“Welcome to the family!” A look at Jordan Barker’s “Torment”

December 29, 2015

Written by Capt McNeely

Georgia Division ZADF Twitter: @ZADF_ORG

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“When one has not had a good father, one must create one.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

2014’s “Torment” follows two newlyweds (Cory and Sarah) who take a much needed family vacation in order for Cory’s son, Liam, to get to know his new wife. The boy soon vanishes and Sarah and Cory must confront an evil, sadistic family who have kidnapped the boy for themselves!

The first 5 minutes of the film are really quiet thrilling! You are shown an old home in the middle of nowhere, and are put into the middle of an awkward family moment. The family ends up seperating, and right from the start we are given 3 very promising kills!

One of these kills even mimics a very important death scene in the first Halloween film as a teen puts on a pair of headphones and has no idea what is coming her way.

“Torment” stars Katharine Isabelle, Robin Dunne, and Peter DaCunha, who stars as young Liam. I enjoyed the film, although a good amount of time was wasted trying to create the illusion that Liam is having trouble adapting to his new mother. While this forced awkwardness between the characters is going on, we are led to believe a group of vandals have broken into the home and have been squatting in it. The “illusion” of insecurity has been shown multiple times and a juxtaposition of shots between Liam, Sarah, and Cory, but it is not felt.

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The film takes a little over 30 minutes to really get going, but once it does, it does not slow down. The thrill ride begins with something as chilling as stepping on a nail and immediately follows up with a giant explosion! Suddenly, the film that felt “forced,” puts you right in the middle of a survival situation with our characters.

For me, “Torment” really shines in its soundtrack, or lack there of. In a lot of home invasion films, we are given cheap scares or a big musical score, “Torment” is the exact opposite. Throughout most of “Torment” it is silent, AS AN ACTUAL HOME WOULD BE. This really adds a suspense that modern day horror directors should take note of!

Defiantly a fun watch, and a little disturbing at times.

If you have some time at home this holiday season and want to check out a new home invasion film, I would defiantly recommend “Torment.”

I warn you, if you awake late at night to a strange noise, don’t go check it out, because your worst fear may become a reality.

“Torment” is currently available on DVD and Blu-Ray and can be found on streaming services such as Netflix.

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