''Tormented'' is a 1960 American

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...

directed and produced by Bert I. Gordon for

Allied Artists Pictures Corporation An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are call ...

, and starring Richard Carlson. The film was featured in the fourth season of the television series ''

Mystery Science Theater 3000 ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on WUCW, KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. It then ...

''.

Plot

Jazz pianist Tom Stewart lives in a

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer months. The ...

island community and is preparing to marry his fiancée, Meg Hubbard. Shortly before the wedding, Tom's ex-girlfriend Vi Mason visits and informs him that she will end his relationship with Meg, using

blackmail Blackmail is a criminal act of coercion using a threat. As a criminal offense, blackmail is defined in various ways in common law jurisdictions. In the United States, blackmail is generally defined as a crime of information, involving a thr ...

if necessary. While they argue atop a

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

, the railing gives way, and Vi falls, managing to hang on briefly. She cries out for help, but Tom refuses and watches her fall to her death. The next day, Tom sees Vi's body floating in the water. After retrieving her, the body dissolves into seaweed. Tom tries to forget, but over the next few days, Vi's watch washes up on the beach, strange footprints appear in the sand, Vi's ghost appears and tells Tom that she will haunt him for the rest of his life and when Meg's little sister Sandy asks to see the wedding ring, a disembodied hand makes off with it. Soon afterwards, during a wedding party, Vi's disembodied head appears in a photo a guest takes of the couple. Later, Vi taunts that she will now use her voice to tell the world how Tom killed her. To add to his dilemma, Nick Lewis, a

beatnik Beatniks were members of a social movement in the mid-20th century, who subscribed to an anti- materialistic lifestyle. They rejected the conformity and consumerism of mainstream American culture and expressed themselves through various forms ...

ferryman comes looking for the five dollars Vi owes for her passage to the island. Tom's haste to pay only causes the shifty Nick to stick around, and his attempts at blackmail lead to his death. Unbeknownst to Tom, Sandy has inadvertently witnessed the murder. Sandy, who idolizes Tom, remains silent, although she almost speaks up at the wedding when the minister asks if anyone has any objection. Before she can speak, the church's doors burst open and cause the flowers to wilt and the candles to die, bringing the ceremony to an abrupt, unpleasant halt. That night, Tom returns to the lighthouse and tells Vi that he is leaving the island. When he finds Sandy eavesdropping, he realizes that he is trapped: Sandy knows too much and could tell Meg and the community. In desperation, he leads Sandy up to the broken railing with the intent to push her over. However, Vi's ghost swoops down on him, causing him to go over the edge as Sandy watches. The islanders search for Tom's body; they find Vi's, and Tom's soon afterwards. His body placed next to Vi's, which somehow manages to turn and lay its arm across him. On Vi's hand is the wedding ring, signaling that Tom is now forever with Vi.

Cast

* Richard Carlson as Tom Stewart *

Susan Gordon Susan Gordon (July 27, 1949 – December 11, 2011) was an American actress who appeared in films and numerous episodes of television programs such as ''The Twilight Zone'', ''My Three Sons'', and ''The Donna Reed Show''. Life and career ...

as Sandy Hubbard *

Lugene Sanders Trevalene Lugene Solomon (born September 17, 1934 or 1935) is an American retired actress and former child star. The peak of her career was during the mid-1950s. Before getting married and retiring from acting in the early 1960s, Solomon went un ...

as Meg Hubbard * Juli Reding as Vi Mason *

Joe Turkel Joseph Turkel (July 15, 1927 – June 27, 2022) was an American character actor who starred in film and television during the Golden Age of Hollywood in the 1950s and 1960s. He is probably best-known for his roles in Stanley Kubrick's films '' T ...

as Nick Lewis *

Lillian Adams Lillian Adams (May 13, 1922 – May 25, 2011) was an American actress who appeared in over 100 film and television roles. Born in Chicago, Adams appeared in movies such as '' Private Benjamin'' and '' Bruce Almighty'' as well as television ser ...

as Mrs. Ellis *

Gene Roth Eugene Oliver Edgar Stutenroth (January 8, 1903 – July 19, 1976), known professionally as Gene Stutenroth or Gene Roth, was an American film actor and former theater manager. He appeared in more than 250 films over three decades. Early ...

as Mr. Nelson * Vera Marsh as Mrs. Hubbard *

Harry Fleer Harry Fleer (March 26, 1916 – October 14, 1994) was an American actor. He appeared in more than sixty films and television shows between 1955 and 1994. Fleer left his hometown of Quincy, Illinois, to attend Northwestern University in 1934 ...

as Frank Hubbard **

Paul Frees Solomon Hersh Frees (June 22, 1920November 2, 1986), better known as Paul Frees, was an American actor, comedian, impressionist, and vaudevillian. He is known for his work on Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Walter Lantz, Rankin/Bass and Walt Disney the ...

(''uncredited'') as Frank's voice

Production notes

Nick Lewis, the "beatnik ferryman", was played by

, who appeared in two other Bert I. Gordon productions: ''

The Boy and the Pirates ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

'' and ''

Village of the Giants ''Village of the Giants'' is a 1965 American teensploitation comedy science fiction film produced, directed and written by Bert I. Gordon. Based loosely on H. G. Wells's 1904 book ''The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth'', it contains ...

''. While the role of Frank Hubbard was portrayed on screen by actor

, his voice was dubbed by

. This was a common occurrence in Frees' career as he was often called in to dub actors' voices during the post-production phases, always in an uncredited capacity.

Home media

Something Weird Video Something Weird Video is an American film distributor company based in Seattle, Washington. They specialize in exploitation B to Z films, particularly the works of Harry Novak, Doris Wishman, David F. Friedman and Herschell Gordon Lewis. ...

released the film as a download. * The ''

'' version has been released by Rhino Home Video as part of the ''Collection, Volume XI'' box set.MST3K: Volume XI - DVD :: Shout! Factory
/ref>

References

External links