The Toolbox Murders

Director Tobe Hooper once entered the horror-hall of fame at the top position back in 1974 with his undeniable masterpiece of imaginative terror, the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Ever since that, his career only went downhill. In the nineties he simply…well…sucked with a repertoire of titles like The Mangler and Crocodile. The tide seems to be turning a bit now, as his version of the Toolbox Murders is surprisingly decent and well made. This is a remake of a vicious 70's slasher that is overall gory and disgusting (the original was even included in the `video nasties' – list of banned horror movies in the U.K) The plot and motivations of the murdering nut are slightly different in Hooper's version of the Toolbox Murders. The story is about a young couple that moves to Hollywood and homes in an old, spooky building. Inhabitants of this building – mainly wannabe actors and other scum – brutally die one by one…As the title implies, the butchering is achieved by hammers, drills, screwdrivers and a bunch of other tools. And I bet you can imagine how badly things can get messed up if you're using tools on people, no? Indeed, this films is rather gory and extremely violent with a few gruesome killing-highlights such as a (semi-)decapitation with a sawing machine! Angela Bettis, the girl who stole every horror fan's heart since `May', plays the screaming heroine who slowly gets to the bottom of the murder mystery. She receives good feedback from the beautiful Juliet Landau (Martin Landau's daughter) . The script and story-development isn't always logical and most of the interior shots are under-exposed. Also, the Toolbox Murders seems to give the impression we're guessing fro the identity of the killer initially…like a good old-fashioned ‘whodunit' slasher, but the mystery and detective aspects abruptly come to an end as the plot opens up a little more. Far from being an intelligent (or even clever) horror remake, Tobe Hooper's film is entertaining and perfectly suitable for an evening of scares and loud yells.

This Hollywood Egyptian showing apparently was the US opening of this very scary and shock-filled treat, and a part of the theater's annual Sci-Fi and Horror festival. The audience was obviously enjoying Tobe Hooper's return to his roots with this superb version of the old cult gore flick from the late 70s of the same name. Tobe Hooper himself was present and gave some insight into the whole development and storyline of the film, and he got an outstanding reception. The first film to ever make me really jump was the original "Texas Chainsaw Massacre", and this one is only the second one to do it, and I've seen practically every horror film made in the years between. With that being said, I suggest that if you're ready for a scare, this will deliver. It has some of the good elements from other Hooper films that were good but missed the mark somehow, like The Funhouse. In fact, the killer in this flick seems to be part Leatherface and part Funhouse mutation, with a whole lot of new stuff too. Argento has an equal in Tobe Hopper with this American "giallo" film, Toolbox Murders.

I recently saw this remake last weekend in LA, during which it was being shown on a limited sneak peak basis. Apparently, it's still in limbo on weather to go as a theatrical release or direct to video.

What I got was a well crafted horror remake that drifted away from the original. Yes, it's a remake, but Tobe (Texas Chainsaw Massacre 1&2) Hooper makes this picture all worth while. As we address the title of the film, all is implied with a hammer, a vice, a nail gun and a drill. Those tools are to just name a select few. The story takes place in LA, where a young couple move into an old run down apartment complex that is also rented out to tenants that are wannabe actors and sleeze bag drug users. One by one, they fall victim to our Toolbox Murderer.

It's not my favorite Hooper film, but it's a lot better compared to "Crocodile" and "The Mangler." I particularly am pleased with the gory death scenes, as well as the style of Hooper's directing. That apartment complex that was used was just awesome. Overall this slasher flick delivered in such a way that I'd like purchase it for my horror collection.

8/10 Way to go Tobe!!

After a fifteen year long string of awful horror movies and forgettable TV shows, director Tobe Hooper finally roars back to life with this fun, scary and intense horror thriller.

When I first heard Hooper was remaking TOOLBOX MURDERS, I thought he had hit a new low. The director of THE Texas CHAINSAW MASSACRE is making a remake of a movie that was in many ways a rip-off of CHAINSAW? I didn't think I'd bother.

Then I started hearing some internet buzz that the movie was actually pretty good, so I picked up the DVD at a horror convention. I was pleasantly surprised. It's a throwback to Hooper's earlier movies like CHAINSAW, EATEN ALIVE and THE FUNHOUSE, with a similar atmosphere of dementia and claustrophobic terror. The performances are excellent and the screenplay is very good (written by the same team that wrote Hooper's previous film, CROCODILE). Also top notch are the expressionistic cinematography and editing.

Hooper's previous movies reeked of TV movie blandness (possibly due to his having slowly moved into that realm over the years), but TOOLBOX MURDERS has a healthy dose of grindhouse grit to go with the slick, professional quality of his hired hand work. The result is a movie that is as technically well-made as SCREAM or WRONG TURN, but with the guts of a 70s drive-in shocker.

While the killer finds some creative ways to kill people with various hardware items, and the action takes place in a single apartment building, this movie has little to do with the original TOOLBOX MURDERS. It's actually more similar in plot to Lucio Fulci's HOUSE BY THE Cemetery. However, despite its remake status and its borrowing plot points from a few previous movies, it has a surprisingly fresh and original feeling to it.

I'll go out on a limb and say Tobe Hooper's TOOLBOX MURDERS is one of the better horror movies I've seen in quite some time. It leaves the CHAINSAW remake in the dust. It's better than most so-called horror movies I've seen in the last few years.

I highly recommend this to horror fans, but especially to admirers of Hooper who thought he would never crawl out of his rut. Well, he's back, and with a vengeance!

Nell and Steven move into a run-down Hollywood apartment in the middle of being renovated. They soon realize that the landlord, maintenance man, and other tenants are a strange bunch. Nell finds herself delving into a mystery of the building when one of her neighbors goes missing. This is an excellent and unique slasher. Considering the last movie I saw by Hooper was about a CGI crocodile, I think it is fair to say he is back in the game. Unfortunately, there are plot holes galore that should have been worked out, the pacing is somewhat uneven, and the ending is a big let-down. But the murder scenes are nasty, the atmosphere is creepy, the set is awesome, and the jump scares are worthy. The "city of broken dreams" theme is effective even though most of the film takes place within the claustrophobia of the apartment building. The performance by Angela Bettis ("May") really anchors the movie. This lady brings a sense of dignity and classiness to the horror genre and I think she could become a real genre pioneer. All horror fans should check-out this movie.

My Rating: 7/10.