Rating: 
Summary: Super gnarly slice of horror heaven
Review: This film, which became widely known because of the nail gun scene, is a truly great post-Texas Chainsaw Massacre, pre-Friday The 13th slasher movie with a bit of exploitation thrown in for good measure. The death scenes are top-notch and there's nudity, too. It has every element that a great horror movie should have. I love this movie. This should be in every horror fan's collection. If it's not, you should at least rent it or borrow it from a friend so you can witness it's greatness.
Rating: 
Summary: Dennis Donnelly's The Toolbox Murders
Review: This infamous little slasher flick with the infamous little title is a full... of blood, violence, and nudity. It is everything you expect from something of this ilk.Supposedly based on a true story, four women in an apartment building are brutally murdered by items normally found in a toolbox. The killer (and the film makers do not hide this fact) is Cameron Mitchell, the building owner. Mitchell is a religious [person]who recently lost his daughter in a car accident. He then begins punishing "sinful" women. ...The last third of the film sees the deaths of two major characters, and wraps things up nicely with the end credits crawl describing what happened to the "survivors" of this "real life" crime spree. Although rated (R), this is some very violent stuff. The first half hour, when the majority of the crimes take place, is unpleasant. Two of the first four victims die,... including the now infamous murder of the model taking a bath. The video copy I have of this is awful. The sound is scratchy, the colors bleached out...and it is fantastic. I felt like I was watching something on a screen at a drive-in,...The blood flows freely, and the murders are punctuated by some truly bizarre country and love tunes. ... The film makers... build up a subplot between Ferdin and Beauvy's mom and the standard driven police detective that never pans out, or is resolved. Ferdin and Eure were mainstays on television in the 1970's... They do well,considering the material. ... Donnelly's direction is pretty basic, a camera shadow can be seen here and there. Gary Graver, the cinematographer, is known as Orson Welles' cameraman later in the great director's career. Graver seems to have made a career of this kind of film, his involvement usually sets you up for what to expect. I cannot explain why I am recommending this film. Genre fans might appreciate the gore effects, and the reputation this film now celebrates. This is a serial killer film before the term "serial killer" was coined. The events are so watchable, however. This is not "Scream" or "Urban Legends," this is the type of film that no more motive than to scare and disgust its viewer. If that is all they wanted to do, they succeeded. I recommend this. This is rated (R) for very strong physical violence, some sexual violence, very strong gore, mild profanity, very strong female nudity, sexual content, and adult situations.
Rating: 
Summary: A snoozer
Review: What? Only one review for the ultra sleazy 1978 film "The Toolbox Murders"? There must be some mistake because a lack of fulsome praise for this piece of junk is most surprising. Blue Underground, a DVD company formed by the director of such morally uplifting pieces of cinema like "Uncle Sam" and "Maniac," William Lustig, knew a hit when they saw it and gave "The Toolbox Murders" star treatment. Of course, Blue Underground gives every schlock movie they release the works because they recognize there are enough viewers out there who appreciate this crud as much as they do. But "The Toolbox Murders" is junk, plain and simple. Scary? Nope. Gory? Not really. Engaging? No. The only value such films as this one have occurs when it inspires film censorship boards to have conniption fits, resulting in a whole lot of bad press that actually serves to make people remember it as a classic. I think this one eventually ended up on some sort of British "video nasties" restricted list until recently. That sounds impressive until you learn the same board banned Sam Peckinpah's "Straw Dogs." Anyway, "The Toolbox Murders" probably never looked better than it does on DVD. This film has a premise that sounds like a winner: a loony and his toolbox wreak an amazing amount of damage on the residents of a small apartment building somewhere in California. Even more amazing are the number of beautiful, vulnerable young women who live alone in these apartments. Using a nail gun, drill, screwdrivers, and almost anything else you can think of that might dwell in the confines of a toolbox, the killer moves from one abode to another with seeming abandon. That the killer eludes the prying eyes of the police and the local populace isn't that surprising. After all, a guy lugging around a box full of tools doesn't set off alarm bells. Whoever is inflicting fatalities in the area is causing no end of worry to those residents who have yet to receive a visit. The landlord, played by one time Hollywood up and comer Cameron Mitchell, also pops in from time to time in order to wring his hands over the carnage and promise to ratchet up security in the area. Still, the atrocities continue and fear hangs over the area like dark clouds of doom, a doom made even worse when the killer kidnaps a young girl in one of the apartments and carries her off to what could only be a fate worse than death. Fortunately for every one involved, her brother is one of those pesky types who won't sit idly by when family members face danger. He teams up with a painter friend, who just happens to be the son of the landlord, and the two begin making tentative inquiries in an effort to solve the crimes and locate the missing sister. Who says kids are lazy and unmotivated? It is sad to say, but "The Toolbox Murders" doesn't provide any long-term motivation for America's youth to follow through on a murder investigation. As the kid finally discovers the killer's identity, one of those twists of fate only found in horror movies rears its ugly head and permanently discourages our young investigator with a splash of turpentine and a flaming match. It turns out that the killer's precious daughter died due to a lapse in morality with the result that father kind of lost it upstairs. The crimes are actually divinely inspired missions dedicated to rubbing out immorality wherever it pops up. The kidnapped girl isn't one of the murderer's targets, but rather a young lady who reminds him of his own dear, departed daughter. He doesn't want to hurt her but wants to keep her close by for intimate confessions about what he is doing to honor his daughter's memory. "The Toolbox Murders" is quite ridiculous. The producers even throw in a statement at the end about how this story really happened and how the kidnapped girl spent some time recovering in a mental asylum, etc. I cannot vouch for the veracity of these claims, but something tells me what we just saw in the preceding ninety or so minutes was something quite different from any real incident. It isn't that I have difficulty in believing some maniac somewhere attacked a young woman with a nail gun, or someone kidnapped a young girl because they made a weird association between a deceased daughter and a living person. I just refuse to believe this specific story. Announcing that "real events inspired this horrific tale" is a cheap marketing ploy used by Hollywood in an attempt to draw in a record number of ticket buying dupes. If you want real tragedy, turn on the evening news or sign up for a ride along with your local police department. If I thought this was a truthful reenactment for a second, I wouldn't watch it. Reality births enough horrors without seeing someone try and profit from actual human sorrow. The acting, sets, special effects, and script definitely fall into the category of sub par, but a few things work to keep the plot moving along. Seeing Cameron Mitchell sell his soul for a paycheck is amusing and convinces me that even the worst role in a bad movie is light years better than actually working for a living. That scene where the redhead encounters the murderer during a moment of bliss is worth watching. Otherwise, I thought this movie was strictly average fare. If you do like the movie, Blue Underground includes a commentary track (!), an interview with the aforementioned redhead, trailers, and poster galleries. They even put the film in a widescreen format! Give it a shot if you like horror movies. Everyone else should pass.
Rating:
Summary: A snoozer
Review: What? Only one review for the ultra sleazy 1978 film "The Toolbox Murders"? There must be some mistake because a lack of fulsome praise for this piece of junk is most surprising. Blue Underground, a DVD company formed by the director of such morally uplifting pieces of cinema like "Uncle Sam" and "Maniac," William Lustig, knew a hit when they saw it and gave "The Toolbox Murders" star treatment. Of course, Blue Underground gives every schlock movie they release the works because they recognize there are enough viewers out there who appreciate this crud as much as they do. But "The Toolbox Murders" is junk, plain and simple. Scary? Nope. Gory? Not really. Engaging? No. The only value such films as this one have occurs when it inspires film censorship boards to have conniption fits, resulting in a whole lot of bad press that actually serves to make people remember it as a classic. I think this one eventually ended up on some sort of British "video nasties" restricted list until recently. That sounds impressive until you learn the same board banned Sam Peckinpah's "Straw Dogs." Anyway, "The Toolbox Murders" probably never looked better than it does on DVD. This film has a premise that sounds like a winner: a loony and his toolbox wreak an amazing amount of damage on the residents of a small apartment building somewhere in California. Even more amazing are the number of beautiful, vulnerable young women who live alone in these apartments. Using a nail gun, drill, screwdrivers, and almost anything else you can think of that might dwell in the confines of a toolbox, the killer moves from one abode to another with seeming abandon. That the killer eludes the prying eyes of the police and the local populace isn't that surprising. After all, a guy lugging around a box full of tools doesn't set off alarm bells. Whoever is inflicting fatalities in the area is causing no end of worry to those residents who have yet to receive a visit. The landlord, played by one time Hollywood up and comer Cameron Mitchell, also pops in from time to time in order to wring his hands over the carnage and promise to ratchet up security in the area. Still, the atrocities continue and fear hangs over the area like dark clouds of doom, a doom made even worse when the killer kidnaps a young girl in one of the apartments and carries her off to what could only be a fate worse than death. Fortunately for every one involved, her brother is one of those pesky types who won't sit idly by when family members face danger. He teams up with a painter friend, who just happens to be the son of the landlord, and the two begin making tentative inquiries in an effort to solve the crimes and locate the missing sister. Who says kids are lazy and unmotivated? It is sad to say, but "The Toolbox Murders" doesn't provide any long-term motivation for America's youth to follow through on a murder investigation. As the kid finally discovers the killer's identity, one of those twists of fate only found in horror movies rears its ugly head and permanently discourages our young investigator with a splash of turpentine and a flaming match. It turns out that the killer's precious daughter died due to a lapse in morality with the result that father kind of lost it upstairs. The crimes are actually divinely inspired missions dedicated to rubbing out immorality wherever it pops up. The kidnapped girl isn't one of the murderer's targets, but rather a young lady who reminds him of his own dear, departed daughter. He doesn't want to hurt her but wants to keep her close by for intimate confessions about what he is doing to honor his daughter's memory. "The Toolbox Murders" is quite ridiculous. The producers even throw in a statement at the end about how this story really happened and how the kidnapped girl spent some time recovering in a mental asylum, etc. I cannot vouch for the veracity of these claims, but something tells me what we just saw in the preceding ninety or so minutes was something quite different from any real incident. It isn't that I have difficulty in believing some maniac somewhere attacked a young woman with a nail gun, or someone kidnapped a young girl because they made a weird association between a deceased daughter and a living person. I just refuse to believe this specific story. Announcing that "real events inspired this horrific tale" is a cheap marketing ploy used by Hollywood in an attempt to draw in a record number of ticket buying dupes. If you want real tragedy, turn on the evening news or sign up for a ride along with your local police department. If I thought this was a truthful reenactment for a second, I wouldn't watch it. Reality births enough horrors without seeing someone try and profit from actual human sorrow. The acting, sets, special effects, and script definitely fall into the category of sub par, but a few things work to keep the plot moving along. Seeing Cameron Mitchell sell his soul for a paycheck is amusing and convinces me that even the worst role in a bad movie is light years better than actually working for a living. That scene where the redhead encounters the murderer during a moment of bliss is worth watching. Otherwise, I thought this movie was strictly average fare. If you do like the movie, Blue Underground includes a commentary track (!), an interview with the aforementioned redhead, trailers, and poster galleries. They even put the film in a widescreen format! Give it a shot if you like horror movies. Everyone else should pass.
Rating: 
Summary: Ok new thought about this movie... IT SUCKS!!! DAMMIT!!!
Review: You know about this movie... It sucks. Some stupid guy wearing a Ski mask killing Beautiful, attractive, super sexy women with his tools and they are [a drill. a hammer. a nail gun.] and the rest... I don't know. so my 1-Star rating means it stinks, it stinks I tells ya. Oh and for the guys everyehere the nail gun part was essential. So I would not recommend this stupid 1970s movie to anyone especialy who likes the nail gun scene. so Do Not Purchase the movie. HEAD MY WARNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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