There's somebody at the door - The Torment (2010)

AKA The Possession of David O'Reilly (US release)

In the early hours of the morning David turns up at Alex and Kate's house, two of his oldest friends. He has discovered that his girlfriend, Sarah has been having an affair and he is the image of a broken man. But when everyone has gone to bed we see there is more to his tortured expression than was first apparent.

He hears a noise in the back garden, something that does not seem to completely surprise him, but he is terrified nonetheless. Through the back window we see a zombie-like figure, shifting in the darkness and David proceeds to sprinkle salt at the base of the door. He has obviously done this before. Or seen too many episodes of Supernatural, one of the two.

He stays the second night and it is that night that he drags his friends in to his nightmare. David is being haunted, possessed or tormented by something he does not understand. A monster that lurks outside and constantly tries to get in. Alex and Kate are obviously worried about him but because they cannot see what he sees they assume that the stress has had a serious effect on his mental state. But why can't they reach Sarah...?

An unusual story development; we are perhaps offered red herrings in an order I am not familiar with. Alex has set up CCTV in the flat that's triggered by movement. I had high hopes for this idea, being a big fan of Paranormal Activity, but not enough was made of this tool. It seemed like an idea that was forgotten about.

But I did enjoy the idea of the demon using the newspaper and a glass as an impromptu Ouija board. The point of view camera work was used to good effect, making you feel at home in their house without annoying the anti Blair Witch crowd. Essentially this is a story of mental illness verses real demons and that blurred line. In certain altered states who are we to be so confident in saying what is real and what is not?

Release on DVD in the UK today.