Tormented (1960)

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 | Lighthouse | Ghost | Dead Woman Carried | Piano

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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Paul Frees	...	Frank Hubbard (voice) (uncredited)

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
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
Albert Glasser	....	conductor
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)
• VZ-Handelsgesellschaft (2010) (Germany) (DVD)

Other Companies

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

Also Known As:

"Eye of the Dead" - USA (TV title)
"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:

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

Filming Locations:

Malibu, California, USA

Company:

Cheviot Productions

Trivia:

Harry Fleer is dubbed by Paul Frees.

Goofs:

Continuity: At the wedding, Sandy is holding her bouquet in both hands in close ups, but in the long shots, she is holding it with her left hand and her right arm is hanging by her side.

Quotes:

Vi Mason:Tom Stewart killed me!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Cinemassacre's Monster Madness: The Screaming Skull (#4.8)" (2010)

Very obviously low-budget but lots of fun

Tom Stewart (Richard Carlson) is about to marry sweet Meg Hubbard (Legene Sanders). So, a week before the wedding he decides to break it off with big-breasted girlfriend Vi (Juli Reding). A WEEK BEFORE the wedding??!!!??? Hey, why so soon Tom? Why not do it on your honeymoon? She threatens to blackmail him with love letters. She tells him this while they're on top of a deserted lighthouse on a remote island. Great timing Vi. She falls to her death--Tom could have saved her, but doesn't. Next thing you know her ghost is tormenting him--parts of her body appear to him (but no one else), he hears her voice, sees her in pictures and begins going crazy. But is she really come back from the dead or is he out of his mind?

Silly, but I enjoyed it. I was never really bored and the story throws every ghost story cliché at you with blaring music and amusing special effects. There were even a few very creepy moments in there and Richard Carlson gives an excellent performance.

Even the crappy video transfer I saw didn't hurt--it was also 5 minutes shorter than it's reported running time and there were obvious bits missing and scratches all throughout the print. Purportedly, Something Weird Video said this was a new transfer. Oh really? I find that hard to believe.

Still, it's a cheesy, fun, little horror film. Take it for what it is--don't go in expecting some classic.