Looking at the title, judging by the cover, and assessing the blurb, I was fairly certain this was going to be average revenge splatter guff, and it didn’t disappoint. Don’t go into this expecting anything too extreme or too involved, it’s simply an outlandish tale of improbable revenge with a few twists thrown in to try to keep you guessing.
The Tortured is a suitably grim film, following the aftermath of a couple’s relationship when their only child is kidnapped and killed. Both husband and wife feel guilty for ‘allowing’ it to happen and the blame and grief leads them to split up. After some time though, the thirst for revenge brings them together again. They kidnap the killer as he is being taken to prison, take him to their basement, and begin to torture him over a number of days. Over this time the torture gets worse, more painful, and more gruesome, and although the couple feel shame and regret for what they are doing, they cannot bring themselves to stop believing it is justified. At the same time, the police are looking for the killer who they assume has escaped. The film tries to blur the lines between good and evil, justice and vengeance, and to its credit it doesn’t fall completely down the gore hole.
I’m a little surprised at how badly this has been reviewed, with some truly awful scores on various movie sites. It was never going to be great, but it has good performances from Metcalfe and Christensen and there is a palpable sense of doom – that one horrific event will echo through the rest of the lives of everyone tied to it. There is one major twist – even if you see it coming, it will still leave a bad taste when the movie is over, leaving you to ponder the cost. It’s worth your time if you are a diehard horror fan, but it would be difficult to recommend to anyone else given the subject matter and execution.
Have you seen The Tortured? Let us know in the comments!
The Spac Hole 