Tormented (DVD)
Reviewed by Uncle Creepy
Starring Alex Pettyfer, April Pearson, Dimitri Leonidas, Calvin Dean, Tuppence Middleton
Directed by Jon Wright
Distributed by MPI Media / IFC Films
We’ve all been there growing up. No matter how big you think you are, at one point or another in school some asshole has hassled you. Whether it be for your appearance, what you like, or whatever, some insecure douche is always there waiting to make your life miserable. In the case of the new UK import Tormented, that’s exactly the case for one poor young lad, but this supernatural slasher has some truly imaginative and painful bits of revenge on tap for our resident bullies.
We never actually get to meet the film’s anti-hero Mullet (Dean) alive because by the time the film starts, a group of pretty snobs have already pushed the poor kid to suicide. Luckily for us viewers the dude was so pissed when he croaked that his ghost has come back from the grave to tear each one of the little buggers a new one … and do it in grand gory fashion.
True, the storyline is way on the derivative side of the fence, but through some slick directing by Jon Wright, this stale premise feels both fresh and at times fun. Wright has a good handle on just what fans are looking to take away from Tormented, and he gives it to us times ten. The kills, man. It’s all about the kills. Thankfully, for a horror comedy, Tormented ends up being home to quite a few gory moments, and the body count is high enough for even the hungriest of gore hounds to feel pretty damned sated by the time the credits roll. The red stuff is splashed around with a certain degree of glee, but things aren’t perfect.
The flick ends up falling victim to the usual slasher flick plot-holes and overly used conventions, though the supernatural element definitely helps to skate by more than a few of them. However, one grating thing that I couldn’t get past was the film’s many musical interludes. Maybe this is just a matter of taste, but the film’s pop/punk/rap/techno-based tunes began quickly getting on the old nerves and actually proved to be a bit distracting along the way to the point of almost feeling like a ninety-minute long ultra violent commercial for the soundtrack. Still, despite its shortcomings both audible and not, Tormented still manages to rise above the usual crop, and for that it deserves a some merit.
What doesn’t deserve any praise at all, though, are the DVD special features. Other than a quick behind-the-scenes featurette, we get nothing but the trailer. Come on, guys! Given the extensive effects in the flick, can’t we at least cover that a bit? How about a commentary? I know. Horror fans. We are never friggin’ happy.
If you’re looking for the best damned movie you’ll ever see about a vengeful and murderous overweight specter, then, brother, Tormented is exactly what the doctor ordered! Long Live Mullet!
Special Features
4 out of 5
Special Features
2 out of 5
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