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Directed by Andrew Cull and Steve Isles. Starring Giles Alderson, Zoe Richards, Nicholas Shaw, Francesca Fowler. UK, Supernatural Horror. Running Time 83 Minutes.

Released : 9th August 2010.

Something is haunting David O’ Reilly and after fleeing his home he turns up at his friends house, shared by Alex and Kate. Telling them he believes his partner has been cheating on him and after producing a series of photographs, they take pity on him and let him stay. Big mistake.....

The Torment is a very frustrating film to watch, at first you wonder what direction it is going. Giles Aldersons portrayal of David is a highlight of this film, his descent into a world where his nightmares seem to be becoming a reality is very well acted, a world where paranoia and fear seem to be creeping in and causing a descent into a disturbed state of being. Only after his friends take pity on him and let him stay does the dark reality dawn on them too, after Davids fears slowly start to manifest, firstly by Alex and then by an ever doubtful Kate who questions wether what David is seeing is real or just his imagination.

Looking at the story itself, there is one major flaw and this is what marks this film down so heavily in my opinion. It was for me a very basic fundamental error that the film makers failed to address or offer an explanation for and that is why are these demons haunting him to begin with? What caused it and why. As it stands for me, watching this is appears as if he turns up at a friends house to seek company after a difficult emotional break up and then hey presto, he is also haunted by demons. Why? Why? WHY?

I really try to love British horror and give it as much support as possible and sometimes great films come along (Mum & Dad, The Disappeared) but this one just will not be joining them. It’s not a terrible story per se, nor is it badly acted. But where The Torment really got to me was the basic flaw just mentioned plus the fact it seems to just not make sense at times. What could be a good demonic haunting (see Drag Me To Hell for a good example), this just fails to keep me interested. Turn on the light, turn off the light... sod the lights, just get on with it will you!

When it does work, it does have it’s moments, the scenes filmed in the dark of the house where the camera pans round to focus in on the demonic creatures David is seeing take me back to what I loved about [REC] but where as that is a very intense unnerving film, The Torment just seems to have it’s moments in a flawed but watchable 84 minutes, however there are just not enough of them and the demonic creatures are just not remotely scary. Setting it in the confines of a persons home and playing with your natural fear of the dark is a part of this film that Andrew Cull has managed to capture very well. Also throwing in a few WTF moments, David lining the back door with salt and also Anna, the neighbour, suddenly appearing without actually remembering the purpose of her visit. Revisiting this line later in the film was a great highlight as she faces David in the dark of the apartment and she says to him “I remember hat I meant to come and tell you now..... RUN!!”. Very, very well done.

With a few tweaks here and there, adding more to the back story and making the whole thing an intense ride from start to end, The Torment could have been brilliant but as it stands in its final released form, it is just about ok. I would like to see what Andrew Cull does next as when he get’s it right and taps into your fears, he does it really well. Coming across as a director who understands what it takes to genuinely scare and disturb may just provide him with a good base with which to launch future productions from.

Disc Extras : Nothing extra, just a few trailers and a scene selection option. I think it would have been nice to have had a commentary option on the film to maybe explain it better and perhaps some director interviews too.

Kris Griffin

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