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THE TOOLBOX MURDERS (1978)
Directed by Dennis Donnelly
Blue Underground DVD
Reviewed 03.13.08
Review by Dan Budnik
THE FILM
It's 1/3 slasher & 1/3 Hardy
Boys Mystery & 1/3 Cameron Mitchell
talking to a girl tied to a bed.
It's got a terribly misleading title
because folks wander into it thinking
it's going to be a slasher film
but it turns out that is "based
on a true story". (But, we
don't learn this until the end,
which affects the way I see the
film when I watch it again.) I think
we'd be hard pressed to find a true
story that is structured like a
slasher film. So, the killer goes
on a mini-rampage (four people)
in the first half hour and then
kidnaps a gal, Laurie. The killing
stops at that point. (Apart from
two, possibly three, more plot-specific
murders near the end.) The killer
was taking out rage over the death
of his daughter on "loose"
women in an apartment complex. Once
he gets a replacement daughter,
the killing is done.
This film exists in that strange
interim period at the end of the
70s in between the full-on slasher
deluge and good-grimy 70s horror.
I think it's pretty fascinating.
The film shifts its emphasis well
and has a couple of great nasty
scenes hidden away. Cameron Mitchell
starts off being a bit too "Cameron
Mitchell" but, during a long
scene where he serves his "daughter"
lunch, it clicks and starts working.
Pamelyn Ferdin is excellent as Laurie
(check out her website; she's pretty
cool) and CM steps up to the plate
and does everyone proud.
And, of course, there's the Hardy
Boys thing. It is a bit odd seeing
two young men investigating such
brutal killings. They wander into
crime scenes. One of them gives
a theory to the cops who ignore
him. Maybe the producers should
have brought "The Toolbox Murder
Detective Boys!" back for a
series of movies. Could they have
had a monkey sidekick? I don't know.
I'm just writing out loud here.
I had always thought that the film
was a bit disjointed. But, if it
is "based on a true story",
then I'll give it some leeway. Real
life doesn't have a three act structure
(the "1/3"s I mentioned
earlier all mix together throughout
the film) so I'm not bothered. Now,
I did find the concluding "true
story" text a bit confusing
but I'll work with it. (The dates
kind of jump around. It seems far
more convoluted than a "true
story" blurb should be.)
The Toolbox Murders is
sleazy. It is violent. It is rather
sick. But, I liked it. The closing
shot is spot-on perfect. The opening
barrage of murders left me wide-eyed.
And, the scene in the garage with
the matches is one of my favorite
suspense scenes. Oh, and Kent, the
nephew, is continually creepy. He
has a look in his eye that says
"I'm gonna flip out at any
moment".
I could see someone getting pissed
if they thought this was going to
be a regular slasher. But, I would
hope they could get past it and
watch with an open mind.
AUDIO AND VIDEO
The DVD looks and sounds great.
The first half hour retains most
of its "Olde World Charm"
(sleaziness). The rest of the movie
looks a bit like an Afterschool
Special gone awry. I didn't have
a problem with the sound. The whole
presentation is smooth like an afternoon
on the Slip 'n' Slide with Heather
Shurgot back in third grade.
EXTRAS
It's a nice disc. Some trailers,
some stills. There is an interview
with Marianne Walters, the Nail
Gun lady. She's real sweet and has
a couple of good anecdotes ready.
Then, there is a commentary with
the producer, Tony Didio, Gary Graver,
the cinematographer, and Pamelyn
Ferdin. It's a solid, informative
and chatty commentary. It does teeter
on the "maybe I'm learning
too much" edge but if you've
got the time, give a listen. This
isn't a "film from another
universe" like Don't
Go Near The Park that gets
dragged back to Los Angeles in the
commentary.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I'd place this one in the realm
of Don't Go In The House,
Maniac and Don't Answer
The Phone. Old-style horror
films that were made as the genre
was changing around them. In fact,
I recommend all four films in one
big quadruple feature on a Saturday
night. That would be something. |
Hammer time
The Two Investigators
The CM Pride
Rather sick
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