Following the story of a young women diagnosed with agoraphobia and confined to her mother’s home during the Spring of 1988 leading up to a psycho trying to kill her, The Torment Of Laurie Cullom wasn’t a let down. Set in the same vain as HUSH, the film (WINNER BEST ACTRESS AWARD and OFFICIAL SELECTION of THE ORLANDO FREAK SHOW HORROR FILM FESTIVAL) built pace and suspense rather than being a blood bath.
The first 30 or so minutes in frankly I believed I was watching a haunting film: stuff falling, things being misplaced or actually the real kicker, a jug of milk becoming a jug of blood. All this happening actually made me begin to expect a ghoul to pop up..somewhere. I then found myself surprised and intently watching as the screen went black and my eyes scooped all over my screen for signs of life. About 10 seconds later a novelty mask donned Killer emerged from the shadows to reveal himself to the young women and begin his stalk-chase-kill routine that’s become the norm in the world of slasher cinema. Fans of the slasher part of the horror genre would most definitely love the way Jason Abbot executed the role of the role of the Killer. Abbot’s performance was that of your classic 80’s slasher formula: the head tilt, the intimidating stare and the speed walk. He managed to truly homage the greats that portrayed 80’s slasher icons such as Don Shanks in Halloween 5: The Revenge Of Michael Myers. However with much more screen time, Shannon Scott brought a award-winning performance. Scott managed to bring a certain final girl quality to a indie film character, in a way I haven’t seen done right in months.
The Torment Of Laurie Ann Cullom, based off actual events that occurred in the early Spring of 1988, proved to be a one of the best slasher movies of the year. Written and directed by Mark Dosset, the film was executed perfectly, great performances by a relatively unknown cast, (at least I don’t know them) and it stands as a great addition to fans of the genre anywhere.
Stream or purchase the Shannon Scott, Vicky Schomp, Mark Dossett, Jason Abbott, and Jacob Bradley starred film now!
