(1960)
Directed by Bert I. Gordon
Starring Richard Carlson, Susan Gordon, Lugene Sanders, Juli Reding, Joe Turkel

Director Bert I. Gordon, or known to most fans as Mr. BIG, got that moniker because of the unusual sizes of the subjects of his films, from giant grasshoppers, dinosaurs, spiders, and angry men. So, it was a quite the change of pace when he came up with this simple story about a ghostly revenge on a seemingly innocent man. While there is nothing giant here, Gordon still was able to pull off some of his unusual and interesting camera tricks, including a talking head sitting on an end table.

Richard Carlson plays Tom Stewart, a jazz pianist who will be marrying a young (and rich) woman named Meg. The problem is when an old girlfriend of Tom’s shows up on the island resort they are all staying at, demanding he break off the marriage and stay with her. Tom takes Vi, the girlfriend, to a nearby lighthouse, so they can talk. He does his best to tell her that it’s over between them, but Vi won’t have any of it. When she threatens him with blackmail, saying she’ll turn over all his love letters to his fiancée, that is when we start to see a different size of Tom come out. At first, he seemed like he was upfront with Vi, but after the blackmail remark, his expression shows a darker side of him. While at the top of the lighthouse, the railing gives way and Vi starts to fall but catches the railing, hanging there. She calls for Tom to help her, but he stands there, staring. He starts to reach out but then quickly pulls his hand back. Then suddenly, she drops.

At first, Tom thinks all of his troubles are over, but he quickly finds out he’s wrong. A boat captain shows up looking for Vi, since he brought her over to meet her boyfriend, a guy named Tom Stewart, and she still owes him money. The captain, named Nick, played wonderfully by Joe Turkel, quickly realizes something fishy is going on and that he might as well use what he knows to milk Tom out of some cash. But then the real issue is Tom starts to see and hear Vi (or parts of her!) and she starts to haunt him.

The other main character in the story is Tom’s future wife’s little sister, Sandy, played by the director’s daughter, Susan Gordon. She gets caught up in the middle between Tom and his guilt of Vi’s death. While some might say that Gordon was cast because of nepotism, they obviously haven’t seen the film. Susan’s performance, especially for an 11-year-old at the time, rates up there to one of the best in the film. She really shows the trouble she’s feeling when she knows a secret that she is afraid to give up because she knows what will happen if she does.

At first, we almost feel bad for Carlson’s character because it’s not like he tried to murder Vi, but his actions do speak volumes. But it is at the end of the film, when he starts to realize what his next move is going to be, is quite shocking and a true insight to this man’s character. And for a film made in 1960, it’s pretty intense.

There is a line in the film from the future father-in-law in speaking about Tom, saying “It’s bad enough to accept a musician into this family, but a jazz musician is asking too damn much!” Now, by today’s standards, it just sounds like a dated and funny comment, like a jazz musician is something awful. But as pointed out in the extras, at that time, jazz music and musicians weren’t considered part of decent society, almost like drugged out criminals! Oh, how times have changed. But maybe for Tom’s character, that comment wasn’t too far off.

This film has always been a favorite of mine, since I’ve always enjoyed Gordon’s work but also being a huge fan of ghost stories. While the optical effects do seem dated, there is still so much more going on here that I still really enjoy, and still find very effective. Richard Carlson’s character and his slow descent into madness is just a joy to watch and shows how much deeper this film is. Plus, add in the incredible performance by the young Susan Gordon and you have a really solid story being played out.

The only thing I could complain about this release is there are a couple of moments in the film that you can see some sort of glimmering or fuzziness that moves about. The best place to see it is in the wedding sequence near the end of the film, when the doors burst open, and we have this tracking shot where all the flowers wilt in front of us. Right in the middle of the screen you can spot it, as well as a shot of Carlson, and one when we see the priest, just on the left side of his face. It’s minor and really doesn’t take anything away from the film, but it’s definitely there. I busted out my old DVD version, and it is not there. But beyond that, the print looks amazing (especially when compared to the original DVD release!

As much as I do enjoy this film, once again, Film Masters have outdone themselves on the extras. It does include the MST3K version of Tormented for those interested, as well as a commentary by author/historian Gary Rhodes. He does give some insight to the film but seems to spend more time talking about his friend Joe Turkel than the film itself.

But the featurette Bert I. Gordon in the 1950s & 1960s: Bigger Than Life which has C. Courtney Joyner talking about Gordon, his life, and features, is just so much fun. Being a fan of Gordon’s work, Joyner’s comments and enthusiasm is so high, it made me want to bust out other Gordon titles! For someone that might not be familiar with Mr. B.I.G.’s work, this will definitely make them want to explore them!

Also, the video essay The Spirit is Willing: CineMagic and Social Discord in Bert I. Gordon’s Tormented by the “The Flying Maciste Brothers” aka Kevin Marr and Howard S. Berger, is another highly entertaining, and informative little piece of the film. You can tell the people Film Masters are getting involved have a strong love for the work and it definitely comes out in the final product. This is not saying that these are all puff pieces, but from real fans. In fact, the booklet that comes with the release has a piece from Tom Weaver, who shows more than a couple of not-so-nice comments about star Carlson from his co-stars. The second part of the booklet is a wonderful tribute to Susan Gordon by novelist/filmmaker John Wooley.

If you’re a fan of Mr. B.I.G., then this release really is a must buy. But if you’re kind of on the fence, I think you should take the chance, and watch the extras before watching the film. Then I think you’ll be even more impressed. While he might be known for his oversized schlocky effects, he was still a good filmmaker.