Thursday, June 19, 2014
Michael Allen
Writers: Michael Foster and Thomas Pound.
Cast: Peter DaCunha, Katharine Isabelle and Stephen McHattie.
Torment is a film from production company Filmax International. This Spanish company shot and developed this slasher film in 2013. Shot in Canada, Torment is from a fairly new writing crew: Michael Foster and Thomas Pound. Also, this viewer knows director Jordan Barker from his work on the 2006 supernatural thriller The Marsh. And, both The Marsh and Torment are lackluster film events. Torment is overly dark through several scenes. As well, the killers in the film are underdeveloped and uninteresting to follow. Torment is one slasher film that does not stand-out in this crowded sub-genre.
The story for Torment, such that it is, begins with the Morgan family. Liam (Peter DaCunha) and Sarah (Katharine Isabelle) are newlyweds and they decide to take their son and step-son out to the woods, for a nice retreat. However, their cabin has been burgled and the neighbours are missing. Soon, a group of mask wearing characters come pounding on the door, inexplicably and events start to heat up, the ones that you can see that is. Characters disappear in dark settings as Torment followed every tried and true cliche in the slasher film genre.
This critic is fairly knowledgeable of Barker's previous works. His 2006 outing, The Marsh, was a fairly subdued affair. The central character Claire simply moved through scenes without emotion or dialogue. The Marsh was not a memorable film, despite Forest Whitaker's consistent acting. Barker continues to pick poor films to shoot as Torment offers little in the way of ingenuity. There are no real complex shots in Torment, outside of some exterior and night shooting. Both the exterior and night shots are poorly captured, with some scenes shown in total darkness. This viewer is not a fan of completely black screens, despite the presence of audio. Barker does not shine in his latest feature.
The major critique of this film, as mentioned, is the darkness onscreen; as well, the many tropes in the film take something away from a viewing experience. Much of Act III is shot during the night and the character Sarah can hardly be seen in a darkened basement. A stalking killer opens a door and some light enters the scene, but much of Act III is photographed in too much darkness. Thankfully, a scene involving flares lights up the screen for a few moments; this scene is an exception, though. As well, the fairly inexperienced writing team, consisting of screenwriter Michael Foster and Thomas Pound, do not offer any surprises in the story department. The film's protagonist is debateable and the antagonists are underdeveloped. The killers have no backstory and only a line or two of dialogue. An early murder scene could have been swapped out for a more interesting introduction of these killers. Instead, the film opens with a fairly standard horror action scene. Other tropes include: the use of masks to create mystery (in identity), several chase sequences and an open ending. Though, a sequel is not required here, unless the writing team can create more interesting conflicts, characters and outcomes.
Torment was released recently and most indie horror fans can safely skip this title without guilt. This slasher feature is similar to many other horror titles from the past, including Adam Wingard's You're Next. Both features offer animal masked killers and a few scenes of violence. Still, Torment does not offer the tension, nor the compelling action of You're Next. Instead, Torment is a mostly average affair, which strains the eyes and occasionally the patience.
Overall: 6.5 out of 10 (a good sense of pace through Act I and into Act II, Katharine Isabelle brings another strong horror performance, the intro' and ending are fairly standard, a very short film at seventy-five minutes).
A trailer for the film is available here:
Torment Trailer on 28DLA
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Posted in: 2014,horror movie review,indie horror movie review,movie review,preview,slasher,slasher movie review,story,synopsis
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