a slightly longer Twilight Zone episode, but of course with more cheesy/ campness rubbed in. Tormented is an entertaining blend of thriller & light horror, with the whole thing resolving in a neat if slightly predictable manner.
This recent region-free Blu-Ray features a 4k scan of the film. This looks ok for a black & white film from the ’60s, but nothing too great/ well defined- but I’m guessing this is purely down to the print they had to work with.
On the extras side, we have a new commentary track from film expect/ author Gary Rhodes- this is a most well-researched/ informative track. He begins by mentioning the director's passing at the age of 100 in 2023. He gives us a brief bio of Bert I. Gordon, touching on a few of his notable films like 1958’s Earth Vs. The Spider. He talks about how the film's effects/ look differs from the director's other work. He discusses mentions of the film in the press of the time and the project's development. He discusses the state of post-war filmmaking in the US. Quotes from interviews with the director- talking about he’s ethos in film-making, and the film to hand. He gives a brief bio of the film's screenwriter George Worthing Yates, and we find out the little girl in her film lead was the director's daughter. Later on, he discusses early examples of seashore footage in films like Edison’s 1867 short Long Beach. He talks about what genre/ genres the films sit in. Chats about other island-set horror films, and the film's use of the lighthouse in the film.
Otherwise, we get the following new extra: Bigger Than Life: Bert I. Gordon in the 1950s and 1960s ( 39.25) a documentary featuring C. Courtney Joyner. The Spirt Is Willing( 20.13) a new visual essay by The Flying Maciste Brothers regarding the film. Unaired pilot episode trailer of 'Untold Ghost Stories,' with Vincent Price(4.14).
On the archive side, we have: Bert I. Gordon: The Amazing Colossal Filmmaker' (7.52) interview with the film's director. Mystery Science Theatre 300 version of the film from 1992. And two trailers of film.
The release is finished off with a glossy twenty-three-page inlay booklet. This features a few write-ups about the film, and it’s actors, as well as film stills & behind the scenes pictures.
Tormented will most certainly please those who enjoy cheap ‘n’ cheesy blends of horror & thriller genres. This Film Masters release is nicely put together/ presented, with some most worthy extras.