Tormented (2009)

Starring: Alex Pettyfer, April Pearson, Dimitri Leonidas, & Calvin Dean

Rating: 1 1/2 out of 5 stars

After watching this film, I'm still not sure if the title, Tormented, refers to the students of the featured High School, or the audience that had to sit through this film. Tormented is one of these films that has a deeper meaning, but it takes it's message to such extremes, that it becomes completely obsolete. Tormented is actually an anti-bullying film, that features an obese teenager, that has committed suicide after years of abuse. Instead of focusing on the ones left behind, the story instead focuses on the popular kids, who continue to "torment" the kid after he's gone, that is until his ghost shows up looking for revenge. The story isn't the worst idea I've ever heard of, but the film was so fake and over the top that it just ruined all it's credibility. Tormented features a fully functional ghost, with emotions, who gruesomely kills people. The special effects that show him as a ghost and the ridiculous amounts of kool-aid blood, were just some of the worst I've ever seen. Magic Mike's Alex Pettyfer stars as the bully and much like the rest of the cast, is far too old to be playing a high school student. Films like this are low budget, and I understand they need a person of name in order to be recognized, but I've always felt that they should cast real teenagers, and give them a chance at breaking into the business, rather than have the roles played by actors that are pushing thirty! Tormented is exactly how you'll feel as this film plays to the lowest common denominator, assuming that only ignorant people are going to watch it. They'll do things like call the victim, Shrek and show goth kids who think it's cool that he killed himself. Tormented is not funny, scary, or anything but a complete waste of time.