Torched

Heading into Ryan Nicholson's Torched, I was aware that it was a short flick, some of my horror pals enjoyed it, and that there's some cool torture scenes. It was short, there were some cool torture scenes, but I wouldn't say I enjoyed it as much as the other reviewers on here.

Story is about a chick that gets raped. Later on the same day another attempt is made, but this time chicky-poo turns the table and takes the attacker out of commission. Now he's tied up in her apartment, and she's looking for some payback. All the while she's playing detective/party girl. What follows is a slightly above average revenge tale with some pretty awesome make-up and blood fx.

I understand how people are saying for this type of movie (low-budget indy horror) the acting was much better than average. Well, I suppose it is. The lead actress did an alright job when acting normal but when she got mad and yelled...I couldn't take it serious...it was laughable. Her co-worker chick was pathetically average, the apartment dude and the doctor were probably the best actors in this movie. The worst actor by far in this flick was the dude getting "Torchered." He was getting some serious pain dealt on him and all he'd do was some loud half yell/half moaning? I'd be screaming bloody murder, writhing, throwing myself all over the place. And the ending, it was sudden, felt kind of jumbled and kind of silly. It was nothing incredibly shocking, but I guess it was kind of unique.

Even though I've dissed this movie some, Torched is definitely a flick any self-respecting hardcore horror fan should check out. I'm not saying I'll be recommending it, unless someone asks me for an extreme movie with a short running time. But it's an extreme, gritty, low-budget independent horror flick that will appeal to a lot of horror fans. Unfortunately I wasn't one of them. But I do have to say again that the fx was pretty sweet. The skin melt scene especially. 6.5 outta 10

I acquired this title because of Gutterballs, a "film" that surprised me with its realism and brutality. I figured "Torched" would also deliver. In a way, it does, but poorly. Quite a few scenes were framed poorly, as in unnecessary long close-ups of talking heads. Some of the dialog also couldn't be heard because the mics were too far way from the actors. The violence was fairly decent but the editing was just so poorly done that the film just came off as a student exercise in Editing 101. Was this a "must watch" film? Nope. If you've seen the original "I Spit On Your Grave" or "Irreversible" you've seen this flick before. This outing is better than, say, any of Lucifer Valentine's stuff, but not by much.

Torched, what's in a name. The movie suffered some torture. It is released in 2010 but was made in 2004 so what happened? It was one of the first sleazefests of Ryan and his Plotdigger theme but somehow things went terrible wrong. It was never edited and some workprint or a finale copy was released without the clearance of Ryan himself. It was released as Hell Hath No Fury. The fact that HHNF was 113 minutes long and the directors cut 45 minutes says enough. Ryan did his best to withdraw the release but failed. Meantime Plotdigger released Live Feed and Gutterballs. Ryan was fed up and stated to re-release HHNF as it should have been, he re-edited the flick and put a new score on it. But even then things went wrong. The release should have been in 2009 but some factory mistakes while pressing delayed the flick again. But fair as he is, Ryan kept in touch with everybody and the release was made in march 2010. Only available at Plotdigger itself limited to 666 copies. Mine was signed by him so I watched HHNF again as it should have been. What he brings in 45 minutes is of course the best thing. Not a lot of blah blah but a lot of, euh, torched scene's. I won't spoil what is being torched but in fact if you are a guy you will be impressed. It's gore galore in this flick. The red stuff flows frequently. I was a bit disappointed by the fact that there wasn't any nudity in it. HHNF had a lot of it. And knowing Plotdigger, normally they have that, remember Gutterballs. Still you can see that it is a low budget flick. There are some shadows from the boom (sound) watchable. But nevertheless, it delivers what you expect from it. And be advised. If you are easily offended or squeamish, don't watch it. You will need your balls to see it, if you know what I mean. Just like Run Bitch Run one of the better rape/revenge ones this year.

Torched doesn't reach feature length at only 44 minutes, but it's 44 minutes well spent if you like this kind of thing as director Ryan Nicholson starts the film off nasty, and manages to carry this on throughout. Right at the start, we witness a nurse being raped and from there she decides it's time for revenge, as someone else tries to attack her, but she manages to get the better of him with a stun gun - and then the fun starts! The film takes obvious influence from the classic seventies crop of 'rape and revenge' films, such as I Spit on Your Grave. The film also takes influence from this new wave of modern day Video Nasties, which includes films such as Murder-Set-Pieces and August Underground. Nicholson gives the film a hard rock score, which works rather well when it's put against a backdrop of grisly and vile torture. There isn't very much of this film, and what there is of it is unlikely to make anyone want to stand up and applaud; but Torched is a more than decent way to spend three quarters of an hour for fans of sick and twisted horror movies.

Torched, a 45 minute shocker from indie director Ryan Nicholson, is a brutal rape revenge tale that goes straight for the jugular, assaulting the senses with a non-stop barrage of horrific imagery which is definitely not for those of a nervous disposition. From the opening savage sexual assault to the movie's blood-drenched climax, Torched will sear itself into your memory.

Far from being the poorly acted and amateurish production I was expecting, this confidently directed and well acted piece of extreme movie-making was a pleasant surprise (well, maybe not pleasant, but it was far better than I thought it would be!). The cast are great and the whole production is well put together, with a cool metal soundtrack and some pretty impressive (and nauseating) special effects.

Michelle Boback plays Deanna, a pretty nurse who is raped by a masked attacker outside her home. The next night she is attacked in her home, but manages to subdue and constrain the intruder. Believing the man she now has tied up in her flat to be her rapist, she begins to torture him in a manner of particularly nasty ways.

This film certainly knows how to pack a punch, with graphic scenes of mutilation and a particularly mean-spirited moment where Deanna employs a junkie to help her with her revenge! After a lot more violence (including a juicy power-saw beheading), the film ends well, with a pretty good twist.

Torched sets out to shock, and shock it does. Whilst this is not going to be to everyone's taste, fans of exploitation and gore should find it hits the spot.