The Black Torment Movie Review

Trailer here.

The Black Torment is a 1964 horror movie directed by Robert Hartford-Davis and starring John Turner, Heather Sears and Ann Lynn.

The film opens with a girl running from something. She is caught and killed by an unknown assailant.

Cut to Sir Richard Fordyke(Turner) and his new bride Elizabeth(Sears) arriving to meet Richard's father. When they arrive, the workers are not so happy to see him. Sir Richard talks to the blacksmith, Black John(Frances de Wolff). There is definitely something wrong. Sir Richard's coachman asks the locals why they are so hostile. Black John tells him that there have been deaths in the village and people think that it has something to do with Sir. Richard. Richard's father has suffered a stroke and he cannot speak so he uses his hands. A lady called Diane( Lynn) is his father's carer. She is the sister of Richard's first wife who died a few years before.

The steward, Seymour(Peter Arne) welcomes the couple, though he seems a little cold. The newlyweds met Richard's father and Diane. Richard asks Seymour about the frosty welcome they received and Seymour tells him about the girl who was murdered recently. Her name was Lucy Judd. He tells him that the girl called Richard's name before she died. Richard tells him that he wasn't even in the village at the time the girl was killed. Seymour informs him that the tenants are superstitious. Richard gets a note which is a copy of the same note left by his first wife, who killed herself because she could not have children. He is very upset by this. He is looking out of the window when he sees a vision of his dead wife. He orders the servants to block up the windows. 

A maid gets attacked. A servant tells Richard that the saddle he ordered is ready, but Richard has not ordered any saddle. Things are getting very strange. He confronts the man who made the saddle and he is told that they had a conversation about it. He is told that the name of his first wife, Anne, has been inscribed on it. Elizabeth thinks that there is evil in the house. She says that Richard has changed since coming back. Richard vows to find out what is going on. A man called Colonel Wentworth(Raymond Huntley) comes to see Richard and tells him that the locals suspect that he is the killer of Lucy Judd. He says that there are witnesses who can place him in the area at the time. This is all very confusing to Richard.

Locals say they have seen his wife, Ann riding through the countryside chasing him and calling him a murderer.  Wentworth offers some soldiers to protect the family from the villagers. A maid goes missing and people think that he had something to do with it. They think that he is the Devil. Richard sees Ann outside once again and he goes after her on his horse. She follows him as he rides along. Elizabeth thinks that Richard has lost the plot. They argue and she asks him where he was. Richard leaves. Seymour sees him and is confused. He just went away. Now here he is again.  Richard's father is killed.

Richard asks Diane about it. She knows nothing. Richard is really losing his grip on reality. He calls for the doctor. Seymour tells Elizabeth that Richard is going mad. Ann was Seymour's cousin. He says that Richard inherited her fortune. Ann appears to Richard and she tells him that he is a killer. She wants him to kill himself.

Richard starts to see his dead father. He has gone mad. Elizabeth looks for him and he tries to choke her. She also sees the ghost of Richard's first wife. She gets Richard's gun and she manages to shoot Richard. The twist is that it isn't Richard. It was a trick. Diane was the ghost of Ann. She killed the dad and she and Seymour used Richard's brother who was an imbecile and was shut away. They made him act as Richard. Diane wanted to destroy Richard because of what happened to her sister.  Seymour is Ann's cousin and he thinks that the estate should be his. He fights with Richard. Colonel Wentworth hears all of this and knows that Richard is innocent. He stabs Diane. Richard stabs Seymour who falls out of the window to his death. Elizabeth feels bad for shooting Richard's brother. Richard tells her that he was in an asylum. Seymour found out and the plan was hatched. Elizabeth and Richard are relieved that it is all over and Elizabeth tells him that they will make the house happy once again.

This was a good film. I liked the story and the mystery. It had a good cast and the ending was decent. I recommend this one to fans of gothic horror  This does remind me of a Hammer production but it isn't. It is worth a look. I will give it a 5/10.