MST3K #414: Tormented

Mystery Science Theater 3000 experiment #414: Tormented.
Original airdate: September 26, 1992.
Available from Amazon as part of the eleventh MST3K collection.

Bert I. Gordon directed this turkey featuring Richard Carlson as jazz pianist Tom Stewart, resident of an island community, who plans to marry his fiancee Meg. However, if his old flame Vi has anything to say about it, the wedding will not take place, and Vi isn't above blackmail to end the engagement. They argue on top of a lighthouse, and Vi takes a tumble when the railing she's leaning on gives way. Tom simply watches her fall to her death. After finding her body in the water the following day, which quickly turns to seaweed, Tom tries to forget what happened, but all sorts of strange things start happening. Vi's ghost appears, and she tells Tom that she will haunt him for the rest of his life. She'll tell the world that Tom Stewart killed her.

Tom desperately tries to pretend all is normal in his life, but Vi is responsible for all sorts of weird things happening, including Tom accidentally killing a ferryman. Oh, and Meg's little sister Sandy seems to know a lot more about Tom's deepest secrets than he would like.

We open with Joel trying to coax Crow and Tom Servo to come down out of the ventilation duct where they've set up a fort, but they refuse until Servo needs to go to the bathroom, and then Gypsy shows up, wrecking the whole thing. Later on, Joel himself gets stuck in the ceiling, so his robots blackmail him. Everyone later suggests pop singers that they would like to see plummet from the top of a lighthouse, like Michael Bolton and Lionel Richie. Inspired by Vi's disembodied head, Crow and Servo remove their bodies and accuse Joel of killing them both, which he simply blows off. To end the show, Joel and the bots sing a happy song, and TV's Frank joins in, but gets blown up by a grenade courtesy of Dr. Forrester for his troubles.

This is one of my personal favorite episodes. Highly, highly recommended.