User reviews

The Toolbox Murders is a movie that shockingly is based on real life events. Naturally the real life events are turned into a series of grizzly, shocking crimes, designed to shock in this video nasty. You can understand why it was banned for so long, although it may seem somewhat tame by today's standards. I say the film is awful, that's perhaps a little unfair, but, the acting is certainly atrocious, the direction is shocking, and the pacing is poor. You get twenty minutes of brutal killings, it's a gore fest, then a bore fest. Once you survive the first twenty minutes, you get a dialogue heavy middle and conclusion. Why oh why did the victims have to behave in that odd way, the typical seventies victims. Plenty of nudity, at times it felt more like a soft porno then a horror, it does nothing to enhance the film, I'm sure it was done purely to get audiences.

So I've slated it, but I couldn't switch it off for some strange reason, I had to stick with it, the conclusion is pretty shocking, but satisfying in a way.

Not one I'll repeat watch, but I'm glad I've finally seen it. 5/10

"The Toolbox Murders" is a late-'70s slasher flick that I watched some years ago and could remember nothing about. That's probably not a good sign.

I will say one thing for it: it's sleazier than most. Three girls disrobe in the opening twenty minutes. The last one gets fully naked and stays that way for a decent stretch. We also watch her masturbate in a bathtub.

The killer has a pretty lame mask. Hell, Michael Myers' was just a painted William Shatner mask they got at a joke shop, and it became iconic. The one in this movie is just a woollen ski mask.

The movie does have a decent gimmick, though, which is alluded to in the title. Yes, the killer uses a toolset to dispatch his victims, first a claw hammer, then a nailgun - which is used much more convincingly than the one in "The Nailgun Massacre", even if they forgot to tell the actress playing the victim to look scared while he uses it.

But get this: for the third victim, the killer just smothers her with his hands! Was the toolbox too heavy or something?

The protagonist seems to be a guy who looks like a third-rate Luke Skywalker clone whose 15-year-old sister is kidnapped, presumably by the killer. He doesn't appear too worried. He teams up with a guy who looks a bit like John Stamos, but less charismatic. They decide to do some snooping of their own to find the kidnapped girl, and discover a vibrator in the masturbating woman's house, as if to underline what a sex freak she was (?).

The movie then makes the regrettable decision of revealing the killer's identity to us. Some slasher movies do this, granted, but here it seemed unnecessary. We get a long, boring scene with the unmasked killer and the kidnapped girl.

He seems to talk about the masturbating woman from before. Apparently he's some kind of religious crazy who wants to punish women for doing "unnatural" things, like masturbating. How did he even know she did that?

And if the movie is just going to show us the killer's identity, what was the point of the mask, which certainly wouldn't have helped his homicidal efforts? The only people who see him get killed. Anyone else would have been immediately suspicious seeing a man with a mask running around. If not for that, probably nobody would have even noticed him.

There's also a "twist" at the end which is so out-of-nowhere that you just feel cheated. A "good" character turns evil. Why? They don't even bother giving you a shot of him making the revelation of what's supposed to be the turning point. And what a turnaround. It just feels stupid and tacked on.

Then there's a laughable text-edit ending that tells you the movie was based on a true story and what happened to the characters in real life or some such garbage. Sometimes when a movie is supposed to be "based on a true story" I actually look it up to see if that's really the case. This time, I don't think I'll bother.

The Toolbox Murders is one of those early pre date slashers that came out even before Halloween and has become well known among slasher fans due to it's entry on the Video Nasty list back in the 1980's, This is a film that I have seen many times, I dunno why I've never reviewed this movie before, no reason just never got round to it.

"The Toolbox Murders" starts out with a bang, as we get too see various sexy looking women getting murdered in an apartment building, (dunno why people still live there why don't they just move) not that it's a bad thing, just adds extra cheesiness. Hammers and Nail Guns are the weapons of choice favoured by a convincing menacing serial killer, nothing to complain about there and we even get a likable final girl who is quickly menaced by the killer early on and even kidnapped leaving her brother to try and find her and solve the murders. An interesting subplot even.

But then this movie takes a sudden dramatic turn, everything that is shown in the first half of this movie, namely the murders, is almost abandoned in the second half, when the killer is revealed and kidnaps the female lead and has her tied to the bed. It's at this point where the movie quickly becomes rather tame and all the fun of the first half has been sucked out here. Okay like I said before we do get a rather interesting sub plot involving her brother attempting to solve what's going on but that's over way too quickly in a rather unsettling twist. Okay I do like the fact that they have attempted to do something different rather than the usual stalk and slash fest, but in my opinion it does feel rather out of place when it comes to the second half of this movie and even when they do try to flesh out some of these characters it's just not enough development in my opinion. And when it comes to the final moments of this film it does kind of fall flat as it tries to be shocking, which does work in a way.

The performances in this movie are quite strong especially from veteran actor Cameron Mitchell who gives a chilling yet convincing performance that's rather menacing and yet quite engaging. Pamela Ferdin who plays Laurie is very sweet and convincing.

All in all "Toolbox Murders" is a decent enough entry, with an awesome first half just try not to be put off with the second half.

This was a film that my girlfriend and I rented because it said on the box that it had been "banned for 14 years", or somesuch sensationalist tag. We expected, rather naively, a powerful, shocking attack on society a la Texas Chain Saw Massacre. What we had was some bloke in an unfrightening woolly hat going around and, yep, you guessed it, killing people with a variety of tools. Of these, the initial murder with a drill is the most unpleasant. As the film goes on, however, it clutches at straws, ultimately having to resort to that oh-so-scary object of carpentry, the chisel.

Unfortunately, entirely pointless deaths only account for about half the film. Where it really goes wrong is when it begins to justify these with some bizarre "taking revenge on the evils of society" explanation delivered by the one character we were really certain WASN'T the killer, by virtue of his being such an obvious candidate.

But for all its faults (and there are many), The Toolbox Murders remains compulsively watchable. This is because its hack dialogue and direction are so unbelievably bad that the viewer is left wondering just what god-awful impersonation of dialogue or technique is going to crop up next. Whole chunks of background information go effectively unexplained, phrases are repeated by characters unnecessarily, and one scene goes on so damn long you can't help thinking it might be a deliberate Chain Saw Massacre-style experiment on the viewer's nerves. But no, it just goes on too long.

Two-out-of-ten stuff, then - but one way or another, you won't hit the stop button before the end.

"The Toolbox Murders" follows a series of killings in a Los Angeles apartment complex, which culminate in the kidnapping of a 15-year-old girl, Laurie (Pamelyn Ferdin) who resides there with her family. From thereon, police attempt to unravel the crimes with the assistance of the building owner (Cameron Mitchell) and his employee nephew (Wesley Eure).

While it has been often written off as cheap exploitation fodder, "The Toolbox Murders" is something of a minor unsung achievement, especially when you examine the context. It was made and released pre-John Carpenter's "Halloween", and while it definitely riffs on "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," it does deserve some credit for being an early adopter of the slasher mould. The main criticism of the film (not unwarranted) is that it makes the shift from slasher flick to police procedural at the midway point, which is a bit jarring on a tonal level. The last half of the film mainly focuses on young Laurie being tied to a bed and subject to the religious ramblings of the villain.

This issue aside, where "Toolbox" excels is in its elaborate, effective death sequences, and moody cinematography. The film is shot remarkably well by Gary Graver, and the murders--most of which occur in a slam-bang succession in the first 30 minutes--are effective and disturbing. The locations make for '70s overload, full of furnishings and styles that evoke "The Brady Bunch," but there is a seedy L.A. aesthetic to the film that gives it a gritty and sometimes unpleasant edge. Some moments, particularly the surreal, foggy flashbacks that help explain the killer's motive, predate similar sequences in Paul Lynch's "Prom Night," released two years later.

The performances here are better than the material warrants, especially from Pamelyn Ferdin (best known for her voice roles in the "Peanuts" cartoon and as Fern in "Charlotte's Web," but also in the fantastic 1971 film "The Beguiled"), who proves herself a legitimately talented young actress. Cameron Mitchell hams it up here big time, but his performance is enjoyable and over-the-top.

All in all, I truly believe that, despite its shortcomings, "The Toolbox Murders" is an underrated entry in the slasher film canon. While it does make a downshift in pace and tone in the latter half, it remains a nasty, hard-edged odyssey through the shiftier characters of '70s Los Angeles. Slasher fans will no doubt love the first half, though the second will leave them divided. My suggestion is to take the film on its own terms, and remind oneself that it was made before the slasher prototype was fully edified with "Halloween," which came in the latter part of the year. 7/10.

I heard about this film at the start of last year and instantly became deeply intrigued by it. I was overjoyed to see it finally released on the 'VIPCO' video label (here in the UK) but, alas, this all seemed to be in vain. I guess overall it was somewhat of a bathos and failed to rouse any serious interest in me whatsoever. The acting was, at the best of times, marginal and the plot...let's say it wasn't exactly ground-breaking: At the same time though I doubt that director Dennis Donnelly (who has also worked on episodes of 'Dallas' and 'Airwolf'...if I recall from my childhood) was attempting to change the world with the tale of a deranged Ski-mask wearing killer wielding, amongst other items, nail guns and chisels. The killings portrayed are rather nasty and bloody but, as I am now aware, are slightly cut here in the UK. I doubt (sincerely) that if they were shown in their entirety it would have made any valuable difference.

Perhaps what I found most disturbing about the film itself was the general visual aspect ( - vague I find you asking yourselves). The film looks very much dated now, which for some may not be a problem but it tended to make me feel decidedly 'sickly'. By this I mean that it just reminds me far too much of photos from my childhood *shudders*...with its ghastly floral interiors and fashion sense. I guess this is just a reflection of my own personal dislike towards nostalgia and is no serious reason to comment negatively on the film.

To conclude, 'The Toolbox Murders' is a tedious and poor (sorry to be harsh) horror flick at best. At times it appears to imitate Tobe Hoopers classic 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' in the sense that the film was, allegedly, based on 'real' events. It also follows a fairly congruous and typical narrative: a series of murders followed by an abduction and, inevitably, torture...only to have the attractive protagonist narrowly escape death. The fact that 'The Toolbox Murders' focuses on the notion of the 'family-gone-wrong', a la 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre', or Pete Walkers 'Frightmare', for example, only seems to strengthen this argument more. The main problem: it falls flat on its face in trying to do so. I consider myself to be a die-hard horror film aficionado but this was just unfulfilling; certainly not to be mistaken as a 'cult classic'.

From the opening scene, in which an unseen assailant drives around, listening to some fundamentalist idiot spouting off about the world's 'evil' on the radio, you almost know where "The Toolbox Murders" is headed. Unfortunately, after several effective, gruesome deaths (which all take place in the first 15 minutes of the film), the movie becomes another one of those "God-made-me-do-it" cheese-fests, where the killer justifies his madness by citing his strict religious upbringing (which might be THE most tired cliche in the Mad Slasher Handbook). The film is redeemed by the crude innovation of the murders, the long "bathtub" scene, and some funny bad acting by a cast of nobodies. Timothy Donnelly ("Parts: The Clonus Horror") is hilarious as a would-be tough-guy police detective, and Aneta Corseaut (Steve McQueen's girlfriend in "The Blob"!) seems embarrassed beyond belief as the mother of one of the victims. Don't go out of your way to see "The Toolbox Murders" unless you're a slasher enthusiast. 1.5 stars out of 5.

Which tool will he use next and how?

Not in the toolbox, a vibrator used in a highly erotic scene

Fun.

The film begins with a masked man carrying a toolbox around an apartment block. He murders four women by using a drill, a hammer, a chisel and a nail gun. Not one word is spoken during the first 15 minutes of the film. The man then kidnaps a woman who is related to him. Then the cops arrive, and as usual in films of this type, they are completely useless. So the kidnapped woman's inept boyfriend decides to investigate. All very silly. It's a wonder Cameron Mitchell managed to keep a straight face through the scenes when he's talking like a child to the kidnapped woman. Also, after the initial four murders, there is hardly any other violence in the film. It becomes dull very quickly. This is Dennis Donnelly's only theatrical feature film. I wonder why?

The Toolbox Murders starts out with 20 minutes or so of grisly and very well done kill scenes, all of which involve tools. If you like violence, then you'll love the introduction of this film. I personally don't have a preference when it comes to nudity in horror films (since it's overdone and pointless 90% of the time), but if you're a sucker for that sort of thing, then you'll appreciate the introduction to this film for that as well. After the kills are complete, however, many people will be bored by the lack of action that takes place on screen until the final moments of the movie. The middle portion of this movie is a lot of talk with little or no gore. I didn't mind this, because I found the dialog between the killer and the kidnapped girl to be very interesting. "What's it like?" the killer asks, referring to dying. The girl responds that "everything is purple, like a lollipop, and you can't see God, and there are people flying around, and you can see all of their thoughts, and you know the answers to all of their questions, but you can't answer them because nobody can talk." I enjoyed listening to this conversation, and although I'm sure I didn't get it word for word, there is something creative and maybe even worthy in here. Lots of people complain that the acting in this movie is terrible. These people cannot be horror buffs, as I have seen countless other films in which the acting is much MUCH worse. I would go as far to say that the acting in this film is very decent. If you have the attention span to sit through 'slower' moments of this film, then you'll find something to enjoy in it. I give The Toolbox Murders an 8/10.

While this is no flawless masterpiece it is still an entertaining enough slasher that has a simple straight-forward plot, and the killers MO of killing with various tools is an interesting one. For fans of the genre this should be solid entertainment.

"Banned since 1982" screams the video box. After sitting through an hour and a half of this crud you'll be lining up to have it banned for another twenty years. Not because it's controversial, too violent, or objectionable in any way (except perhaps aesthetically), but simply to save your fellow movie watchers from having to experience this incoherent, pointless mess. And it is a MESS. Badly written, directed and acted, with no redeeming features. And I LIKE horror folks.

The first 20 minutes or so features a series of murders of young women by various items from a toolbox - drill, hammer, nail gun,etc. (why a toolbox you ask? Good question...). The victims are all attractive and seem to share a taste for MOR country music. The killer wears a ski mask and sometimes hums to himself. (Maybe he's a country purist and is offended by their lack of Hank Williams?)

Anyway, after that the movie rapidly gets duller and duller, a girl gets kidnapped, some inept cops investigate the murders and are baffled, even though you'll pick the killer as soon as you see him. B-grade legend Cameron Mitchell hams it up sucking a lollipop and singing spirituals, and the faceless supporting cast are as bad as the stinker of a script. If you haven't seen 'The Toolbox Murders' well, you haven't missed anything much. Not even bad enough to be funny.

I saw this movie some years ago and asked myself a few questions: (Considering it was the 70s) Why is it that this guy was able to kill some of these women when he was so far apart from them and could have easily eluded him without injury? Answer: Because they were women and even in the 70s, women were considered brainless. Why didn't some of them just pick up something and throw it at him and then kick the crap out of him? Answer: Because in those days women were still considered weak and damsels in distress and still needed a strong empty-headed man around to "save" them. Why is it that for absolutely no reason at all, their shirts would suddenly fly open for no apparent reason? Answer: Because it was the 70s. Why were the women described as "exhibitionist?" Answer: Because if you didn't know already, all women are that way, right ladies. God knows that's what I like to do in my spare time (sarcastic of course.) I found myself screaming at the TV for the women "throw the lamp at him!" since they just stood their screaming when he was clearly at least 10 feet from them. It is just your typical low budget B horror movie full of butts, boobs, brainless, bubble headed bimbos from the Planet Playtex. I doubt very seriously if the female actors in it really wanted to do some of the stuff in this movie, but hey, I understand, a paycheck is a paycheck and they may get noticed to do something substantial.

But for the most part, this movie was the antithesis of all the dumb low budget B horror movies of the 1970s and even some of the 1980s. Although some of the acting was actually descent, the story line itself was choppy of ridicules and down right stupid and stigmatized women as being weak and stupid.

My condolences to the female actors in this film.

This movie is kinda supposed to be some sort of exploitation classic. It has murders, nudity etc etc. Unfortunately there is not much nudity and the gore is absolutely lame. There is not plot at all and the camera is really very very bad. The soundtrack is horrifying because it is so so lame. I mean "elevator class music" lame. It makes the suffering of watching almost unbearable.

The only thing I have found interesting is the fact the women to be killed seem to never try to fight or scream or run. They are not characters, they are there just to be killed.

I do not consider this movie to be horror or thriller. It is probably very weird attempt to make bloody softcore porn or something. Whats worse - it is incredibly boring. Having said that: I never made it to the end of the movie. It was too lame and boring to waste time on this amateurish attempt.

Excessive nudity, cheap music, cheap kills, and horrible acting. There is even a scene of a girl masturbating for no reason (that girl later became a porn star). And the film editing during that scene and throughout the movie is pretty weak... very amateur and annoying. Basically this movie is nothing special at all. I'm about to fall asleep watching it right now. This very minute. Yaaaaaaaawn.... yeah, gnite.

This was awesomely cheesy. If you're close to 40 or older, you will appreciate this. It will bring you back to that late 70s vibe. Worth a watch If you're into some fun,, nostalgic horror.

This film once made the notorious list of Britain's forbidden movies and since I'm personally intrigued by that kind of garbage, I had to watch it sooner or later. It's easy to see why this sickie got so infamous…after only 15 minutes of playtime you're already treated to 3 repulsive massacres and gratuitous nudity (including a long and pointless female masturbation scene in a bathtub). No depth, no building up an atmosphere, not even a word of possible motives…just bloody butchering! Lovely! In case it's not clear yet: this is a slasher movie from the era where everything was possible. The makers didn't have to worry about ethical situations or whether their product was politically correct or not. All that matters is a grizzly portrayal of bad taste and explicitly showing the largest possible body count. And I'll shamelessly admit that it works, too. This is one fun flick and, if you watch the fully uncut version, one of the bloodiest gems ever unleashed upon horror loving audiences. The Toolbox Murders is half creative and half imbecile. The idea of a killer using tools (nail gun, hammers and drills) is fairly imaginative but after a while the no-substance plot really begins to irritate you and some of the absurd plot-twists are too ridiculous for words. And I should mention the totally inappropriate use of music! Golden oldies, like country songs by Dolly Parton, are very over-the-top and completely misfit. The identity of the killer doesn't really come as a surprise since you didn't care enough to find out. And yes, you forgive him his ridicule motives for killing just because he does it so swell.

Even though this is far from being a horror masterpiece, director Tobe Hooper found the premise interesting enough to produce a remake in 2003. The setting of that film is entirely different but the killer's nasty modus operandi is repeated. Never change a winning team, I guess….especially not if it is a gory as this one!