89 reviews
Bullying and Revenge
The head girl Justine (Tuppence Middleton) gives a speech on the funeral of the teenage schoolmate Darren Mullet (Calvin Dean) that has just committed suicide but she does not recall who he was. Then she is invited by Alexis (Dimitri Leonidas) to date him in the celebration party in the house of his friend Bradley (Alex Pettyfer). Sooner Justine discovers that Darren had a crush on her and was bullied by Bradley and his friends including Alexis. When each one of Bradley's friends is found dead, they discover that Darren has returned from beyond to revenge the humiliations he was submitted.
"Tormented" is a funny and entertaining teen horror movie. The screenplay is not original, with the usual nerds, bullies and bitches, and will not be nominated to the Oscar, but there are unfair reviews in IMDb. This movie is not amateurish; the young cast is pleasant; the girls are very beautiful and sexy; and the ghost is really weird and creepy. There are sarcastic lines and situations and the deaths are generally violent and gore. Give a chance to this film and you may have a nice surprise. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): "Distúrbio" ("Havoc")
"Tormented" is a funny and entertaining teen horror movie. The screenplay is not original, with the usual nerds, bullies and bitches, and will not be nominated to the Oscar, but there are unfair reviews in IMDb. This movie is not amateurish; the young cast is pleasant; the girls are very beautiful and sexy; and the ghost is really weird and creepy. There are sarcastic lines and situations and the deaths are generally violent and gore. Give a chance to this film and you may have a nice surprise. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): "Distúrbio" ("Havoc")
- claudio_carvalho
- Feb 3, 2010
- Permalink
Grange Hill with gore
An entirely predictable high school horror in which a bullied student commits suicide and then comes back from the dead as a malevolent zombie, taking revenge on everyone who wronged him. The only difference with this production is that it's British-flavoured, but in every other respect it's the kind of movie you've seen a hundred times before.
The first thing that struck me as I watched this was the distinct lack of sympathetic characters. The high school students are a group of vicious and narcissistic bullies who you'll be waiting to get bumped off – even Alex Pettyfer, playing against type as a bad guy for once. Tuppence Middleton is, I suppose, the protagonist and somebody you're supposed to root for, but I found her as irritating as the rest. Vaguely interesting characters, like James Floyd's Nasser, are kept to the sidelines. The antagonist isn't very pleasant either. Watching this becomes a bit of a depressing experience, one in which you're just waiting for the next gore scene.
And gory it is. The film-makers adopt the approach of making every death as inventive as possible, and there are some truly nasty moments played out for their absurd, comedic value as well as the bloodshed. The bit involving a guillotine is particularly outrageous and really works, and it's moments like this that stop TORMENTED from being a dog in the same way that non-starting hoodie horror F was a dog. In fact, it's fairly well made throughout, with well-shot direction and a perfectly-timed pacing. Perhaps not a film you'd ever want to watch again, but it does the business for a one-time viewing.
The first thing that struck me as I watched this was the distinct lack of sympathetic characters. The high school students are a group of vicious and narcissistic bullies who you'll be waiting to get bumped off – even Alex Pettyfer, playing against type as a bad guy for once. Tuppence Middleton is, I suppose, the protagonist and somebody you're supposed to root for, but I found her as irritating as the rest. Vaguely interesting characters, like James Floyd's Nasser, are kept to the sidelines. The antagonist isn't very pleasant either. Watching this becomes a bit of a depressing experience, one in which you're just waiting for the next gore scene.
And gory it is. The film-makers adopt the approach of making every death as inventive as possible, and there are some truly nasty moments played out for their absurd, comedic value as well as the bloodshed. The bit involving a guillotine is particularly outrageous and really works, and it's moments like this that stop TORMENTED from being a dog in the same way that non-starting hoodie horror F was a dog. In fact, it's fairly well made throughout, with well-shot direction and a perfectly-timed pacing. Perhaps not a film you'd ever want to watch again, but it does the business for a one-time viewing.
- Leofwine_draca
- Apr 20, 2012
- Permalink
Tormented
- Scarecrow-88
- Jun 5, 2010
- Permalink
Weak
Weak script and storyline, not much to keep you hooked, easy to follow. A few creeps and laughs. I have no idea what type of audience this is for...maybe for guys who have a kink for school uniforms because they were the most unconvincing bunch of school-kids ever, I hate modified uniforms made to look like they were from a porn movie or St Trinians. And as far as I know thigh high socks,fashion tights, mini skirts and huge earrings are banned from schools...pi-sh, plus the fact they are too old. And probably the first rule when making any sort of film is character sympathy...I didn't warm to any of the characters, apart from Justine(poor girl) so who cares if anything happens to them?
- DJOfRadioGallifrey
- Jul 17, 2011
- Permalink
T-e-r-r-i-b-l-e
A very silly and disappointingly crap film about a murderer who relies on an inhaler to kill people. I wanted to complain to the cinema as I felt they had stole my £5.20 which could have been used for a tray of nachos, unfortunately I sat through a dismal performance and swore all the way home.The murder scenes were so cheesy, like cheese on toast cheesy, like grated cheese with salad cheesy, like a cheese factory being bombed by cheese cheesy. Another thing which made me yet more angry was the way the director had to emphasise the characters, for example the geek in the film had huge hair and huge glasses...boring seen it before. It then had the same bullies as usual, pretty boys and pretty girls...BORING SEEN IT BEFORE. Amazingly unrealistic, luckily for Jon Wright the soundtrack made me give it another star. I predict his next film to be based on the adventures of Barry the inhaler.
Darren couldn't escape even when he was at home. They sent him texts and e-mails and they set up a website.
Tormented is directed by Jon Wright and written by Stephen Prentice. It stars Alex Pettyfer, Sophie Wu, April Pearson, Calvin Dean, Dimitri Leonidas and Tuppence Middleton. Music is by Paul Hartnoll and cinematography by Trevor Forrest.
A bullied teenager at Fairview High School takes his own life but appears to have come back from the dead to take revenge on his classmates.
Gruesome, fun and flavoured by pinches of satire, Tormented is a far better film than the internet ratings suggest. The serious subject of bullying makes its point, particularly late in the proceedings, but the makers are more interested in capturing the spirit of the techno teen times while focusing on the antagonists in their natural habitat. They are a dislikable bunch, not only in how they treat those they view as inferior to themselves, but also to each other. Even the central "couple" at the core of the plotting, the closest the film has to someone for us to side with as they strive to survive, come with bile baggage that reveals itself as we hurtle towards a deliciously spiky finale. There is much self-absorption and crudeness, sexulisation and ignorance, it's a bit of a kicker is this, but we are firmly on the side of the recently departed Darren Mullet (Calvin Dean). The cast performances are a mixed bunch, but this hardly hurts the picture, while serious gore hounds will lament the lack of close ups for the "killer" scenes. But this is more than a generic slasher, it has psychological smarts and nifty observations on modern technology's usage for cruel intimidation. It also knows how to have a good time, and you should too. 7/10
A bullied teenager at Fairview High School takes his own life but appears to have come back from the dead to take revenge on his classmates.
Gruesome, fun and flavoured by pinches of satire, Tormented is a far better film than the internet ratings suggest. The serious subject of bullying makes its point, particularly late in the proceedings, but the makers are more interested in capturing the spirit of the techno teen times while focusing on the antagonists in their natural habitat. They are a dislikable bunch, not only in how they treat those they view as inferior to themselves, but also to each other. Even the central "couple" at the core of the plotting, the closest the film has to someone for us to side with as they strive to survive, come with bile baggage that reveals itself as we hurtle towards a deliciously spiky finale. There is much self-absorption and crudeness, sexulisation and ignorance, it's a bit of a kicker is this, but we are firmly on the side of the recently departed Darren Mullet (Calvin Dean). The cast performances are a mixed bunch, but this hardly hurts the picture, while serious gore hounds will lament the lack of close ups for the "killer" scenes. But this is more than a generic slasher, it has psychological smarts and nifty observations on modern technology's usage for cruel intimidation. It also knows how to have a good time, and you should too. 7/10
- hitchcockthelegend
- Jun 10, 2012
- Permalink
A not very-convincing horror tale with a message
The best thing about Tormented is the opening and closing credits, which were original and interesting. The opening 10 minutes weren't bad, but from then on things go downhill and rarely pick up.
The main problem with this film was the poor storyline and script. Direction and acting were okay, and quite stylish at points, but the storyline itself wasn't sufficient to tread a path between horror and comedy.
The bullying is over-the-top and unbelievable, certainly for the age of people involved; characters were kept paper-thin; and the script riddled with clichés. You simply didn't believe what was happening, nor that, when events turn nasty, the protagonists greet them with such an indifferent attitude. Logic is out of the window - a school with 3 recent deaths, an unexplained accident, and a disappearance - yet no sign of the police, and the school still open ... hmmmmmmm.
The bottom line is, this is another film that seems incapable of representing British school students as they really are, and opts for cliché which doesn't go far enough for parody. The result leaves the viewer too detached to show much interest in the events, and there aren't enough laughs to retain interest on a purely comedic level (the only laugh coming from the discovery of the 'full condom', and we have to wait an hour for that).
Of interest to those who might like Skins, if only to see something much worse. A shame.
The main problem with this film was the poor storyline and script. Direction and acting were okay, and quite stylish at points, but the storyline itself wasn't sufficient to tread a path between horror and comedy.
The bullying is over-the-top and unbelievable, certainly for the age of people involved; characters were kept paper-thin; and the script riddled with clichés. You simply didn't believe what was happening, nor that, when events turn nasty, the protagonists greet them with such an indifferent attitude. Logic is out of the window - a school with 3 recent deaths, an unexplained accident, and a disappearance - yet no sign of the police, and the school still open ... hmmmmmmm.
The bottom line is, this is another film that seems incapable of representing British school students as they really are, and opts for cliché which doesn't go far enough for parody. The result leaves the viewer too detached to show much interest in the events, and there aren't enough laughs to retain interest on a purely comedic level (the only laugh coming from the discovery of the 'full condom', and we have to wait an hour for that).
Of interest to those who might like Skins, if only to see something much worse. A shame.
- mfcoder-imdb
- Dec 2, 2009
- Permalink
Much better than Imagined
I saw it last night at a special preview. I will admit I only wanted to see it because of Alex P, but I was pleasantly surprised. I hate Horror films, but this was much more of a slasher film, and very funny in parts, which allowed you to relax and enjoy it.
The deaths are rather imaginative and only one was quite obvious what was good was that for most you could laugh through each death . The acting is good on a whole, but a couple of the main characters do need some acting lessons, the whole cast is quite young but they have been able to develop each character well.
This film will not be for everyone. It is very 'Skins' (teenager) orientated,as it uses a lot of slang and such. The plot is rather unrealistic but thats what makes it fun, anything could happen, and most things do.
I would recommend this to someone who isn't too bothered about what they are watching, who is up for a good laugh, but doesn't mind a bit of blood and guts.
The deaths are rather imaginative and only one was quite obvious what was good was that for most you could laugh through each death . The acting is good on a whole, but a couple of the main characters do need some acting lessons, the whole cast is quite young but they have been able to develop each character well.
This film will not be for everyone. It is very 'Skins' (teenager) orientated,as it uses a lot of slang and such. The plot is rather unrealistic but thats what makes it fun, anything could happen, and most things do.
I would recommend this to someone who isn't too bothered about what they are watching, who is up for a good laugh, but doesn't mind a bit of blood and guts.
- sharpbunny2004
- May 22, 2009
- Permalink
Poor at best
Tormented is directed by Jon Wright and written by Stephen Prentice. It stars Alex Pettyfer, Sophie Wu, April Pearson, Calvin Dean, Dimitri Leonidas and Tuppence Middleton. Music is by Paul Hartnoll and cinematography by Trevor Forrest.
A bullied teenager at Fairview High School takes his own life but appears to have come back from the dead to take revenge on his classmates.
I personally did not enjoy this film, the characters felt underdeveloped and unlikable and the plot was poorly written and predictable. I came into this film hoping for a charming British horror comedy reminiscent of Shaun of the dead but instead I got a soulless clone of a film. The characters where cheesy American stereotypes with the average jocks, nerds and sluts.
My main problem with the film was the fact that it achieved neither horror nor comedy. The characters where so out of touch and unlikable it was impossible to care whether they lived or died. In terms of comedy this film is poor as well it was almost like the jokes were written by someone at the CBBC and then they just added a in a few swearwords to make it seem more mature.
However i do feel that the special effects were done well for a low budget film and the deaths where gory and creative. And the plot, despite the fact that it was predictable was, at least easy to follow.
To conclude i would not recommend watching this film there are plenty of other films in this genre that do a much better jobs of both the horror and comedy aspects. So unless you are unbelievably bored please stay away from this film.
A bullied teenager at Fairview High School takes his own life but appears to have come back from the dead to take revenge on his classmates.
I personally did not enjoy this film, the characters felt underdeveloped and unlikable and the plot was poorly written and predictable. I came into this film hoping for a charming British horror comedy reminiscent of Shaun of the dead but instead I got a soulless clone of a film. The characters where cheesy American stereotypes with the average jocks, nerds and sluts.
My main problem with the film was the fact that it achieved neither horror nor comedy. The characters where so out of touch and unlikable it was impossible to care whether they lived or died. In terms of comedy this film is poor as well it was almost like the jokes were written by someone at the CBBC and then they just added a in a few swearwords to make it seem more mature.
However i do feel that the special effects were done well for a low budget film and the deaths where gory and creative. And the plot, despite the fact that it was predictable was, at least easy to follow.
To conclude i would not recommend watching this film there are plenty of other films in this genre that do a much better jobs of both the horror and comedy aspects. So unless you are unbelievably bored please stay away from this film.
- jimstarbuck1
- Sep 19, 2012
- Permalink
Definitely see.
My friend and I really wanted to see this film but sadly it wasn't showing at our local cinema so we got a train to Milton Keynes just to see it and I have to say it didn't disappoint, I was having second thoughts about this film when we were on our way because the TV adverts for this film makes it look like a boring teenage slasher, it is a teenage slasher but not boring. Its funny, pretty gory, and sexy! But everyones different with their films. I enjoyed the storyline as I didn't expect what was going to happen. Great choice of cast.. all very talented and I will definitely be buying it when its comes out on DVD.
See it if you liked Skins, Friday the 13th and Scream.
See it if you liked Skins, Friday the 13th and Scream.
- peacockJLAP
- May 23, 2009
- Permalink
Not what it promised
This movie inhabits the most dangerous area for movies, the gray area, it was labeled as a comedy horror but at no point during the movie was i scared or amused. In the beginning i thought it might be special. But then as soon as i saw the undead kid i knew it was crap. He doesn't look terrifying or even frightening just kind of annoying.
I mean, who comes back from the dead with evil powers and starts off their haunting career by sending scary text messages?
Also this movie was praised by people for "really showing how bad bullying is" but no "bully" would ever, ever, EVER take a kids inhaler during an asthma attack and hide it.
The size of it is this movie isn't good enough to be remembered or even bad enough too be remembered it's just kinda there.
I mean, who comes back from the dead with evil powers and starts off their haunting career by sending scary text messages?
Also this movie was praised by people for "really showing how bad bullying is" but no "bully" would ever, ever, EVER take a kids inhaler during an asthma attack and hide it.
The size of it is this movie isn't good enough to be remembered or even bad enough too be remembered it's just kinda there.
- torin03843
- Sep 28, 2012
- Permalink
Tormented Review (FOR COMPETITION-ALEXMCNEILL)
- DeathsDesign
- May 25, 2009
- Permalink
Comedy Horror?
- tilak-minecraft
- Sep 18, 2012
- Permalink
very amateurish
This is a so called "slasher for the skins generation". I am only assuming then that this means the "skins generation" has low expectations.
The story is fairly laughable. A fat, wheezy school boy is teased by all the cool kids in school, commits suicide and then comes back from the dead to exact gruesome revenge. This is the sort of thing you got in the mid 80's towards the end of the first slasher movie trend, and to be honest they did it better (although still not good).
The script was generally fairly appalling with little or no original thought gone into it.
The acting ranged from bad to average. Some of the cast can obviously act but are given nothing but rubbish to say others have rubbish to say and are rubbish at saying it.
The "killer" is particularly bad and I just laughed whenever he appeared in any so called scary scene. He wasn't in the least bit scary - fairly bad makeup and extremely bad direction failed to emit even a modicum of fear.
The ending was hammered home to you a good 30 or 40 minutes before it actually happened so you would have to be Mr MaGoo not to realise what was going on (and this is from somebody who did not see the ending of Sixth Sense coming).
The worst thing though was the directing. The camera focused on all the wrong things at all the wrong times totally destroying any attempt at tension that could feasibly have been wrought out of a scene.
The whole thing from script, acting and directing looked and played out like it was a 14 year old drama students first attempt at making a film with all his/her mates playing the roles. You get the odd OK actor but the rest of em are just terrible.
The story is fairly laughable. A fat, wheezy school boy is teased by all the cool kids in school, commits suicide and then comes back from the dead to exact gruesome revenge. This is the sort of thing you got in the mid 80's towards the end of the first slasher movie trend, and to be honest they did it better (although still not good).
The script was generally fairly appalling with little or no original thought gone into it.
The acting ranged from bad to average. Some of the cast can obviously act but are given nothing but rubbish to say others have rubbish to say and are rubbish at saying it.
The "killer" is particularly bad and I just laughed whenever he appeared in any so called scary scene. He wasn't in the least bit scary - fairly bad makeup and extremely bad direction failed to emit even a modicum of fear.
The ending was hammered home to you a good 30 or 40 minutes before it actually happened so you would have to be Mr MaGoo not to realise what was going on (and this is from somebody who did not see the ending of Sixth Sense coming).
The worst thing though was the directing. The camera focused on all the wrong things at all the wrong times totally destroying any attempt at tension that could feasibly have been wrought out of a scene.
The whole thing from script, acting and directing looked and played out like it was a 14 year old drama students first attempt at making a film with all his/her mates playing the roles. You get the odd OK actor but the rest of em are just terrible.
Growing up can be tough.
Let's face it; growing up through the ever encumbering teenage years can be tough. What with the numerous social pressures from peers, the raging hormones, dead serial killer bully victims and the fact that your every move pretty much defines your life from then on—it's quite possibly the hardest time of your life. But hold on just a minute, what's this about homicidal, vengeful ghosts of overweight asthma kids taking out their angst on other high school clichés from the chavs to the goths and emos? Well, yeah, it happens—not a lot, but Tormented goes on the record to prove just how much more inconvenient this little chink in the chain of teenage life can be. Think you have a headache from exam stress? Try having pencils shoved through your nose into your cranium, or perhaps something more traditional like a screwdriver through the throat; now, that's tough.
Like all brilliantly devised horror stories however, we must start at the beginning—the humble innocence of a time when ghosts and bloody murder seemed neighbourhoods away in some dingy alleyway somewhere, or perhaps confined to DVD collections of your average ditsy teenage girl. Here our story begins at the funeral of Darren Mullet, a guy with such a terribly obvious-to-pick-on name and stature that if it wasn't for the fact that he was the one being buried, he probably wouldn't have been invited. The same goes for his bombastic wake party hosted by his school peers who only ever knew him by his nickname (Shrek) and use the outing as another social ritual of alcohol-fuelled bedroom disappointments. All is going pretty well for the hypocrites and social pundits of Wherever High, that is, until big buzz-kill Darren decides to crash everyone's party and start bringing the thunder through various, very elaborate and poignantly ironic means of murder (it's pretty obvious he was horror buff)—well, when he's not gasping for air and taking a puff of his inhaler. Good news is though, that you can still get a reception in the afterlife because Darren even finds the time to send some rude, antagonising messages to his victims before slaughtering them; classy.
Sound comical? Well, it is, but not entirely in a good way. You see, while Tormented is being touted as being a "comedy horror", you could just about tag that onto most horror movies without causing much of a ruckus. The fact of the matter is, Jon Wright's movie can be fun (as fun as a movie that essentially strives to take the subject of teenage suicide and depression and look at the ahem, funny side can be), sure, but it's also a bit of a drag at times. On the one hand you have this ridiculous plot which never seems to take itself too seriously, which makes for some entertaining watching at the very least—but then on the other you have this very fine cast ensemble who lend the movie a sense of Skins-esquire realism that distinctly puts the otherwise campy and self-depreciating narrative on a bit of a backburner, despite the fact that most play broadly written caricatures. The resulting feature is fragmented and somewhat perplexing; not quite dissimilar from your average teenager then, I guess.
Tormented can be genuinely funny, a little spooky, and even somewhat moving in a couple of scenes, but too often it's the case that the viewer will be left laughing at the movie rather than with it (a primary example being one of the best ads for safe-sex I've seen in a while). Sure, it offers a horror experience that, because of its levity, doesn't numb the cortex, but neither does it really make that much of an impression. Instead, the entirety of the movie can be written off as being a mildly amusing, but mostly insignificant distraction. Horror buffs will probably enjoy all the farcical horror shenanigans a lot more than your average cinephile of course, because despite the fact that Tormented really isn't a great movie per se, it's at least got all the staples and defining traits of your average back row snog-fest to fill up the awkward silences with guffaws of "Oh my God, look at that guys chest bleed! Awesome!". However, if you do decide to—or if you have already taken it upon yourself to—see Tormented, take a moment with me now to reflect on the life of poor Darren Mullet that was taken when he hung himself instead of just, you know, not using his inhaler anymore.
Like all brilliantly devised horror stories however, we must start at the beginning—the humble innocence of a time when ghosts and bloody murder seemed neighbourhoods away in some dingy alleyway somewhere, or perhaps confined to DVD collections of your average ditsy teenage girl. Here our story begins at the funeral of Darren Mullet, a guy with such a terribly obvious-to-pick-on name and stature that if it wasn't for the fact that he was the one being buried, he probably wouldn't have been invited. The same goes for his bombastic wake party hosted by his school peers who only ever knew him by his nickname (Shrek) and use the outing as another social ritual of alcohol-fuelled bedroom disappointments. All is going pretty well for the hypocrites and social pundits of Wherever High, that is, until big buzz-kill Darren decides to crash everyone's party and start bringing the thunder through various, very elaborate and poignantly ironic means of murder (it's pretty obvious he was horror buff)—well, when he's not gasping for air and taking a puff of his inhaler. Good news is though, that you can still get a reception in the afterlife because Darren even finds the time to send some rude, antagonising messages to his victims before slaughtering them; classy.
Sound comical? Well, it is, but not entirely in a good way. You see, while Tormented is being touted as being a "comedy horror", you could just about tag that onto most horror movies without causing much of a ruckus. The fact of the matter is, Jon Wright's movie can be fun (as fun as a movie that essentially strives to take the subject of teenage suicide and depression and look at the ahem, funny side can be), sure, but it's also a bit of a drag at times. On the one hand you have this ridiculous plot which never seems to take itself too seriously, which makes for some entertaining watching at the very least—but then on the other you have this very fine cast ensemble who lend the movie a sense of Skins-esquire realism that distinctly puts the otherwise campy and self-depreciating narrative on a bit of a backburner, despite the fact that most play broadly written caricatures. The resulting feature is fragmented and somewhat perplexing; not quite dissimilar from your average teenager then, I guess.
Tormented can be genuinely funny, a little spooky, and even somewhat moving in a couple of scenes, but too often it's the case that the viewer will be left laughing at the movie rather than with it (a primary example being one of the best ads for safe-sex I've seen in a while). Sure, it offers a horror experience that, because of its levity, doesn't numb the cortex, but neither does it really make that much of an impression. Instead, the entirety of the movie can be written off as being a mildly amusing, but mostly insignificant distraction. Horror buffs will probably enjoy all the farcical horror shenanigans a lot more than your average cinephile of course, because despite the fact that Tormented really isn't a great movie per se, it's at least got all the staples and defining traits of your average back row snog-fest to fill up the awkward silences with guffaws of "Oh my God, look at that guys chest bleed! Awesome!". However, if you do decide to—or if you have already taken it upon yourself to—see Tormented, take a moment with me now to reflect on the life of poor Darren Mullet that was taken when he hung himself instead of just, you know, not using his inhaler anymore.
I wanted to like it. Regrettably, I didn't. (MINOR spoilers)
All in all a pretty well made comedic slasher film!
'TORMENTED': Three Stars (Out of Five)
This BBC Films production is another tormented high school student revenge tale. It's directed by Jon Wright, written by newcomer Stephen Prentice and filled with a cast of relatively unknowns (although they could be bigger stars in the UK). A young actress by the name of Tuppence Middleton is memorable and strikingly attractive in the lead and the rest of the cast is adequate and fittingly cast. The story is routine and has been done many times before but it is filled with witty British dialog (as well as sometimes confusing slang). The directing is impressive for this type of low budget genre film and the soundtrack is very effective. All in all it's a pretty well made comedic slasher film.
As the film opens a bullied fat asthma stricken outcast named Darren Mullet (played by Calvin Dean) has just committed suicide. Class favorite Justine (Middleton) speaks at his funeral although she doesn't remember who he was. She later learns that the boy had a crush on her. The popular clique that made fun of Darren now accepts Justine into their group, with some resentment from the girls, and one of the boys (played by Dimitri Leonidas) has a romantic interest in Justine. As Justine falls in love with her new found popularity, and starts to forget her old friends, her new friends start dieing one by one. It appears as though Darren has risen from the dead and is exacting his revenge.
The film is touching and sad at times but it is a little heavy handed as well. Although I felt sorry for Darren and the way he was treated I had trouble routing for him as he viciously killed his tormentors. The death scenes are creative and at times humorous though and as far as low budget slasher films go this one is pretty well put together. It's got that dry British humor that's a riot at times (in this film) and the characters are all at least somewhat interesting. If you're a fan of the genre this is one worth checking out.
Watch our review show, 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU_O9yN8W_E
This BBC Films production is another tormented high school student revenge tale. It's directed by Jon Wright, written by newcomer Stephen Prentice and filled with a cast of relatively unknowns (although they could be bigger stars in the UK). A young actress by the name of Tuppence Middleton is memorable and strikingly attractive in the lead and the rest of the cast is adequate and fittingly cast. The story is routine and has been done many times before but it is filled with witty British dialog (as well as sometimes confusing slang). The directing is impressive for this type of low budget genre film and the soundtrack is very effective. All in all it's a pretty well made comedic slasher film.
As the film opens a bullied fat asthma stricken outcast named Darren Mullet (played by Calvin Dean) has just committed suicide. Class favorite Justine (Middleton) speaks at his funeral although she doesn't remember who he was. She later learns that the boy had a crush on her. The popular clique that made fun of Darren now accepts Justine into their group, with some resentment from the girls, and one of the boys (played by Dimitri Leonidas) has a romantic interest in Justine. As Justine falls in love with her new found popularity, and starts to forget her old friends, her new friends start dieing one by one. It appears as though Darren has risen from the dead and is exacting his revenge.
The film is touching and sad at times but it is a little heavy handed as well. Although I felt sorry for Darren and the way he was treated I had trouble routing for him as he viciously killed his tormentors. The death scenes are creative and at times humorous though and as far as low budget slasher films go this one is pretty well put together. It's got that dry British humor that's a riot at times (in this film) and the characters are all at least somewhat interesting. If you're a fan of the genre this is one worth checking out.
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Not a good comedy horror film....
I have just watched Tormented this evening and I found this film not to be very good at all, and i was quite disappointed with it It is about a boy called Darren Mullett (Calvin Dean), who killed himself through being bullied by pupils at his school. I thought that the acting was not very good and the killings looked as though they were quite cheaply done. The only actors that i thought were any good were Tasha (April Pearson), and Kally (Larissa Wilson), from Channel 4s 'Skins'. I never seem to be a fan of comedy horror, i do not think that it works very well mixing comedy with horror. I prefer to watch true horror myself. I found the last half an hour of the film to be not that bad.
- MovieGuy01
- Oct 16, 2009
- Permalink
Skins Slasher
I was fairly surprised at how much i enjoyed this film, it dragged slightly but i did fairly enjoy it. There were some good gags in the film and a few familiar faces from the likes of "SKins" and "Grange Hill". It was quite gruesome but for a British slasher it was good. With the movie being made under £1 million i found it was applaudable for a film on that budget, Alex Pettyfer seemed, i thought, strangely fitted to his character, and the character of Tasha played by SKins' 'Michelle' was i thought creditable, i feel that this film may do quite well in England as it is a bit of 'British Comedy'. However the plot may have been silly and very far-fetched i found myself laughing and squirming just as i did with "Shaun of the Dead", in my opinion a well-cast cast whether recognized faces or not. Overall, i do feel like it has been said, that SKins fans would enjoy this, and that it is a fairly unlikely representation of school life but i did enjoy it.
- HeroesFan101
- May 21, 2009
- Permalink
How do you screw up a simple slasher film this badly?
(2%) A film highlighting one of the biggest problems with certain low-budget British cinema in that it lacks both ambition and ideas. The school "kids" are all clearly 24 which at least in American slasher films the students don't wear uniforms, but here they do and it just looks as if they are all going to a fancy dress party as the same theme, it's awful. The writing is dire, the characters are from another world as they behave and talk like no real human beings actually do, and the mix of American elements thrown in from time to time just doesn't work and only further hampers the already broken reality in which this is set. I wouldn't be at all surprised if the real kids from the school in which this was shot (clearly during summer break) couldn't make a better film themselves.
- adamscastlevania2
- Sep 15, 2014
- Permalink
An enjoyable allegory...or is it a parable?
I can never keep it straight.
Anyway, this is not a bad little independent film. It keeps your interest (unlike most teen slasher films) and pays minimal attention to reality. The adults (teachers and staff) are totally clueless and basically uninterested in what's going on, while every teen in the movie is almost a super-genius at villainy. (The basic theme of the film is "don't be a bully or bad things might happen.") I find it a bit charming that there's never any explanation about why things are happening in the way that they are. Got somebody coming back from the dead? Sorry, not enough time to explain why. Also, it's hard to see that there are any "rules" to this movie. Bad people get what's coming to them, but (fairly) good people get it, too.
Production values are pretty high, cinematography is more than adequate, and the music fits in well. What more do you need? Definitely suggested as being a cut above the average slasher flick.
Anyway, this is not a bad little independent film. It keeps your interest (unlike most teen slasher films) and pays minimal attention to reality. The adults (teachers and staff) are totally clueless and basically uninterested in what's going on, while every teen in the movie is almost a super-genius at villainy. (The basic theme of the film is "don't be a bully or bad things might happen.") I find it a bit charming that there's never any explanation about why things are happening in the way that they are. Got somebody coming back from the dead? Sorry, not enough time to explain why. Also, it's hard to see that there are any "rules" to this movie. Bad people get what's coming to them, but (fairly) good people get it, too.
Production values are pretty high, cinematography is more than adequate, and the music fits in well. What more do you need? Definitely suggested as being a cut above the average slasher flick.
I found both the horror and humor in this movie tasteless
This movie is geared towards those between 9 and 25 which leaves me out in the cold. I found both the horror and humor in this movie tasteless but I can see whereby younger people could enjoy the humor and the horror. Being mean to a fellow classmate is never a good idea. Being mean to anybody is another bad idea. You reap what you sew is the basic theme in this movie. Bad karma is never the way to go or live. I can see this movie for a slumber party or any teenage party. Bring plenty of pizza and popcorn to eat with lots of soda to wash it down with. The kids will have a blast. You don't have to concentrate too hard with this movie. This is definitely not my type of film, but I am way too old to enjoy it.
- jfarms1956
- Dec 1, 2013
- Permalink
review
- ollieayling
- May 30, 2009
- Permalink
Tormented Film Review Competition Entry
- super-sarah-ever
- Jun 6, 2009
- Permalink
Typical revenge flick
A typical revenge flick - class outcast dies as a result of atrocious treatment from his classmates (suicide, true, but he wouldn't have if he'd had a moment's peace), comes back from the grave to exact bloody revenge.
The acting was acceptable, even pretty good for some of the characters. But character development itself was rather weak. Especially the character of the main antagonist, Darren. Then again, I guess it's hard to portray a very animated personality when the character's primary action consists of being a teen-killing zombie. ;-)
As for the action, I don't really need to give away any spoilers - nothing new at all, the movie is quite thoroughly predictable. The best parts were the two sex scenes. Other than that, it was okay for passing time or for a late night horror flick craving.
The acting was acceptable, even pretty good for some of the characters. But character development itself was rather weak. Especially the character of the main antagonist, Darren. Then again, I guess it's hard to portray a very animated personality when the character's primary action consists of being a teen-killing zombie. ;-)
As for the action, I don't really need to give away any spoilers - nothing new at all, the movie is quite thoroughly predictable. The best parts were the two sex scenes. Other than that, it was okay for passing time or for a late night horror flick craving.
- oldkingsol
- May 16, 2013
- Permalink