‘Horror is in the eye of the beholder’
The Tormented is a 2019 British supernatural horror feature film about a young couple struggling to deal with the accidental death of their son.
Directed by Tim Pickett from a screenplay co-written with Rogan Roberts, the movie stars Marnie Baxter, David Powell, Bruce McGuire and Barbara Di Bartolo.
Plot:
After losing their four-year-old son in a tragic car accident, Clare and Paul Knox decide to start a new life in Calabria, Italy. Paul settles into his new job as an engineer on the Strait of Messina Bridge building project while Clare, a photographer, picks up her camera for the first time since the accident, photographing the beautiful Calabrian countryside.
However, the past has a way of staying in the present and Clare begins to unravel unable to deal with the truth behind the loss of their son. Meanwhile, Paul learns that his boss Max Velonà, who is also the local town’s mayor, is the regional Don of the oldest and most powerful criminal organisation in Italy, the ‘Ndrangheta.
As Paul and Clare’s relationship disintegrates, Paul finds refuge in the arms of a mystical woman Eliza, who is at odds with Max due to the suspicious death of her niece. Max is a man who gets gratification from female misery and Clare presents him with the perfect prey.
Max’s depraved intentions towards her soon become brutally real as Clare uncovers Calabria’s sinister underbelly, steeped in pagan ritual and supernatural happenings…
Reviews:
“Horror can be divisive, and this certainly has elements that hit and elements that didn’t, performances that worked very well and others that just faded into the background, and yet I found it to be both charming and full of interesting and compelling moments, enough to keep me entertained and involved for its 80 minutes running time.” Nerdly
Cast and characters:
- Marnie Baxter … Clare Knox
- David Powell … Paul Knox
- Bruce McGuire … Max Velonà
- Barbara Di Bartolo … Eliza
- Michele Bevilacqua … Shopkeeper
- Matt Patresi … Boss
- Massimiliano Ubaldi … Mafia gangster
- Roberta Picconi … Old Woman
Production companies:
- Blue Monkey Films
- Film Engine
- Genlock Films
Technical details:
80 minutes