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The Toolbox Murders [1978] (NTSC)


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Not Scary But True
Review date: 2006-07-12 Rating: 4 out of 10

I can only assume the reason this film was banned was because of police embarrassment or as respect to the real life victims. Brief glimpses of a masked madman with various drill attachements setting about murdering the neighbours in a quiet suburban area then kidnapping the daughter of one of the deceased should lead to a mass murder hunt. In this case one detective was deemed to be enough.
The clues: The killer only had to forcefully enter the home of one of the three victims. The kidnapped girl bore an uncanny resemblance to the tragically lost daughter of the properties owner. The owner & his nephew were carrying out repairs to their properties at the time. The nephew was provided with a huge toolbox to carry out these repairs.
The faults: Cameron Mitchell [Uncle Buck] spilt more blood in the High Chaparral but sang just as badly. When the brother of the kidnapped girl suggested that the killer may have a key to the properties & could indeed be the owner our lone detective fell about laughing.
To sum up: The fact that the story is based on true events makes you feel less disappointed. As a docu-drama it is passable. As a horror film if this scares you i expect black & white Mummy/Werewolf presentations have the same effect. I am in the Excalibur/Alien lover class [but Disney's Big Red had me wailing] and love the modern cinema's gruesome effects. So sadly if you are like me & love being scared don't bother with this tame effort but if you don't like sleeping in the dark it's not for you either.
A definite MISS that should have been left undisturbed. JimP

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Reviews


CHIZEL, HAMMER, NAILGUN, DRILL !! !! !! !! !!
Review date: 2006-01-13 Rating: 6 out of 10

The Tool Box Murders was a hard film to review, i love the films in Vipcos Vault of Horror and this was the film that got me into them! This film has been censored and edited quiet badly but there isnt that much of a difference from the uncut version, most of the death scenes were hard to see properly or were off-screen anyway. The Tool Box Murders was previously banneed (put on the video nasty list) and has been in that status for a surprisingly long time!
This film definetly has all the characteristics of a good slasher film and has a brilliant array of death scenes and weapons (or in this case tools). The killer is only saw with his black ski mask on at the start of the film but his face is discoverd near the end.
The Tool Box Murders has one of the strangest ending though, i wont tell you what happens because that will gust spoil it but i didnt like the ending and in my opinion it had a bad effect on the film!
But nomatter how rubbish this film may be it definetly gains a star for having the coolest and most relevant name a slasher has ever had! And for people who like this type of film it definetly catches your eye (especialy as the vipco DVDs have big yellow titles on a black back-ground).
The other thing i noticed about this film is how quiet it is, even when the women he kills are screaming you can hardly hear them for some reason (its not like their screaming quietly either) and whenever someones talking theres never a noise in the background, its just a very quiet conversaiton. This isnt a bad thing though, it doesnt have any affect on how good or bad the film is.
All the other things in this film are typical of a Vipco' movie, bad acting, bad dubbing, terrible picture, a below avarage story (this doesnt count all vipco' films).
I would reccomend this to any slasher or Vipco film fans but anyone else would probably hate this film!!!!

New Vipco release stimulates controversy.
Review date: 2000-09-27 Rating: 8 out of 10

Vipco pull through again by releasing this 1978 classic which has been unavailable since the great 'Video Nasty' scare of 1983. The film, dealing with a samauri who goes on a rampage in America, has not aged a bit and is still as shocking as it ever was. People get killed with all sorts of 'toolbox' appliances, hence the title. There is castration when a man urinates on the killers feet unknowingly, there are nail-gun murders, and a whole host of other nasty killings which have not been cut by the ever-sharp blade of the censor. Definatly not for the weak-of-heart, the film was one of the only 'Splatter' movies to be discussed in detail upon its release on a late-night talk show. The audience were shown the nail-gun murder, and groaned at disgust. Buy this movie now and you will not regret it! Great story, lovingly detailed kills, and previously banned as a bonus. Support Vipco - they are one of the best horror labels around, and have been operating since 1979, a year after this film was originally released.

The Toolbox Murders makes a belated return
Review date: 2000-06-27 Rating: 4 out of 10

Roasted over the coals for its alleged misogynistic overtones and all but chased out of the UK upon its initial video release, The Toolbox Murders makes a belated return appearance on video and its first appearance on DVD. Toolbox Murders notoriety rests entirely on its opening moments as Ski- Masked Psycho Cameron Mitchell murders a succession of women with the contents of the titular Toolbox. Grand Guignol is taken to almost farcical levels as woman upon woman stumble upon the

killer and meet their fate. By the time Mitchell advances on his final victim of the evening with a drill theres barely enough room to move for all the dead bodies. After this shocking opening precariously little else really happens, Mitchell ranting insanities kidnaps a girl who he believes to be his daughter, splitting the rest of the narrative between the not so interesting attempts by the girl's brother to find her, and the girl's own attempts to escape. Toolbox has its moments such as Mitchell's legendary rendition of "Sometimes I feel like a Motherless Child" but the film rarely peaks after its opening bloodbath. This DVD version does a good job in preserving perhaps the films finest feature, its camerawork by Orson Welles collaborator Gary Graver, but censor cuts of over 2 minutes rob the film of the reasons for all the hype. Sad to say that remove the opening half hour of the film and the Toolbox Murders could easily play on afternoon TV, hardly a fitting eulogy for a formally red-blooded video nasty.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Wesley Eure
Nicolas Beauvy
Tim Donnelly
Pamelyn Ferdin
Cameron Mitchell

Creators:
Cameron Mitchell (Primary Contributor)
Pamelyn Ferdin (Primary Contributor)
Gary Graver (Cinematographer)
Jack Kindberg (Producer)
Kenneth Yates (Producer)
Tony DiDio (Producer)

Director(s):

Recording label: Blue Underground
Manufacturer: Blue Underground
EAN: 0827058102896
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Anamorphic, Colour, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen,
Release date: 2003-09-30
Universal product code (UPC): 766483342869
Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Running time: 93 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1978-03
Language: English (Original Language)

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