Sir Richard Fordyke (John Turner) is a nobleman who returns to the family manor with his new bride, Elizabeth (Heather Sears), after some time in London. He soon hears disquieting reports about the locals seeing him running around, pursued by a female figure that resembles his late first wife. He also hears that "he" could very well be responsible for some rapes & murders that have occurred. Sir Richard must ponder the idea that there could be some sort of conspiracy to drive him mad.
As produced & directed by Robert Hartford-Davis, "The Black Torment" is a very handsome film, with meticulous set design, and gorgeous cinematography by Peter Newbrook. It's at least good enough to compare favourably with the kind of thing that Hammer Studios always did so well. The story, by Derek and Donald Ford, is not a great one but it's a reasonably absorbing one, keeping the viewers' attention to see how things will be resolved. Unfortunately, it has no real surprises in store. That is a shame considering how much atmosphere and tension that Hartford-Davis is able to generate.
The acting is superb right down the line. Ms. Sears is a very beautiful and appealing leading lady, while Turner delivers a performance of incredible intensity (this guy sure does a lot of shouting). Ann Lynn, Peter Arne, Norman Bird, Raymond Huntley, Francis De Wolff, Joseph Tomelty, and Patrick Troughton offer very fine support. Tomelty has a particularly interesting role as the crippled patriarch who is now obliged to communicate through the use of sign language.
The film does manage to be consistently entertaining, with a fairly rousing sword fight at the end.
Seven out of 10.
As produced & directed by Robert Hartford-Davis, "The Black Torment" is a very handsome film, with meticulous set design, and gorgeous cinematography by Peter Newbrook. It's at least good enough to compare favourably with the kind of thing that Hammer Studios always did so well. The story, by Derek and Donald Ford, is not a great one but it's a reasonably absorbing one, keeping the viewers' attention to see how things will be resolved. Unfortunately, it has no real surprises in store. That is a shame considering how much atmosphere and tension that Hartford-Davis is able to generate.
The acting is superb right down the line. Ms. Sears is a very beautiful and appealing leading lady, while Turner delivers a performance of incredible intensity (this guy sure does a lot of shouting). Ann Lynn, Peter Arne, Norman Bird, Raymond Huntley, Francis De Wolff, Joseph Tomelty, and Patrick Troughton offer very fine support. Tomelty has a particularly interesting role as the crippled patriarch who is now obliged to communicate through the use of sign language.
The film does manage to be consistently entertaining, with a fairly rousing sword fight at the end.
Seven out of 10.