Tom Stewart (Richard Carlson) is a jazz pianist living in an island community. Tom is engaged to marry Meg Hubbard (Lugene Sanders), the daughter of a well-to-do family. Before they can be married Tom is visited by an old flame, Vi Mason (Juli Reding). Vi wants Tom to end his engagement to Meg and go off with her. Tom refuses so Vi tries a little blackmail. She tells him that she has some letters that he wrote to her and threatens to show them to Meg.
The two are standing on the top level of an old, abandoned lighthouse. When Vi leans against the railing it gives way, and she falls grabbing onto part of the railing. She begs for Tom to save her, but he just stands there and watches as she plummets to the rocky surf below.
The next day, Tom is on the beach looking into the surf. He sees Vi’s body floating in the water. He rushes and pulls the body out. He places Vi on the sand. The body turns into seaweed. As the days go by Tom begins hearing Vi’s voice and seeing her spirit. She tells Tom that he belongs to her and that he will never marry Meg. She vows to haunt him for the rest of his life. Others around him sometimes smell perfume or feel coldness around them but only Tom can actually see and hear her.
Tom is visited by a beachcomber, Nick (Joe Turkel), who says he brought Vi over to the island on his boat to visit Tom and that she still owes him money. Tom tries to bluff him, but Nick is slimy and knows all the tricks. He believes that Vi is Tom’s side piece. Tom gives him the five dollars and Nick leaves. Later Nick is having a coke at the local café when he hears that Tom is getting married to money. He wants in and so he tries to blackmail Tom. Tom takes him to the lighthouse to be alone so they can discuss things. At the lighthouse the spirit of Vi tells Tom to kill Nick. He does.
Tom doesn’t know that Meg's sister, Sandy (Susan Gordon) is in the lighthouse and has seen what Tom did. Sandy is now in a quandary as to what to do about Nick’s murder. Eventually she tells Tom that she knows what happened. Tom now has to decide what to do about Sandy.
“Tormented” was released in 1960 and was produced and directed by Bert I. Gordon. It is an American psychological horror thriller.
In the 50’s director Gordon made quite a few movies with giant people and giant creatures. This is one of the few during that time that did not have a big antagonist stomping around. Despite the fact that it is a Bert Gordon production, it has some light noir touches that elevate the film making it interesting to watch.
The character Sandy was played by Bert Gordon’s ten-year-old daughter Susan Gordon. For some reason, the voice for Harry Fleer, who plays Frank Hubbard, is dubbed by an uncredited Paul Frees. Most likely Fleer wasn’t available for postproduction dubbing.