6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Tom Stewart is prepared to marry when his previous lover turns up and demands he take her back. Their argument leads them to the top of an old lighthouse from which the girl falls to her death. Tom conceals his involvement in her death, but finds himself tortured by the woman's ghost - whose only desire is revenge...
Starring: Richard Carlson, Susan Gordon, Lugene Sanders, Juli Reding, Joe TurkelHorror | 100% |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 16-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono (192 kbps)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Some of the supplements on this disc make some passing comparisons between the venerable Bert I. Gordon and Roger Corman, though within the context of Gordon never quite achieving the fame and fortune that Corman did, and that comparison may be an especially good reference point with regard to Tormented in particular since, unlike many of Gordon's "giant monster" movies, Tormented is actually a kinda sorta reworking of an Edgar Allan Poe tale. And in fact "tale" is a salient term, since the Poe short story in question is The Tell Tale Heart, which considering both its brevity and first person conceit might make it a prickly adaptation project for a feature length film. That may explain why there are curiously few cinematic treatments of Poe's story, though there have been a few at least tangentially related to the source material, including 1960's The Tell-Tale Heart. This 1960 film takes the basic concept of a "guilty conscience" manifesting in any number of auditory (and in this case, visual) hallucinations, but rather interestingly the "murder" in this version isn't the "traditional" type, in that the perceived culprit doesn't actually personally kill his victim, he simply fails to save her from a precarious situation which results in her death.
Tormented is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Film Masters with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. There's no real technical information imparted on the cover or in the insert booklet, but this is by and large another rather winning restoration by Film Masters, though my hunch is it was probably not sourced from a negative (if anyone has authoritative information, private message me and I'll happily update things here). Detail levels are quite pleasing throughout, though a number of the outdoor scenes with wider framings can have slight fuzziness and resultant lack of fine detail. There are a number of obviously composited special effects, and while grain is in evidence and gives things a generally cohesive organic appearance, there really aren't huge spikes during these effects moments, which may suggest some "grain management". Contrast is generally okay if not completely stellar, and I personally found some of this transfer to be a bit on the dark side. There are some minor signs of age related wear and tear, but nothing of any serious import.
Tormented features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track that offers fine support for the film's dialogue, sometimes funny sound effects and a score by Albert Glasser and Calvin Jackson that this aspiring jazz musician wouldn't necessarily classify as "jazz". The ambient sound effects beachside can be just slightly boxy sounding, but are decently resonant. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.
I had the distinct pleasure and privilege of getting to know Susan Gordon for several years before her extremely untimely death in 2011 (Susan sadly pre-deceased both of her parents). Susan was an absolute sweetheart of a woman who was actually interested in making her musical theater stage debut in a show I had written, but who also evidently decided I "needed" to be on a macrobiotic diet (something she subscribed to, almost religiously), and so would phone me virtually nightly to get an account of what I had eaten that day (suffice it to say my love of tomatoes made macrobiotic-ism untenable for me). That made viewing this weird film on the bittersweet side for me, but it's arguable that Susan is the highlight of the film, offering a natural and winning performance as a little girl who is swept up into a madman's guilt fueled plotting. This is a rather unusual outing for Bert I. Gordon, but it may be of interest for that very fact alone, even if this is manifestly not a "giant monster" (and/or giant human) outing. Technical merits are generally solid and this disc features some really appealing supplements, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.
2016
[•REC]⁴: Apocalypse / [•REC]⁴: Apocalipsis
2014
2020
2017
2016
2015
Unrated
2017
Haunted
2014
Unrated Theatrical and Rated Versions
2013
2017
1978
1973
2011
2003
Collector's Edition
1986
2007
2018
2016
2013
1983