Torment Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Torment Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf July 27, 2020

“Torment” is a mostly engaging, slightly unnerving suspense offering for about half of its run time. If one were to stop watching midway through, a positive impression is made, with co-writer/directors Samson Aslanian and John Hopkins (“The Dorm That Dripped Blood”) managing to get a very low budget chiller up on its feet with a disturbing antagonist and a plot that sets up a somewhat unique cat and mouse game. “Torment” doesn’t have enough creative gas (or budgetary coin) to go the distance, but there’s a promising beginning, and that’s nearly enough to support the entire endeavor, which finds a way to a few Hitchcockian highs before losing interest in a distinct battle between a criminal and the cop on his trail.

Bob (William Witt) is an older man who can’t deal with the women of San Francisco, struggling to meet someone, watching younger ladies gravitate toward men their own age. He’s enraged, soon beginning a murder spree, ending the lives of those who reject him. On the case is Detective Mike (Warren Lincoln), and he’s determined to get his man, tracking clues and bodies around the big city to a possible suspect. His fiancée is Jennifer (Taylor Gilbert), and she’s agreed to spend some time with Mike’s mother, Mrs. Courtland (Eve Brenner), arriving at her mansion, hoping to get along with a cantankerous sixtysomething woman with physical disabilities. When Mike is called away to deal with the serial killer case, Jennifer is left alone with Mrs. Courtland. However, any awkwardness shared between them is quickly replaced with panic, as Bob has arrived to punish Mike for his investigation, looking to murder his two loved ones.

Much like 1983’s “10 to Midnight,” “Torment” explores the ferocity of a man spurned by women he approaches, experiencing a gut-punch of reality as his romantic desires find no takers. Instead of a Charles Bronson-starring thriller, “Torment” offers a smaller take on the central crisis of Bob, a middle-aged guy who can’t make a love connection in San Francisco, admitting to a radio talk show that it’s “humiliating to be a man.” Bob is dangerous, beginning his rampage with a woman who ditched him at a nightclub, finding his way to her home to shoot her and the man she shared the evening with. It’s a cruel fate, and Bob is a scary individual. He has the look of a cranky neighbor who measures his neighbor’s lawn growth daily, but he’s driven to destroy anyone who dares to turn him down, armed and ready to protect his masculinity.

“Torment” highlights Bob’s initial offering of violence, but Jennifer and Mrs. Courtland are really the lead characters of the picture, forced to spend time together before the big wedding weekend. It’s meant to be a bonding period, but Mrs. Courtland is cold as ice. She’s paranoid too, having already endured a house break-in, fearful of another one. Jennifer is stuck in an uncomfortable situation as well, dealing with an irritable senior citizen who’s about to become family, but there’s something interesting about Bob’s hunt, traveling to Mrs. Courtland’s home to provide Mike with a special punishment. “Torment” isn’t inspired work, but there’s dramatic purity and propulsiveness about Bob’s subplot, which finds the creep figuring out access to the dwelling, while Jennifer and Mrs. Courtland deal with evidence of a fresh break-in inside, generating unease as their enemy remains in the shadows.

“Torment” transforms into a more twisted game of trust and family ties in its second half, with Aslanian and Hopkins trying to find a clever way to escalate screen tension. They do manage to keep some level of surprise as the evening wears on for Jennifer and Mrs. Courtland, but the filmmakers don’t know exactly how to capitalize on the strength of such twists and turns. “Torment” loses tension as it goes, graduating into a home invasion showdown where one of the participants is an older woman with a shotgun who gets around in a wheelchair. Such an offering of B-movie insanity isn’t taken to its natural conclusion, leaving the feature to slowly deflate as a citywide massacre is reduced to a close-quarters game of intimidation.

Torment Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Offering a "Brand new 2K scan from the original interpositive," Scorpion Releasing brings the obscure "Torment" to Blu-ray. The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation does show some wear and tear, with slight judder, speckling, scratches, and brief blotches detected along the way. A good degree of detail is present, working well with close-ups, which showcase differences in age and provide a reasonably clear view of Bob's personal decay. House interiors are acceptable, preserving a sense of decoration and spatial relationships. Colors are adequate, with the cinematography periodically favoring blue lighting. Greenery is vivid, and costuming offers compelling primaries. Skintones are natural. Delineation is acceptable, often dealing with limited lighting and evening events. Grain is film-like.

Torment Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix has a rougher time with clarity on dialogue exchanges, offering a slightly muddier listening event with sibilance issues and fuzziness. An early club scene is hard to understand, but overall intelligibility isn't problematic, with dramatic offerings understood. Scoring isn't dynamic, but moods are appreciable, with Christopher Young's active music delivered with acceptable instrumentation. Sound library effects are blunt.

Torment Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview (11:13, HD) with composer Christopher Young discusses his relationship with key production personnel from "Torment," getting his start in the business with these people, including directors Samson Aslanian and John Hopkins, previously working on their feature, "The Dorm That Dripped Blood." Young shares his vision for "Torment," employing a mix of flutes and percussion instruments to achieve a "weird sound" for the movie, but he laments the use of student musicians who couldn't perform on a higher level, getting his first taste of overwhelming professionalism on 1995's "Species." The interviewee shares his ownership of the score, offered to him in lieu of payment, finding such a deal advantageous when he needed money for his honeymoon. Young admits he's lost touch with the "Torment" team, but carries fond memories of their time together, including a car ride where he lost a tooth, not his heart, in San Francisco.

• T.V. Spot (:27, SD) is offered.

• A Theatrical Trailer is not included in this release.

Torment Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Technical efforts for "Torment" are acceptable, with stylish lighting from cinematographer Stephen Carpenter working to add some visual muscle to a feature that doesn't have much breathing room, going from San Francisco locations to tight rooms and hallways. Scoring from Christopher Young also tries to expand the scope of the picture, supplying an almost avant-garde sound for a low-budget thriller. It works, as do performances, giving the film some appropriate emphasis when it comes time for good and evil to battle, and Witt is honestly unsettling as Bob, creeping out the room as the old guy in the club (with a gun). Certain elements connect in the endeavor, but, weirdly, "Torment" somehow bests expectations and fails to meet them at the same time.