Starring - Cameron Mitchell (Memorial Valley Massacre, Action U.S.A.), Pamelyn Ferdin (A Boy Named Charlie Brown, Shazam!), and Wesley Eure (Land of the Lost, PS After Dark)
Release Date - 1978
Genre - Horror
Tagline - "Bit by bit... by bit he carved a nightmare"
Format - UHD (Personal Collection) (Screener)
Rating (out of 5):
I hate to admit it but there is hundreds of "classic" horror films that I've never been able to see for various reasons. Some are a little more obscure and difficult to find but others are more popular and easily attainable. It's not that I don't want to see these films because I do. In fact, there is some films that I've actively tried to watch several times but failed to do so. Several weeks back Blue Underground announced the release of the 1978 classic The Toolbox Murders. This is one that I had tried to watch several times before. The first time was when a friend snagged a DVD of the film dirt cheap on eBay when we were in high school but the disc was scratched beyond repair. A few years later I tried again and picked up a copy of it used at FYE. That night I was going to toss it in and and was surprised to find the remake that was directed by the late Tobe Hopper inside the packaging of the original. Since then I have grabbed the correct DVD that works but with writing reviews it's hard for me to find the time to watch it. After the announcement I reached out to my friends over at Blue Underground and they agreed to send a copy over for me to check out. Like always, I want to thank you guys for hooking me up with a copy to review.
The film follows the women of an apartment building who finds themselves at the hands of a mad man with a toolbox. He goes from room to room stalking and killing them one by one with the contents of his toolbox. As he progresses through the building he finds the underage and beautiful Laurie (not Strode) and kidnaps her. Soon others in the building star looking for her and discovers who the real killer is.
The Toolbox Murders had the unfortunate timing of being released the same year John Carpenter's Halloween was. Though it was shadowed by Halloween's success I believe TBM to be the better film. Halloween is a classic and for damn good reason. It's a fantastic slasher and one I try to watch every Halloween. It's great. However, The Toolbox Murders is more my speed. It's sleazy, bloody, and far more entertaining. I'm not saying this to suck Blue Underground's ass but I enjoy the sleazier side of cinema and The Toolbox Murders delivers on it. It's not perfect but neither are most exploitation and slasher flicks. The acting in this one is decent for the most part but the cast has plenty of room to grow. Most of the characters are written to be very generic but the cast does a great job with what they were given. The female cast has a more demanding role and they are fully dedicated to it while the male cast still tries but are not a part of the scene as much as the female cast. The story for this one is simple and straight to the point. It's a grimy slasher with tons of nudity and a predictable story but that doesn't take away from it. With films like this it's not the destination but the ride there. Plenty of blood, a lot of boobs, and one tub masturbation scene makes this one a must see for genre fans. It does hit a slow portion here or there but it's still well worth your time. Finally, the film has a decent body count with a lot of blood. The effects are nothing that stands out but the blood is a plenty and most of the time it's with nudity which makes up for the lack of effects. Overall, The Toolbox Murders is a sleazy slasher that isn't necessarily overlooked but it doesn't get the respect it truly deserves. I'm kicking myself for waiting this long to finally see it. This release from BU is fucking perfect and a must own for genre fans. I highly recommend it.
No comments:
Post a Comment