Absolutely Fantastic

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

To brag about the film: the sets, costuming, the overall look and feel to the film everything is beautiful. Lots of eye candy for those that enjoy Gothic atmosphere. ***************Spoiler***************** The disappointment: In the end of the film Sir Richard was not shocked at all to find out he had a murderous look-alike brother that was kept secret from him all these years. He seemed like he did not care at all nor was he surprised. I agree with another reviewer that Sir Richard was ill-tempered almost all the time and could have solved this mystery early on in the movie if he was calm and used his thinking skills. Apparently Sir Richard had the same uneven temperament his grandfather had -- while his twin(?) brother had the same anger problem plus the mental derangement of his grandfather. ************************************This movie had the potential to be an excellent film - I think it needed a bit more work on the script and character development. The movie is still worth watching if you like Gothic "ghost" stories and mysteries.6.5/10

After a three-month absence, Sir Richard Fordyce and his new bride return to his estate under a black cloud. A young woman who lived on his lands was brutally raped and murdered just two days prior to his return. Her last words seemed to accuse Sir Richard of being the culprit. In addition, several of the locals report seeing Sir Richard's dead first wife chasing him through the village on horseback yelling "Murderer!" Sir Richard is at a loss to explain these strange events. He has been more than 100 miles away for months. Is it witchcraft or something equally sinister? As the dead bodies begin to pile-up, Sir Richard must discover the truth to keep his tenants from revolting and losing his new wife.What Works: The Opening. The movie begins with a woman we know nothing about running through the forest frantically trying to escape an unseen assailant. Unfortunately, she doesn't make it. This scene provides a wonderful opening and a lot of promise for The Black Torment. There is some real tension and atmosphere in this scene. It's a shame the rest of the movie couldn't be as good as the first five minutes..Other Set-Pieces. Other than the opening, there are a couple of other set-pieces that work reasonably well. The ending features a twist and a showdown that are nice. Nothing spectacular, just nice. But the best set-pieces are the ones featuring the dead first wife. The sight of the shrouded woman either lurking through the garden or riding a horse through the forest was a treat to a fan of Gothic horror like me.What Doesn't Work: The Cast. I can't think of one member of the cast that I enjoyed watching. The actors are unappealing and the characters they play are unlikable. The worst are the two leads - Heather Sears as the new wife and John Turner as Sir Richard. I didn't think it was possible for two people to annoy me as much as these two do. Every time either opened their mouth it was like fingernails on a chalkboard. I really wish the killer could have gotten hold of their necks.Talk, Talk, Talk. In between the bits of horror, The Black Torment turns into an incredibly inane melodrama. Now it's not that I mind melodrama as long as it's done well, but much of this is painful to watch.The Stupidity of Sir Richard. The character of Sir Richard has to be one of the dumber characters put on film. Had he stopped yelling at everyone long enough, solving the mystery would have been easy. Instead, every little thing seems to unrealistically upset him and send him off half-cocked. A little rational thinking on the part of Sir Richard could have cut the runtime of The Black Torment in half.To say that I was disappointed in The Black Torment would be an understatement. The plot description I had read across the internet made the movie sound like an undiscovered Gothic gem. And while a few bits of the horror were fun to watch watch, these moments seem to be enjoyable almost by accident when compared with the bulk of the movie. The ideas for a good movie are here, but, unfortunately, neither the script nor the actors were able to turn The Black Torment into one.

A 17th-century aristocrat called Sir Richard Fordyke (JOHN TURNER) returns to his country estate in Devon with his new bride Elizabeth (HEATHER SEARS). But all is not well because people including his horseman Black John (FRANCIS DE WOLFE) are shunning him. Fordyke soon discovers from his accountant Seymour (PETER ARNE) that a farm girl called Lucy Judd (EDINA RONAY) was raped and murdered in the woods and that just before she died she named Fordyke as the culprit. This is impossible because Fordyke had been in London for the past three months and the superstitious locals are inevitably spreading rumours of witchcraft and devilry. Three years ago, Fordyke's first wife Anne committed suicide by throwing herself out of a top floor window and the locals claim that they have seen him on horseback at night (while he was supposedly away) being chased by a ghostly woman dressed in white uttering cries of "murderer". They believe the woman to be the ghost of Anne as her voice resembles the deceased. This sparks off a number of supernatural happenings. For instance, a new horse saddle arrives for Sir Richard with Anne's name engraved on it and the maker insists that Fordyke came into his shop and ordered it personally. Meanwhile, Fordyke begins to see the alleged ghost of his late wife prowling the grounds at night. Two more murders follow and Elizabeth and Fordyke must find out the truth behind the sinister goings-on before disastrous consequences could ruin their lives...THE BLACK TORMENT is one of the most striking British horror films ever made. Robert-Hartford-Davies (in my opinion) is an unfairly maligned director. It is true that he was often lumbered with inferior films, but this is quite a literate little film and he recreates the 17th-century period with great delicacy. Another work of note from this director is INCENCE FOR THE DAMNED (1972: aka BLOODSUCKERS), this was a promising adaptation of a vampire novel by Simon Raven. Alas, the picture was marred by production problems and Davies had his name removed from it and was credited as Michael Burrowes. When you watch that film you can see some of the scars from those troubles, but there really was an intelligent movie itching to get out there. In THE BLACK TORMENT, the setting of the story by Donald and Derek Ford (they penned the spirited Holmes vs the Ripper yarn A STUDY IN TERROR) beautifully suits the Gothic overtones of the picture and the costumes and set-work are exemplary, while the music of Robert Richards is also sympathetic to the proceedings. The film may be set back by some occasionally laughably over-the-top acting that you'd like to laugh, but it contains some of the most striking Gothic visuals that rival producers Hammer and Amicus could never quite recreate and this is more than enough compensation for any flaws it might suffer from. Peter Newbrook's subtle lighting contains sinister moonlight blues with evil yellow candles flickering in the background as the tortured Elizabeth confronts the madman at the climax and every still of Newbrook's could be hung up on the wall of every any gallery! There is another splendidly Gothic sequence which stands out in the memory when Fordyke is pursued through the moonlit forest by the ghostly Anne (who looks truly supernatural in a shiny white dress) crying "murderer". Hartford-Davies's choice of gaudy camera-work and fuzzy echoing sound ensured that the audience of 1965 was well and truly kept on the edge of their seats.

Sir Richard Fordyce returns to his home after staying in London with his newly married wife. Upon his arrival the people of his estate greet him rather strangely. As it turns out while Fordyce has been away people have sworn that they have seen him at his home, there have also been several young women who have been killed. Fordyce also sees ghostly figures on the grounds of his estate. Is Fordyce slowly going mad or is there something more sinister at play.