The Black Torment

This eerie and suspenseful film is developed in an ancient and isolated mansion . A nobleman lord named Richard Fordyke (John Turner) goes back to his manor with his new spouse (Heather Sears) after some time in London , to hear rumors that he had already secretly gone back . He soon hears disquieting reports about the neighbours seeing him running around, chased by a female figure that bears remarkable resemblance to his late first wife . Meanwhile, at his mansion and surroundings have been committed several murders. He will have to confront the mysterious evil force and legacy of horror of his family . Richard Fordyke is caught up by an ominous ghost and becomes inextricably involved in weird killings. Things go awry until a astonishing and surprising finale. Terror Creeps From the Fringe of the Fear to the Pit of Panic. A Creature From the Grave Bears Witness to Murder. What was the deadly power that desired and devoured the women of Fordyke?

This s a good terror film in Hammer Film style with malevolent spectres, family curses and an amazing final surprise . The plot is plain and simple an aristocrrat returns to the family manor with his new sweetheart when bloody events start happening , as he could very well be responsible for some rapes & murders that have occurred . The movie is plenty of grisly killings , tension , terror , genuine screaming , horrible chills and a little bit of blood . The picture packs a creepy atmosphere and strange color by the fine cinematographer Peter Newbrook who subsequently directed the Cult terror : The Asphyx . In addition , a frightening and intriguing musical score by Robert Richards . It is an acceptable British terror film with suspense , plot twists and weird appearances, but little slow-moving , at times . The casting is frankly well , there appears various awesome British actors , such as : John Turner as the suspicious Lord Richard who must ponder the idea that there could be some sort of conspiracy to drive him craziness . Along with his good-natured and beautiful wife well played by Heather Sears . Being well accompanied buy a fine support cast , such as : Peter Arne , Ann Lynn , Francis De Wolff , Norman Bird , Edina Ronay, Raymond Huntley and Patrick Throughton.

The movie was professionally directed by Robert Hatford Davies who often used pseudonym as Michael Burrows , author of some other Horror films and other genres as ¨Corruption¨ (with Peter Cushing) , ¨The Fiend¨ (with Patrick McNee) ,¨The Sandwich Man¨, ¨Ritual¨, ¨The Smashing Bird I Used to Know¨ , ¨Nobody Ordered Love¨, ¨Gonks Go Beat¨, ¨Saturday Night Out¨, ¨Crosstrap¨ and Blaxploitation movies as ¨Black Gunn¨ (with Jim Brown) and ¨ The Take¨ (Billy Dee Williams) . The motion picture will appeal to British horror enthusiasts .

"Sir Richard" (John Turner) returns to his country estate with his new bride "Elizabeth" (Heather Sears) only to find himself immersed in rumours that he has been back for a while and that he might be responsible for some local murders (and for ordering a saddle with his late wife's name on it!). What now ensues is a brain teaser - how can he have been in two places at once? Perfectly sane and eminent people are claiming to have seen him in places where both he and his wife know he wasn't. What's occurring? His right hand man "Seymour" (Peter Arne) and his sister-in-law "Diane" (Ann Lynn) can shed little light on this - is he just going mad? Robert-Hartford Davis does redeem this to a certain extent in the last ten minutes, but otherwise it really doesn't create much menace. Like the best episodes of "Scooby-Do", you just know there is a sensible solution for the seemingly imponderable - and unfortunately, there are so few cast members here as to make the deduction fairly straightforward. The score tries far too hard to compensate for the lack of tension generated by the mediocre acting, and although the production itself looks ok - plenty of decent costumes and sets, the whole thing is just a bit flat. Just think of it as Hammer-lite!

THE BLACK TORMENT (1964) is an early film in the career of director Robert Hartford-Davis, best known for his shocking later works like CORRUPTION and THE FIEND. This one is a much tamer effort that plays out as more of a spooky mystery than a horror film, although it has a couple of shock scenes in the latter half. The story involves a wealthy heir and his new bride returning to his ancestral home, only to discover a string of brutal murders plaguing the area - and his own household!

For a slow-moving mystery like this, it's not hard to work out the denouement, although there are a few surprises in store at the end. It looks and feels very much like a Hammer horror in terms of the 18th century setting and backdrop of aristocrats and working class servants. It also doesn't have much going for it, feeling a little tame and long-winded, and isn't one I'd watch a second time now that I know the outcome. It does also suffer from having a stiff lead in the form of John Turner, but the supporting cast, which includes Francis de Wolff, Peter Arne and Patrick Troughton, adds some colour. Certainly not a "bad" film per se, but one I struggle to get too excited about.

Robert Hartford-Davis interrupted his schedule of very contemporary exploitation pictures to make this rip-roaring hybrid of a modern Hammer psycho-drama and the sort of thing Bava and Freda were making on the continent, handsomely mounted in Eastmancolor with an interesting cast of familiar faces, old and new.

Please note that I'm deliberately exaggerating a bit in this user comment. "The Black Torment" might not be a genuine horror masterpiece – it does has its flaws and shortcomings – but this film is so drastically overlooked and underrated that I wish to praise it a little extra, hoping that fans of classic Gothic horror will go through more efforts to track it down! This film really deserves a wider audience and it's not because Hammer or Amicus studios didn't produce a certain horror film that it's automatically inferior. "The Black Torment" is a hugely atmospheric and beautifully photographed horror/costume drama directed by Robert Hartford-Davis. Noticing the director's name alone is a surprise already, since Harford-Davis' other horror films ("Incense of the Damned" and "The Fiend") were both irredeemably bad and quite ugly to look at. This film is a world of difference; stylish, compelling and featuring several sequences that qualify as genuinely unsettling. Sir Richard Fordycke returns to his wealthy father's estate with a new bride because his first wife sadly committed suicide for not being able to bear children. He doesn't receive a warm welcome, though, since several superstitious villagers spotted him during his absence and he supposedly even killed a local girl. Shortly after his return, Richard himself starts to have visions of his deceased wife walking through the garden. The whole explanation to the "mystery" is rather rational and unsurprising, but it's the sinister atmosphere that sticks to you. The scene in which the veiled 'ghost' rides through the woods screaming out the word "MURDERER" truly sent cold shivers down my spine! That definitely is the most wonderful effect a horror movie can give you! Highly recommended!