Tormented

If you're looking for first-class or even second-class acting, this is not your movie. However, if you're familiar with and like other Allied Artists B-movie horror entries circa 1960, this one fits the bill. It's somewhat like a Beatnik version of the tell-tale heart.

Tom is a rising jazz pianist about to marry a girl from a prominent family. Unfortunately his ex-lover, buxom nightclub singer Vi, refuses to let go and threatens to show Tom's fianceé the letters he wrote her. Tom is afraid of exposure - I suppose his sheltered fiancé would be shocked! shocked I say! to find out that a 35 year old man is not a virgin! Vi leans against the railing of the old lighthouse they are arguing in and the railing breaks. Tom has a few seconds to save her as she clings to the railing screaming for help. However Tom was against saving her before he was for it and he lets her drop to her death. Now technically he has done nothing wrong - she did fall on her own - and if he went to the police now and said she fell he might get away with it. But he just walks away, leaves the lighthouse, leaves the body in the sea, and figures nobody will ever know... but his conscience knows.

So suddenly what should be a happy time in his life is filled with visions of his dead lover. Sometimes it's her hand trying on his fiancée's engagement ring, sometimes it's her head rebuking him, sometimes it's her whole body in a ghostly apparition popping up in engagement party photographs. However, only he sees these things - for awhile. As someone else said, at first you can somewhat sympathize with Tom, but as Vi's "head" predicts, he goes from bad to worse to cover up his crime, until at the end he is contemplating the most horrific act imaginable.

The acting here, except for Richard Carlson as Tom and Juli Redding as Vi, is so wooden you could build a bonfire out of the performances, but it all just fits in so well to the spartan Allied Artists early 60's horror atmosphere that I didn't mind. Even Ms. Redding has some weird Marilyn Monroe vibe going, but it's all part of the fun. The really weird part is the large section of the film dedicated to Tom's future sister-in-law - all of nine - doing her prepubescent best to win Tom away from her sister.

If you like films like "The Hypnotic Eye" and "Macabre" give this one a try, just realize it's much more camp and cheese than horror.

On a small island community lives a pianist Tom Stewart who's planning to marry his wealthy girlfriend Meg Hubbard. Although after having a confrontation with his old squeeze Vi Mason on a lighthouse, Tom standbys and watches her take a fall from a loose railing. Although, Tom could have saved her, but since she said that she wouldn't let him go and marry his new girlfriend. He saw this as opportunity to get rid of her, so he could get on with his new life. But that wasn't quite the case, as now a vengeful spirit in the shape of Vi has returned to constantly interrupt Tom's plans and new life.

Poor Tom, as he has got a lot on his plate to comprehend and it doesn't seem to be getting any better. I guess he'll learn the hard way. Bert I. Gordon's "Tormented" is a pleasant surprise that sets-up a mature, atmospheric ghost story that handles itself rather sincerely, despite it's obtrusively dodgy special effects. But this factor of the film only heightens its charm and burly nature. The B-grade production might show it's cheap origins, but it makes up for it with its strangely spooky atmosphere and interestingly glum story that builds up the anxiety levels and offers up a few surprises. While, the off-coloured plot is filled with inconsistencies and slows down in spots, but I never found it boring and a change in character (and events) makes it immensely gripping. When it comes to the film's conclusion it's fairly far-fetched, but it's definitely a striking note to finish out on. I was expecting something really leaden from the cast, but to my surprise everyone was acceptably fine in their roles. Richard Carlson plays the neurotic Tom whose guilt slowly overwhelms his mind with Juli Reding's beauty turned nagging ghost Viv both turning in splendid performances. Sandy Gordon's performance is that of high quality as the innocent little girl Sandy Hubbard who gets caught up in this ordeal. Mr B.I.G.'s direction is adequate enough and makes the most out of the moody setting with the ear-splitting score managing to channel out an eerie cloud that smothers the flick. Watching this, I see that restless spirits don't make great companions and will totally drive you up the wall… that's if you have treated them unfairly though.

"Tormented" is a tolerable minor entry that does deserve more credit.

I saw this movie a few weeks ago for the first time. I don't expected much, but after watching this, I was very surprised. It's one of those old films which are quiet good and not boring.

OK it is not a Blockbuster but it is very moody for a B-Movie. Even the Special Effects are okay for a film from the early 60's. The actors are quiet good, especially Juli Reding (Vi Mason), she is great. I think she imparts a bit of gallows humor (characteristic with her big breasts) to this Film :-)

The only deficit in this picture is the little Girl Sandy, she is very annoying. But generally speaking it is a nice movie for boring evenings.

Tormented is quite a scary ghost story from Mr Big. No giant insects in it though.

On a remote island,a musician's former lover falls to her death from a lighthouse even though he could have stopped her. He then tries to carry on with his life and prepare for his forthcoming wedding but she comes back to haunt him. This leads to many strange and creepy happenings including a record player playing on its own accord, the supposedly disused lighthouse working, footprints in the sand and the flowers wilting at his wedding. She also causes him to murder a young man. He then returns to the lighthouse to confront the ghost...

Despite reading bad reviews about this movie, I found it quite enjoyable and certainly scary at times.

The cast includes sci-fi/horror regular Richard Carlson (It Came From Outer Space, Creature From the Black Lagoon), Mr Big's daughter Susan Gorden, Lugene Sanders, Juli Reding, Joe Turkel and Gene Roth (Earth vs the Spider).

Catch this if you get the chance. Excellent despite the low budget.

Rating: 3 stars out of 5.

Bert I. Gordon - cleverly shortened as B.I.G - is a notorious director/producer/writer whose films are too often automatically categorized as 'awful' and textbook material for spoof-shows as MST3K. Even 'Tormented' featured in the legendary show and I, for one, think this was really unjustified. Underneath all the cheapness and inferior production values of this project homes a modestly grim and slick thriller. The plot handles about a successful piano player (Tom) who lives on a remote island community. He's all set to wed a rich high society girl but first he has to get rid of his Marilyn Monroe-like mistress Vi. Things seem to turn out fine when she falls off the lighthouse but Vi comes back to haunt Tom; body part by body part. This thriller with obvious Freudian influences is quite atmospheric and features interesting sub-plots and a few genuine frights. It only suffers from too many scenes in which the protagonist (Richard Carlson) wanders around the beach talking to himself. It's not a bad film at all and most people probably just refer to it as a turkey because Gordon directed it. Whether his films feature giant fake mutated animals (Empire of the Ants, Food of the Gods) or not, they all get labeled the same way. Cinema is a hypocrite industry, my friends. It's up to you to give this 'Tormented' a look and realize it should be rated slightly higher.