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Toolbox Murders [2003]


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ONE OF THE BEST SLASER FILMS EVER MADE
Review date: 2007-11-03 Rating: 8 out of 10

The Lusman Arms apartment building is being renovated to fit in to modern times. The old building has so many things wrong with it that the list of complaints has reached a crucial point for newlyweds Nell (Angela Bettis) and Steven Barrows, (Brent Roam) who are trying to move into the building during a raging thunderstorm. As they try to settle in, they meet the eclectic residents: Byron McLieb (Greg Travis) the, Ned (Adam Gierasch) the local handyman, Luis Saucedo, (Marco Rodriquez) the doorman, and Chas Rooker, (Rance Howard) the oldest living tenant in the building. Also residents of the building are several wanna-be actors, Julia Cunningham, (Juliet Landau) Saffron Kirby, (Sara Downing) and () who is easily the most convincing of the three. After several days have gone by and the weirdness of the building settling in on Nell, and one-by-one, the other tenants start disappearing. Nell takes it upon herself to solve the disappearances, and finds a masked killer wandering around killing the tenants with different tools.

The Good News: Wow, was I impressed with this one. I never really got into the original for two reasons: I thought it was the same movie as The Driller Killer, and it wasn't as gory as its "Video Nastie" title seemed to warrant. It was a nice slasher film for it's time, but I thought it could've been so much more. This one is a lot better and much creepier. The attacks by the killer are actually pretty scary. The elevator attack is my favorite. A guy enters the elevator to leave the building, then it stops, then stops, then starts up again. Getting frustrated, he slams against the control panel, then a gloved hand comes down from the ceiling and pulls up out of the elevator. Moments later, when Nell enters the elevator, we hear the vicious sound of his demise. That is mostly typical of this movie: we hear things more than we see, and that sets up the power of suggestion. That is so rare in today's horror movies that it is very welcome to me. Granted, some murders are seen on-screen, but most are implied, with us seeing the aftermath. One of the best scenes to illustrate this is the spectacular opening. A woman goes into her apartment wanting to take in the night, and she notices her front door is open. Going to check it out, a man in black leaps out of the darkness and attacks her with a hammer, and after a small skirmish, she is killed by the maniac. It seems short, but the buildup is so brilliantly executed that the suspense is wrung out of the scene like no other director can. This is probably Hooper's best film since "Poltergeist," but this is much more violent. The killings are pretty impressive. We get a power drill through the mouth, a hammer claw used as a slashing weapon, a pair of hedge clippers to chop up the back, being shot up with a nail gun, and being carved up with a chisel, among the other killings. It's great that he practically used everything in a toolbox as murder weapons. Some are so creative that I don't want to spoil them here, just seeing them in film will come as a complete surprise. Without a doubt, the last twenty minutes are so action-packed and thrilling that you don't want to look away. Once the secret of the building is revealed and Nell has to escape repeated confrontations with the killer, who also begins stalking the ones who's after Nell because she knows the secret about the killer, it becomes a giant free-for-all of shocks and gore that are so exciting to watch Hooper has to be commended for keeping it all linear and focused.

The Bad News: Aside from a pretty slow beginning that was mainly used as a way to exposition needed for the characters, this was a great slasher film.

The Final Verdict: The comeback of the year! Hooper has made a film that should rival David Cronenberg's "The Fly" as a brilliant remake that surpasses the original. It has it all: cool deaths, a creepy surrounding, an all-star cast, lots of suspense and plenty of gore. All horror movie fans, not just slasher fans, should check this one out.


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Reviews


Apartments With Runic Charm
Review date: 2007-01-18 Rating: 10 out of 10

Any story about the comings and goings of weird people in a strange hotel or apartment block - and there are a number - gets my interest. The Toolbox Murders is no exception, and thrown in is a bizarre seam of gore and occult suggestion.

The story begins with a young couple moving in to a small flat in a run-down apartment block, managed by a scruffy wide-boy and his strange, silent handyman who just never seems to get around to doing any of the necessary repairs.

As the various odd characters begin to succumb to grisly and bizarre deaths, the newcomers - ignored by the police after a false alarm, and unable to break their lease and leave - try to discover what's going on. A trail involving the hotel's strange history, teeth found in the wall (see also 1976's "The Tenant" for very similar occult-symbolic dental welcomes for new tenants) a pattern of non-existing apartment numbers, and esoteric symbols on each floor posing as artwork, lead them towards something much worse than 'just' a serial killer.

Possibly filmed in a style recreating the "feel" of it's 1970s predecessor, having not seen the original at first I thought this actually *was* the original. It certainly doesn't have the polished look of a '00s film. But all in all it's an offbeat-enough horror with interesting premise and some pretty creepy scenes. Definitely a worthwhile watch for fans of the genre.


Its not dat bad!!!
Review date: 2006-05-28 Rating: 6 out of 10

These guys have really trahed it!..its not the best but its not the worst..yeh there is no plot and its basically a slasher movie but u no..the killer is badly disfigured and its only really the ending that u get the chills..one bad thing about this film is that it don't really explain the story well..like what is up with the whole spell thing! i didnt get that...anyway..if ur a horror fanatic they i recommend it..but if ur not then i wouldn't! ;)

Dreadfully Bad
Review date: 2006-02-15 Rating: 2 out of 10

I thought this film was terrible. I thought the acting was OK but I didn’t care much for the characters. Mostly my problem was with the story line – there wasn’t one. I know, I know, there are a lot of murder films out there which follow a senseless killer who kills for fun and has no tangible motive – but this film goes too far.

The main problem I had was that all these people went missing and no one missed them. The viewer is supposed to believe that apart from one old man no one thought it was strange that so many people had vanished in one hotel. My second problem with the film was the lack of suspense or fear – I really didn’t mind if the people got caught by the killer including the main characters Steve (Brent Roam) and Nell (Angela Bettis).

Also the setting up of Ned the maintenance man as the main suspect was poor – it was too obvious to be him and I certainly wasn’t fooled. And there was little explanation as to why the killer was actually murdering everyone with tools.

The film is very reminiscent of 1970 horror films but the ending feels like Halloween rehashed and we barely get to see the killer. The cover of the DVD makes him look terrifying but we barely get to experience how frightening he looks.

I recently read a review of this film where the reviewer claimed they would rather stick pins in their eyes then see this film again – I certainly wouldn’t go that far but I would suggest spending a few hours watching something else instead.

dont buy
Review date: 2006-02-14 Rating: 2 out of 10

full of cliche's ,loopholes in the story, not scary, i would recommend something else for your money

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Juliet Landau
Sheri Moon
Angela Bettis
Brent Roam

Creators:
Angela Bettis (Primary Contributor)
Juliet Landau (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Starz Home Entertainment
Manufacturer: Starz Home Entertainment
EAN: 5060020623981
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 2
Format: Anamorphic, Box set, PAL, Widescreen,
Release date: 2005-04-25
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 95 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2003
Language: English (Original Language)

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