Like most obese, asthmatic teenagers who prefer sci-fi and horror films to drugs, alcohol and experimenting with sex in cars, I suffered my fair share of bullying and unrequited love. If I had known suicide could hold the key to getting away with murder and enacting my revenge, I might not be around now to update my Facebook status with how amazing my life is, in order to get back at the In-Crowd that thought they ruled the school.
TORMENTED is easily the best British teen revenge film I have seen in a while. If you are familiar with the TV program SKINS, then not only will you recognize a few faces in the film, but you’ll also see how it has influenced the film’s style. Though it doesn’t quite have the same awesome soundtrack of the TV show, TORMENTED is a fast paced and clever contemporary horror full of ingenious deaths, wit, gore and tension.
The film follows Justine Fielding (TUPPENCE MIDDLETON), Head Girl at Fairview High, and the events that lead up to her arrest. Five days earlier at the funeral of fellow class-member Darren Mullett (CALVIN DEAN), whom she can barely remember, she is accused of being a hypocrite, and Darren’s best friend calls the school’s numerous cliques murderers. As Justine becomes more involved with the In-Crowd that relentlessly bullied Darren to his death, more young people meet a bloody end and it is only a matter of time before Darren catches up with Justine.
With any teen horror film, it is easy to feel left out as an adult – young people’s lives seem so complicated compared to how ours once were, and with new developments, such as happy-slapping and other forms of on-line bullying, they not only seem to be having a lot harder time of things, but they also appear to be having way more fun than we ever did. I think this is why no one minds, as Darren slaughters his way though all his school peers.
However, Darren is the only disappointing part of the film. A fat asthmatic killer is hardly scary when you think about how easy it would be to out-run him. Fortunately for Darren, he does have the ability to just appear without ever having to open a door or magically materialize. He just lurks. He is a weirdo, lurky, and very dead killer, and although you feel sorry for him at first, you quickly stop feeling any pity for him as his need for revenge becomes more and more unreasonable.
Writer Stephen Prentice and Director Jon Wright really bring all the nostalgia of NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET and FRIDAY THE 13TH to life on the screen with this film. Lovers of slasher films will appreciate this modern updating of the genre, and younger viewers will appreciate the detail that went into producing something that they can really relate to and identify with.
In the end it turns out that it is possible for school to be worse than we remember it, but not by much.
TORMENTED will be released on 22nd May.
Review: Sara Passmore