This squirm-inducing tale of grisly revenge gets off to a sick, twisted start, as a child-killer in clown make-up sings ‘Hush, Little Baby’ while he leers lasciviously over his latest victim. This film poses the question, if someone wasted a member of your family, would you deal the ‘eye for an eye’ card to the sick bastard?

The young professional couple whose son has been killed by the mirth-maker do – by abducting him and wreaking sadistic havoc on his ass.

Although the plot of The Tortured is similar to the recent French/Canadian thriller 7 Days, the exploration of how grief can transform victims into killers couldn’t be more different. While 7 Days opted for colour-drained, arthouse cinematography, the emphasis here is on gory, grimy, grindhouse exploitation. It’s fitting that the villain of the piece is Bill Moseley from The Devil’s Rejects, who’s capable of scaring viewers shitless with little more than a sneer and a sideways glance.

Director Robert Lieberman, who did a stint on US serial killer show Dexter, is also perfect. He leaves little to the imagination as he delivers close-up shots of appendages being hacked off and flesh flayed open. But even though the parents become outrageously brutal, you’ll be cheering them on as they torture their son’s killer.

Ultimately, what sets this slice of celluloid carnage apart from similar fare is its sting-in-the-tale conclusion, which puts a new spin on revenge.

Billy Chainsaw