Torment (2008)

Surprisingly incoherent and boring

hyped garbage

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

The "clown" sub-genre of horror is mostly left untapped. I think the hardest part about doing a clown horror film is coming up with an explanation of why a clown; in full costume/makeup should be in a story stalking and killing characters. If you take a look at a film like "It" the clown is representation of all the child's fears combined into a single image. The reason behind the characters initial fear of clowns is never given but it works because a clown's true face is hidden so what is lurking behind the makeup is limitless. Then you take a film like Clownhouse. The clowns are in fact escaped mental patients who steal the guise of the clowns they murdered. The main character is terrified of clowns so his fear of them which is imparted to the audience works. Enter "Torment" a low budget flick which gives neither a back-story of our killer clown or using the clown image as a representation of any of our characters fears. No explanation of "why" the clown is ever given. His/hers methods of killing are given and that's why this movie works. The clown is killing people because the clown is killing people. The characters are lovable but lack some acting ability. The score is great. The camera quite good for a film of this caliber. It's a fun watch. Check it out, I put this in my top 10 of micro-budget horror

Saying Torment is bad is putting it mildly...it's bad bad bad.Showcased here is some of the worst acting I have ever seen. It is not laughably bad it is just irritating and makes you angry to have to watch such incredibly stupid characters, put forth some really really horrible acting.The dialogue was terrible and then being delivered with zero talent made it unbearable. The psychotic clown/murderer was okay in his acting role which had no dialogue at all.We're way out here in the boonies to get some rest, but there is a supermarket 6 miles away. Even more ridiculous is that the crazy clown lives 100' away, right next door.One of the most irritating problems with Torment was that there was absolutely no screaming allowed. I'm not kidding, no one screams, not even while they are being tortured or dismembered. These people have no real desire to live since they hardly fight and say nothing.The place of torture is a garage in a house; like no one will hear what is going on in there, right? The victims seem to be taped to a chair with a bit of electrical tape, anyone with an adrenalin rush or simply a will to live could break right out of the "restraints" or even hobble out of there chair and all, but no, no one has any strength or will to get away. They even try to be quiet while they are being tortured.Lauren is the only one who did a bit of yelling and spitting but it was so unmotivated. Break my fingers, shhh, remember no screaming allowed in this movie.Another problem with Torment was basic continuity, I just lost count of all the anomalies, errors and mistakes.It is sad to see a crew who want to make horror film but just aren't talented, experienced, professional or even good enough to make that happen. Torment is the result, and it couldn't even approach mediocrity.

For one thing, the clown on the cover is nothing like the sad case for a 'killer clown' in the movie.The clown in the movie is sad, it looks like one of those drunk $2 an hour clowns that host children parties.The scenes between the two protagonists are long an drawn out with many long silent shots focusing on their faces. I think this is filler as the whole movie could have effectively been filmed in 30 minutes.The only ones to get more camera time are the cockroaches, yes normal little cockroaches, OK, we get it, the clown lives in a 'run down' place.The plot devices seemed just to be placed for a one off event further down the track and were not really followed through in their entirety, such as Rays Alcoholism and a back story for the pathetic clown.Final thoughts, if you are going to make an evil clown, please make him evil looking, evil acting, and not sad a sad little man in a $5 clown suit from Toys R Us.

The Plot: A mentally unstable woman who, along with her husband, takes a weekend retreat to a cabin deep in the woods. Soon, the woman begins seeing a mass murderer dressed in a clown suit prowling around the area. Her husband, thinking it is caused by stress, doesn't believe her until the body count begins to pile up. But the maniac is all too real and the woman is plunged into a nightmare which there may be no escape from.My Thoughts: Steve Sessions takes a micro-budget stab at the whole "torture-porn" phenomenon started by Eli Roth's "Hostel". While certainly not a brutal as that film, "Torment" actually doesn't focus primarily on grossing the audience out. Don't get me wrong, there are pretty gruesome tongue ripping and hand dismemberment scenes, the story is pretty much standard slasher material.The performances from the cast are convincing, the pacing is pretty tight, and the special effects are very good.Final Thoughts: Rent it whenever it comes out. Slasher and micro-budget horror fans will not be disappointed.