Tormented (1960 film)
| Tormented | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster | |
| Directed by | Bert I. Gordon |
| Written by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Ernest Laszlo |
| Edited by | John Bushelman |
| Music by | |
| Distributed by | Allied Artists Pictures Corporation |
Release date |
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Running time | 75 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Tormented is a 1960 American horror film directed and produced by Bert I. Gordon for Allied Artists Pictures Corporation, and starring Richard Carlson.[1] The film was featured in the fourth season of the television series Mystery Science Theater 3000.[2][3]
Plot
[edit]
Jazz pianist Tom Stewart lives in a Cape Cod island community and is preparing to marry his fiancée, Meg Hubbard. Shortly before the wedding, Tom's ex-girlfriend Vi Mason visits and informs him that she will end his relationship with Meg, using blackmail if necessary. While they argue atop a lighthouse, the railing gives way, and Vi falls, managing to hang on briefly. She cries out for help, but Tom refuses and watches her fall to her death.
The next day, Tom sees Vi's body floating in the water. After retrieving her, the body dissolves into seaweed. Tom tries to forget, but over the next few days, Vi's watch washes up on the beach, strange footprints appear in the sand, Vi's ghost appears and tells Tom that she will haunt him for the rest of his life and when Meg's little sister Sandy asks to see the wedding ring, a disembodied hand makes off with it.
Soon afterwards, during a wedding party, Vi's disembodied head appears in a photo a guest takes of the couple. Later, Vi taunts that she will now use her voice to tell the world how Tom killed her. To add to his dilemma, a beatnik ferryman comes looking for the five dollars Vi owes for her passage to the island. Tom's haste to pay only causes the shifty man to stick around, and his attempts at blackmail lead to his death. Unbeknownst to Tom, Sandy has inadvertently witnessed the murder.
Sandy, who idolizes Tom, remains silent, although she almost speaks up at the wedding when the minister asks if anyone has any objection. Before she can speak, the church's doors burst open and cause the flowers to wilt and the candles to die, bringing the ceremony to an abrupt, unpleasant halt.
That night, Tom returns to the lighthouse and tells Vi that he is leaving the island. When he finds Sandy eavesdropping, he realizes that he is trapped: Sandy knows too much and could tell Meg and the community. In desperation, he leads Sandy up to the broken railing with the intent to push her over. However, Vi's ghost swoops down on him, causing him to go over the edge as Sandy watches.
The islanders search for Tom's body; they find Vi's, and Tom's soon afterwards. His body placed next to Vi's, which somehow manages to turn and lay its arm across him. On Vi's hand is the wedding ring, signaling that Tom is now forever with Vi.
Cast
[edit]- Richard Carlson as Tom Stewart
- Susan Gordon as Sandy Hubbard
- Lugene Sanders as Meg Hubbard
- Juli Reding as Vi Mason
- Joe Turkel as Nick
- Lillian Adams as Mrs. Ellis
- Gene Roth as Mr. Nelson
- Vera Marsh as Mrs. Hubbard
- Harry Fleer as Frank Hubbard
- Paul Frees (uncredited) as Frank's voice
Production notes
[edit]Nick, the "beatnik ferryman", was played by Joe Turkel, who appeared in two other Gordon productions: The Boy and the Pirates and Village of the Giants.[4]
While the role of Frank Hubbard was portrayed on screen by actor Harry Fleer, his voice was dubbed by Paul Frees.[5] This was a common occurrence in Frees' career as he was often called in to dub actors' voices during the post-production phases, always in an uncredited capacity.[6]
Home media
[edit]- Something Weird Video released the film as a download.[7]
- The MST3K version has been released by Rhino Home Video as part of the Collection, Volume XI box set.[8]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Horror News
- ^ "Ranking Every MST3K Episode, From Worst to Best - Paste". Archived from the original on 2022-06-14. Retrieved 2021-07-16.
- ^ 10 MST3K Movies You Should Watch Without The Riffing - CBR
- ^ Turner Classic Movies
- ^ DVD Savant Review
- ^ VOICE DUBBING; Say It Again, Paul Frees - The New York Times
- ^ Something Weird Video
- ^ MST3K: Volume XI - DVD :: Shout! Factory
External links
[edit]
- Tormented at IMDb
- Tormented is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive
- ‹The template AllMovie title is being considered for deletion.› Tormented at AllMovie
- Tormented at the TCM Movie Database
- MST3K episode on ShoutFactoryTV
- 1960 films
- 1960 horror films
- 1960s ghost films
- Allied Artists films
- American black-and-white films
- American ghost films
- American independent films
- Films directed by Bert I. Gordon
- Films scored by Albert Glasser
- Films set on islands
- Films set in lighthouses
- 1960s English-language films
- 1960s American films
- English-language horror films