Text © Richard Gary / Indie Horror Films, 2020
Images from the Internet
The Torment of Laurie Ann Collum
Directed by Mark Dossett
Rock Bottom Pictures / Tolac / Terror Films
70 minutes, 2014 / 2020
The Torment of Laurie
Ann Collum is being considered a “throwback” film to the slasher days of the
1980s, which feels appropriate since it’s supposedly based on a “true story”
that takes place in 1988, in the small Florida town of Patoma. Now, just
because I cannot find anything about the killing on an Internet search, nor the
locale of Patoma, don’t mean a thing if the film’s got that swing (doo-dah).
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| Shannon Scott |
Filmed just north of
Orlando, FL, including Ocala, the making of the release seems as interesting to
me as the story itself. Let me ‘splain (as opposed to mansplain): while
there is a decent sized cast for a mini- (make that micro-) budgeter, there are
actually only three people involved in what is described on IMDB as “90 percent
of the film.” This includes the main titular character played by attractive and
toothsome Shannon Scott, the hair-follicle-challenged Sheriff Parks (director
Mark Dossett), and the invisible boom (sound) guy, Reynaldo Rodriguez. This
makes for a much lower cost scale, of course, and an interesting read of the credits
as the two leads play not only multiple characters (more on that later) but
most of the crew. I love that they were brave enough not to feel a need to use pseudonyms.
Speaking of playing
with names, I would like to imagine that Laurie is in part named after Laurie
Strode, from Halloween (1978), and Sherriff Parks is named after Michael
Parks, who played a similar police-related role in both Robert Rodriguez’s Planet
Terror (2007) and Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof (2007). But that’s
just me, and I digress.
And now back to our
story: Laurie Ann is a homebody, as she’s developed agoraphobia, a common
mental misfunction to those who have suffered from trauma. It’s been used a lot
lately, such as with Ouija Room (2019), as it’s a great tool for there’s-someone/thing-in-the-house
genre, as the PTSD-inspired illness makes the viewer wonder if the threat
is real or imagined by the character in question.
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| Mark Dossett |
Laurie Ann, who’s mom
is away, is happily watching television (including Bugs Bunny!), having a Tom
Cruise moment of miming rock into a stirring spoon, and eating a lot to take up
some time. To paraphrase Monty Python, try to explain to the cell phone/Internet
kids today, and they won’t believe it.” But weird things are starting to happen,
and there may be someone else in the one-level house with her (no running
upstairs here!). Or is there? Ahh, there’s that PTSD questioning thing that happens!
She calls the cops, which is how Parks gets involved.
The first act is a
light touch of curiosity, the second is more intense interactions, and by the
third, we’re into the torment/terrorizing. There is a bit of a nod to some
other films sprinkled throughout, such as When a Stranger Calls (1979), the
closet and use of a wire hanger like Laurie Strode in Halloween, and
just a wee bit of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974).
Part of the problem with
the “based on a true story” trope is that there is a tendency to put in a title
card at the front stating the end result of the character(s), usually in a
vague way. This is also used a lot in found footage. To me, this is a mistake
as it takes some of the suspense away. If we already know the character will live
or die, that removes the big question. Though in this case, I’m sure people
will still pay attention because of the “Torment” part of the film’s name (as a
side note, to me the title sounds like a ‘70s porno flick directed by someone
like Gerard Damiano).
I have to admit, I figured
out who the masked person was in the first five or ten minutes of the film, but
honestly, I still enjoyed staying until the end; and make sure after you read
the credits, to stick around for some important story info afterward.
One aspect I both
enjoyed and was baffled by was the use of religious tropes throughout the entire
story. Yeah, I get that it’s small town America and the Church is a factor in many
of their lives, but it was never really explained. For example there is a Christian
magnet on the fridge, we see a shot of a church but it doesn’t invest in the
story, and one of the songs is the splendid “Down to the River to Pray” (a different
but also harmonious version than the Alison Krauss one from 2000’s O Brother,
Where Art Thou?).
Most of the secondary
characters are pretty superfluous and not a great source of acting, but the two
leads do really well considering it’s their first film and play multiple parts
(though, please, Shannon, don’t attempt a New York accent again, and I say that
with kindness). Dossett moves in and out of the story but is memorable as Parks,
but it is Scott that holds the film together as she is in a large majority of
the scenes. Luckily, the camera likes her, and she carries Laurie through from
carefree (albeit agoraphobic) to terrified.
As micro-budget
releases go, Dossett and Scott work together well to put out a freshman film
that is watchable. It’s not necessarily super intense nor overly bloody – there
is some sanguine stuff and one squeamish scene – but it holds up. Just not a
great lot of boo scares, which is fine as this is equally (if not more
so) a psychological study of the main character. Certainly enjoyable.
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