The only film I'd seen from director Robert Hartford-Davis prior to seeing this sixties flick was the lamentable 'Incense for the Damned', so as you can imagine; I didn't go into The Black Torment with the highest of hopes. While this film is hardly a great horror masterpiece, or even one of the best British horrors of the sixties; it's certainly a good film, and a million times better than Incense for the Damned. The film focuses more on its atmosphere, and Hartford-Davis ensures that the themes of murder and insanity are always bubbling on the surface of the movie. The film gets off to a very slow start, and I wasn't too impressed with it once the first half hour had elapsed. Luckily, things improve later on, and the first half of the movie merely sets up the basics of the story. We follow Sir Richard Fordyce upon his return home to his eerie mansion along with his new wife, Lady Elizabeth. His first wife killed herself at her home, and the memory still haunts the lord of the manor. Furthermore, his servants believe that he has been present at the mansion prior to his return...

Huge mansion houses are a tried and tested location for horror, and the one in this film works well considering the story. The film is all about atmosphere, and the director does a good job of racking up the tension in an effort to ensure that the endings works as it should. The characters are nothing to write home about, and the script doesn't do a very good job of balancing them with the plot. The mystery comes about through several small threads, and although the climax is easy to guess; it's fun getting there. The film benefits from several well worked set pieces, many of which involve the ghost of Sir Richard's first wife. The Gothic themes provide the film with a dark horror atmosphere and are sure to appeal to fans of gloomy horror. The acting is, like the characters, rather drab; and the unknown British cast don't do much to grab your attention. It's clear that Hartford-Davis wanted the film to be more like Roger Corman's The Fall of the House of Usher, as it features ideas such as a long line of family members, and also sees a scene set in a portrait gallery, much like the Vincent Price classic. Overall, it has to be said that The Black Torment is slightly disappointing; but fans of sixties Gothic are likely to find something to like here.

Though owing a bit to the Gothic tradition of Hammer Horror, this British ghost story is actually more attuned to the cycle made in this vein and running parallel to it emanating from Italy. Apart from the color scheme (courtesy of cinematographer Peter Newbrook, later director of the literate horror film THE ASPHYX {1972}) and languid pace, obvious links include the haunted protagonist (with many a skeleton in his family closet), the innocent heroine, the killing spree, the apparitions (which are usually revealed to be far closer to home and reality than one could have foreseen), etc.

Leading lady Heather Sears had just appeared in Hammer's underrated version of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1962). Her male counterpart, John Turner (and resembling John Payne quite a bit actually), was new to me but he certainly left an impression - making for one of the most irascible heroes in any film, constantly blowing his top at everyone and everything, sometimes without provocation!; indeed, the whole unfolds at a somewhat hysterical pitch which seems to be an idiosyncrasy of the director. As it happens, this is one of a handful of interesting genre efforts from him: the others are CORRUPTION (1968), THE FIEND aka BEWARE, MY BRETHREN (1972) - both of which I am familiar with - and the as-yet-unwatched BLOODSUCKERS aka INCENSE FOR THE DAMNED (1972); for the record, I also own and still need to check out his star-studded comedy THE SANDWICH MAN (1966). Anyway, also on hand here are Peter Arne (seemingly devoted to the estate's invalid master and his son but unsurprisingly proving to be villainous), Patrick Troughton (as Turner's stable-master), Raymond Huntley (as a seasoned Colonel also serving as Magistrate in the community) and Francis de Wolff (as a stout blacksmith who acts gruffly and confrontationally towards Turner upon the latter's return from abroad with a second wife over a series of apparent hauntings/murders).

The hero's father is cared for by the sister (Ann Lynn) of Turner's first bride - who, it seems committed suicide by leaping from a window because she could not produce a male heir (again, this alone should immediately alert one to her role in the elaborate revenge scheme!). Another party who comes into play towards the end is a man who is the spitting image of the hero, a twin whom the old man kept institutionalized (he is repeatedly described as an "imbecile") and a secret to everybody, but who was 'reclaimed' for their own devious ends once Arne and Lynn take control of the household following their master's debilitating condition; with this in mind, the family tree (called "Bible"!?) and motto (which pretty much conditioned the extreme actions of Turner's late spouse) have much to do with the proceedings. As I said, we get a number of motiveless murders of wayward wenches, as well as one that is clearly premeditated (the old man is found hanging from a chandelier after his empty wheelchair has come crashing down the stairs!) - not to mention eerie sightings outside the window, with the 'phantom' even giving chase to the cry of "Murderer" and, for the grand finale, a gun-shot wound to the face plus a rather well-choreographed swordfight!

Some viewers may not even refer to this as a horror film. It's more of a Gothic mystery with elements of horror, particularly the Hammer films, several of the Vincent Price American International films, and certainly Italian and German thrillers of the 1960's, particularly the Mario Bava films from Italy.

British nobleman John Turner is returning home with his much younger bride (Heather Sears), a sweet and completely innocent young lady unprepared for what she will find. At first, all goes well, but changes in her husband's behavior and his sudden reappearances after allegedly leaving. The presence of the pretty but seemingly cold Ann Lynn casts a shadow over the marriage until Sears realizes a shocking truth.

Hopefully you can find a print of this in the magnificent quality I did because the colors are vivid and every detail is stunning. There are quite a few slow points in the film, but films of this type require sharp detail. I've seen this plotline in various forms, most notably Boris Karloff's 1935 forgotten classic, "The Black Room". This is a 60's discovery that is worthy of classic status.