Tormented (1960)

One of my all time favorites.

Fantastic!

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Tormented could have been a very good horror movie....When the "tormenting" begins, it's pretty creepy. The footprints in the sand, the record player, the photograph. But when the main character picks up the ghost's head and drops it down the stairs, it just kills the mood. It doesn't feel like a horror movie anymore, but a supernatural black comedy. Maybe it is supposed to be a black comedy?It doesn't ruin the entire movie though. The plot is interesting enough, and you want to see how it ends. Too bad the about the ridiculous head scene...But, it's still better than most of the crap they call horror movies these days. It's a short movie too, so if you're bored and got nothing else to do, grab yourself a bag of potato chips and watch Tormented.

It's been a long time since I've seen this film and I've recently re-watched it... I must say this is a good underrated ghost story. The film is not perfect; it's a little bit cheesy but in a good sort of way.Basically a man, Tom Stewart, is "Tormented" by the ghost of his ex-girlfriend, Vi Mason, that he deliberately let die. Vi wanted Tom for herself - even in death. Vi will stop at nothing to stop Tom from marring his new sweetheart Meg Hubbard.This is a good late night movie - it has it's fair share of thrills and horrors.*************************Spoiler**************************** Tom started out kinda likable minus what happened to the irritating Vi - yet Vi was going to blackmail Tom so that puts Vi as the unlikeable at the very beginning of the film.What gets me is how Tom became a cold blooded murderer. He let Vi die on purpose, he killed Nick (the blackmailer) and was going to kill Sandy at the very end of the film. He became so desperate to stop anyone from knowing what happened to Vi and to marry Meg (then backed out of the wedding to Meg). He got to the point he was willing to kill anyone - even 8 year old Sandy.I think Tom got exactly what he deserved in the very end.******************************************************************* Good film over all - I like it a lot.8.5/10

A creepy little film even though it's hokey. The story line is engaging, the island setting is very atmospheric, and the acting isn't too bad (I enjoyed the relatively young Lillian Adams as Mrs. Ellis). And there are some eerie touches, such as the wilting flowers and drooping candles in the church scene. But the movie suffers from all the campiness (e.g., Vi's floating head) and a terrible, discordant early-1960's jazz score. Oddly, even though Mrs. Ellis is an interesting character, it's not made clear why she's even in the story or what her blindness has to do with anything. (Ostensibly, her blindness renders her more perceptive, more attuned to things others cannot see, more willing to believe in the supernatural than others in the household, but this angle isn't taken up in a satisfying way.)Not worth purchasing, but if it shows up on late-night TV, give it a shot!

Richard Carlson (Tom) tells Juli Reding (Vi) that it's over between them and that he intends to marry Lugene Sanders (Meg). This opening scene takes place in a lighthouse and has an unhappy ending for Miss Reding as she falls to her death. Carlson could have saved her but decided not to, after all, with her out of the way, he is a free man to get it on with Sanders without any troubles. He couldn't be more wrong. Reding comes back to haunt him.Don't expect a well-acted, scary ghost story. Instead, psyche yourself up for a fun film that will make you cringe at times and be almost quite good at other times. This is despite the cast who perfectly demonstrate the acting-by-numbers technique, ie, acting without being any good. Main offenders are Carlson who is a complete douchebag throughout the whole film, Susan Gordon (Sandy) who plays the young girl who acts like a grown-up and Lillian Adams (Mrs Ellis) who plays a blind landlady that knows more than sighted people do as they always seem to.The dialogue is crass but the film keeps you watching. Juli Reding is the best thing about the film which does provide a couple of spooky moments. Carlson deserves everything that he gets for choosing the insipid Doris Day lookalike over her for a life partner. I liked how the story finished. You just know who is going to have the last laugh......and where is that wedding ring?