Tormented

The recent run of low budget British horror continues with Tormented, a film being somewhat lazily trumpeted as a horror film for the Skins generation. However, there’s no doubt that that particular demographic will walk away from this fair effort with a smile on their face. Though it really belongs in the comic-horror cannon as, quite simply, this film has very few effective scares. The storyline revolves around a bullied teenager coming back from the dead, and taking his revenge on the classmates that drove him to suicide. The tongue is firmly in cheek though with this one as the filmmakers present the killer (the hilariously named Darren Mullet) as a lumbering toad-green member of the undead, who still has to use his asthma inhaler to “live”. Some major plot holes (one teenager’s corpse lies overnight in school swimming pool, but isn’t discovered until the following day. Guess her parents thought she had all night detention or something) are just about forgotten with some half decent humour papering over the cracks, from crusty teachers oblivious to the carnage developing around them to a cracking gag concerning the contents of a condom. As for the carnage itself, there’s enough claret here for gore fans to be satisfied, but the over the top silliness of some deaths somewhat lessen the impact (there is one death though which gives a knowing wink to a classic classroom urban legend). There is one moment though which is very disturbing. At one point one student says to another “You do the Math”. Truly shocking.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Definitely more comic than horror, and probably more miss than hit. Laugh a little, squirm a little, enjoy a little. Rating: 5/10.