Juliet Landau

DVD Review: Toolbox Murders (2003)

The 70’s were a hotpot for horror classics. Genre-defining, stretching the boundaries, and extraordinary in their approach, they changed the face of cinema. They saw the creation of classics like ’The Devils’ (1971), ’Dead of Night’ (1972), ’The Exorcist’ (1972), ’The Last House on the Left’ (1972), ’Shogun Assassin’ (1972), ’The Wicker Man’ (1973), ’The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ (1974), ’Jaws’ (1974), ’Deep Red’ (1975), ’Who Can Kill a Child ?’ (1975), ’Death Trap’ (1976), ’Eraserhead’ (1976), ’Suspiria’ (1976), ’The Hills Have Eyes’ (1977), ’Halloween’ (1978), ’Alien’ (1979), ’Cannibal Holocaust’ (1979), ’Dawn of the Dead’ (1979), to name just a few. I could write all day on the influential 70’s.

One such movie that would not be there is Tony Didio’s ‘The Toolbox Murders’ (1978). This is a sick little puppy that had Cameron Mitchell as a psycho in a ski mask using the contents of his toolbox to do away with any sexually active female in the L.A. apartment block. Hammers, drills, nail guns, screwdrivers and knives were all used in this sleazy misogynistic little offering. It was also originally banned in the UK, despite being heavily cut for the cinema release. So why go for a remake ?

Tobe Hooper, has had a mixed movie history. He came out with classics in the 70’s (’The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ & ’Death Trap’), good solid fun movies of the early 80’s (’The Funhouse’ & ’Poltergeist’) and really dull misfires from then on (’The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2’, ’The Mangler’, ’Spontaneous Combustion’, etc). Apart from a few jobs on TV there is not very much to say about Tobe as of late, until now.

’Toolbox Murders’ (2003) is not a remaking of the 1978 version but a complete reworking of it. It’s not a standard stalk’n’slash either, and Hooper has done a pretty decent job of getting some grisly moments mixed with some genuine chills. For the movie to have a 15 certificate for the UK (the DVD has an 18 due to the extra content) there are still a few juicy blood-spurting effects for the jaded gore hound.

The opening seems like the 70’s movie it is reworking with a soundtrack straight out of the early ’Friday 13th’ flicks. Daisy Rain (Sheri Moon, girlfriend of Rob Zombie and star of ’House of 1000 Corpses’ and it’s sequel ’The Devil’s Rejects’) makes her way through the ramshackle hotel that she calls her home. This place is going through a renovation and plastic sheets and wet paint are everywhere. Cue to a ski masked, overall clad psycho with a claw hammer, and you know what is next. Blood spurts over the window and hair flies; the claw hammer is being used for a purpose that it was not designed for.

The story kicks off now as a young couple move into the hotel, shifting boxes and putting up with the constant hammering and pounding of the renovations going on around them. Nell (Angela Bettis - ’May’) and Steven (Brent Roam - ’Deep Blue Sea’) don’t have much in the way of money so this move has to work for them. They are here whether they like it or not and despite the calming words of the camp caretaker that the hotel is full of historical nuances and they should look beyond the surface.

Arguing neighbours, voyeuristic kids, an anorexic jogger (‘Buffy’ and ‘Angel’ star Juliet Landau), a mysterious old man who spouts the eerie history of the hotel, and a weird handy man (played by the movie’s writer Adam Gierasch in a greasy wig) are some of the hotels residents. Nell keeps on hearing noises, and just like in Polanski’s incredible ‘Repulsion’, these and the hotel start getting under her skin.

One by one the residents are offed, and strangely enough the music and style of the flick change after the first killing. Nell starts to notice that things are amiss. There seems to be a missing room on each floor, folks are disappearing, and what are these strange symbols dotted all over the hotel ? Could there be supernatural forces behind this masked man ? Or is it a man ? Despite the cover of the DVD showing you who or what the bad guy is, it does not explain the why behind the story. This is quite a fun flick getting to that.

The movie transfer is great and sounds really creepy too, with hammering and banging coming from all corners of your room with the excellent Dolby Digtal 5.1 and DTS options. Audio commentaries come in the shape of a fun Hooper and writers Jace Anderson and Gierasch, on one. Callum Waddell, a movie journalist and the best listen here, joins Terry Potter and Jacqueline Quella, the producers (minus Didio), on the second. Beware, they also mention a sequel is in the pipeline !

There’s a theatrical trailer, production notes and some brief biographies that complete disc 1.

Disc 2 has a behind-the-scenes feturette ‘EPK’, a stills gallery and the excellent documentary by Adam Simon (’Brain Dead’ and ’Carnosaur’), ‘The American Nightmare’. The later is the reason this edition carries an 18 certificate, and was also included on Anchor Bay’s previous release of the excellent 2 disc edition of ‘The Hills Have Eyes’. This seems the only reason for releasing the movie as a 2 disc set. This documentary is amazing and shows a pre- and post-war America with all its anxiety and paranoia shown throughout its cinema outings.

And now to end on a small grumble now, but where are the ’deleted scenes’ that accompanied the almost extra-free US release ?

’Toolbox Murders’ is out to own now in the UK and available via Amazon UK and available in the US via Amazon.

You can read more about the DVD in our database.