TORMENTED

UK, 2009, 91 minutes, Colour.
Alex Pettyfer, April Pearson, Dimitri Leonidas, Calvin Dean, Tuppence Middleton, Georgia King, Mary Nighy, Ollie Alexander.
Directed by Jon Wright.

Yet, another slasher film. The difference with this one is that it is British and is set amongst a group of students in their final year at school (though they seem older and their language and behaviour seems older, although their humour and sex references are often of the dirty schoolboy (or schoolgirl) variety. In that way it is not unlike some of the American films.

However, some more thought has gone into the screenplay. We see the head girl being marched off by the police at the opening and then go back five days to discover that a fat and bullied boy has killed himself – and that he was infatuated by Justine, the head girl, even though she did not know him. She herself is trying to mix with the 'in' group who are in fact the ones that bullied him – and are dispatched by the ghost throughout the film. Some gory aspects there.

At one stage the class discuss Macbeth and Banquo's ghost and Justine says the reason only Macbeth sees the ghost is because of his guilty conscience. Is that a clue as to what is really happening in the film?

Irritating kids which makes you less sorry that they are killed off. But, a bit better than your average this kind of thing.

1.A British slasher movie? Comparisons with the American versions? The subjects – at school? Bullying? The elimination of the characters?

2.The British setting, the school, homes? Parties? Credible? The musical score, songs?

3.The behaviour of the adolescents? Precocious, sexual and promiscuous, lacking a moral perspective? The bullying? The self-pity and self-absorbed attitudes?

4.The film as a ghost thriller? These horror aspects as successful compared with the characters and the atmosphere of the school?

5.The film opening with Justine under arrest? The flashbacks? Her speech about Darren Mullet? Jason and his intervention and being thrown out? Justine as head girl? The prospect of Oxford and law? Her wanting to be part of the group? With Tasha and Sophie? The contrast with Helena and Emily? The boys? The dominance of Bradley? Her attraction towards Alexis? The party for Darren Mullet? With Alexis? The shock and Bradley with the chainsaw? The ensuing days, her relationship with Alexis, her separation from Helena and her friend? Her being close to those who were killed? Her concern, discussions with the principal? Her trying to carry out her duties in the school? With Tasha and the taunts? Sophie? Her concern about their deaths, seeking out Jason? Going to the art room, discovering the dead? With Kally? Her being found with the screwdriver, Alexis’s death? Her experience of the ghost of Darren? Her comment in class that Macbeth seeing Banquo was the product of his guilty imagination?

6.Bradley, the cad, dominance? With the girls? The party? His commanding everybody, including Alexis? His taunting of Darren Mullet, cruelty? The sexual encounter and his death? Tasha, the girlfriend, her going to the grave with Bradley to dig up the body? The confrontation with Darren, her protesting her innocence, her decapitation? Sophie, her taunts, on the video? Her being drowned in the pool, Darren sitting on her?

7.Jason, his friendship – yet his telling the others about Darren’s infatuation with Justine? His defence of Darren? Discussions with Justine? Darren killing him?

8.Kally, in the art room, her fingers, her death?

9.Justine wanting to see the You Tube and the video on website? The extended scenes of taunting of Darren? The cruelty? His going to Justine, her being on the phone, ignoring him? Her feeling guilty that she was responsible – and perhaps the reason for her actually being the killer?

10.Alexis, his protests, being seen on the website? His being ashamed? His death?

11.The murders, the reaction of the school authorities? The banners against bullying? The ineptness of the principal? The teachers, the fixing of the guillotine? The sports master, his taunts, his saying that Darren should have killed the remnant of the team? His own death?

12.The psychological aspects of the film – whether the ghost of Darren Mullet killed the students or whether it was Justine and her guilty conscience?