The Tormented Series Review – What if Warrens Had an Heir?
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
The five-part horror comic series (which might and should get a second volume), “The Tormented” by Chuck Austen and Patrick Olliffe (art), instantly feels like it belongs to “The Conjuring” horror franchise. It follows a handsome protagonist named Ryan Auster, whose parents were famous paranormal experts who could see and fight ghosts, but they die a grisly death while encountering something sinister. Ryan is left with their legacy and an old house with a creepy basement filled with eerie relics. It made me think of how Ryan would be the perfect son for Ed and Lorraine Warren, the paranormal experts who often appear in all the horror stories that take place in the Conjuring Universe, like “The Nun” and “Annabelle” movies.
So, what is “The Tormented” about? Well, Ryan Auster just loses his job and is struggling to pay his bills when a new job comes knocking – an opportunity to host a ghost-hunting show. Brad, the producer of the show, gets a nod from the TV network for the series without even asking Ryan if he’d be interested in it. Why would a broke bloke with no job say no to hosting his own show, right? But to his new crew’s surprise, Ryan has zero interest in doing anything related to ghosts. To the network, it might just be a bogus attempt at entertaining horror fans with some fake sounds and effects in ‘haunted’ locations, but for Ryan, ghosts and spirits are far too real and often malevolent. Will he evade this new chance or embrace his haunted legacy?
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Each issue of “The Tormented” is only about 25 pages long, but both the storytelling by Chuck Austen and the glossy, colorful artwork by Patrick Olliffe are thoroughly entertaining. There are plenty of deadly ghosts and spirits appearing throughout the series, and the creepiest ones are body-snatcher-style monsters that take over human bodies in a very grisly manner. Flashbacks reveal Ryan’s father to be an overbearing, scary figure in his life, and how their paranormal activities scarred the boy for life. “The Tormented” thus explores Ryan’s difficult childhood and his uncertain present. The ghost-hunting show, as Ryan fears, only brings him in contact with vengeful new spirits thirsting for human blood.
There isn’t enough time or space to explore all the supporting characters – like the members of Ryan’s crew – that appear in “The Tormented,” but at least we get a solidly likable protagonist in the form of Ryan. He is a charming, thoughtful young man, weighed down by a traumatic past, a haunted house, and the unwanted gift of being able to see and communicate with the dead. Certainly not a comforting power when you are going through a rough time.
Horror fans can spot a lot of familiar motifs and tropes, including a direct nod to Ghostbusters. One of my favorite moments in “The Tormented” is a scene where Ryan’s cameraman declares, “I ain’t afraid of no ghost,” while preparing to fight a horde of ghosts in the climactic issue. It’s a famous expression from Ghostbusters.
Overall, “The Tormented” is an easily entertaining horror comic series with characters that have a lot of potential. There are quite a few fun twists and turns in the story, but the climax did feel rushed and slightly underwhelming, given that it had a full-blown “humans versus evil spirits” showdown that ends too soon and far too easily. I hope Chuck Austen and Patrick Olliffe will get to do a volume 2 of “The Tormented,” because from the looks of it, Ryan Auster’s ghostly adventures and the new ghost-busting show journey have only begun!
Rating: 4 out of 5. “The Tormented” is also on Kindle Unlimited.
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