Tormented (1960)

User Rating:

3.1/10   

Director:

Bert I. Gordon

Writers:

Bert I. Gordon (story)
George Worthing Yates (screenplay)

Release Date:

22 September 1960 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

A ghost-woman owned him body and soul!

Plot:

A man lets a former flame fall to her death rather than let her interfere with his new relationship, but her ghost returns to disrupt his impending nuptials.

Plot Keywords:

Island | Ghost | Lighthouse | Seaweed | Blackmail

Cast

Richard Carlson	...	Tom Stewart
Susan Gordon	...	Sandy Hubbard
Lugene Sanders	...	Meg Hubbard
Juli Reding	...	Vi Mason
Joe Turkel	...	Nick, The Blackmailer
Lillian Adams	...	Mrs. Ellis
Gene Roth	...	Mr. Nelson, lunch stand operator
Vera Marshe	...	Mrs. Hubbard (as Vera Marsh)
Harry Fleer	...	Frank Hubbard
Merritt Stone	...	Clergyman
George Stanley
Dick Walsh
Leslie Thomas

Directed by
Bert I. Gordon

Writing credits
Bert I. Gordon		(story)
George Worthing Yates		(screenplay)

Produced by
Bert I. Gordon	....	producer
Joe Steinberg	....	producer

Original Music by
Albert Glasser

Cinematography by
Ernest Laszlo

Film Editing by
John A. Bushelman		(as John Bushelman)

Art Direction by
Gabriel Scognamillo

Set Decoration by
Eugene Redd		(as Gene Redd)

Makeup Department
Bill Cooley	....	makeup artist
Buddy King	....	hair stylist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Joseph Boyle	....	assistant director (as Joe Boyle)
William Forsyth	....	assistant director (as Bill Forsyth)

Art Department
Arnold Goode	....	property manager

Sound Department
John K. Kean	....	sound recordist (as John Kean)

Special Effects by
Herman E. Townsley	....	special effects (as Herman Townsley)

Visual Effects by
Bert I. Gordon	....	special visual effects
Flora M. Gordon	....	special visual effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Don Carstenson	....	electrician

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Marjorie Corso	....	wardrobe supervisor (as Marge Corso)

Music Department
Calvin Jackson	....	composer: additional modern jazz sequences

Production Companies

• Cheviot Productions

Distributors

• Allied Artists Pictures (1960) (USA) (theatrical)
• Image Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Madacy Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Something Weird Video (SWV) (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Rainbow Products Limited (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• Something Weird Video (SWV) (????) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Blue Swan  Vi's gown by
• Ryder Sound Services  sound
• Consolidated Film Industries (CFI)  opticals

Also Known As:

Tormented... by the She-Ghost of Haunted Island! (USA) (promotional title)

Runtime:

75 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:PG (re-rating) (2005) | UK:X (original rating) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Malibu, California, USA

Company:

Cheviot Productions

Trivia:

A portion of the score actually came from William Castle's House on Haunted Hill (1959) which Allied Artists had distributed the previous year.

Quotes:

Sandy Hubbard: What's the matter with a jazz magician?

Movie Connections:

Featured in Penny Dreadful (2005)

Not a bad concept but handled poorly

The idea of a man allowing the death of a lover so as not to get caught by his future wife is a nice concept. His subsequent guilt and the paranoia it causes is also an interesting idea. Then why is this movie not that great? A few reasons, the biggest being the reliance on hokey special effects that are laughable. Vi's head talking to Tom Stewart while sitting on a shelf can't be looked at with a straight face. Her redundant accusations while wrapped in a sack is even more hilarious. The movie is also very dull and the dramatic moments aren't executed very well. They also deteriorate into laughter. Some of the dead air does work well with Tom's inner voices and the acting isn't really that bad. The cast has some talent and is led by Carlson of Creature from the Black Lagoon fame. This movie could be a big time fright fest with a better script. This attempt doesn't deliver on a good idea.

4.2/10