This low budget slasher starring and directed by Abel Ferrara is a gritty look at a struggling artist who eventually turns to killing the homeless on the streets of New York City with a power drill. This also was a Video Nasty however what got this movie put on the list wasn't due to content of the film but for the cover of the VHS tape released in 1982. However, early on their is a disturbing scene (to me at least) where Reno (Ferrara) is given a rabbit carcass by his apartments superintendent. He takes the rabbit home to butcher when we see the beginnings of his slide into insanity.
To make matters worse a band rents an apartment in the same building as Reno that they use for rehearsal at all hours of the day and night. Unfortunately for Reno, his girlfriend Carol and her friend Pamela are big fans of the band who are named Tony Coca-Cola and The Roosters. As far as other stars go besides Ferrar everyone else is pretty much a one and done in their acting career with this film being the "one".
Now, due to the fact that nobody kept up with the copyright on the film, it's in the public domain and anybody can have a copy and show it. Not that anyone is knocking down any doors to do that though. Look, it's not horrible for a low budget indy film but with a name like The Driller Killer I shouldn't be saying that there are some decent sized parts of the film that are boring and slow. I'll give this two bottles of booze in brown paper bags out of five.
HA yet ANOTHER one that's sitting in my "to watch" mountain I haven't gotten around to yet!
ReplyDeleteI watched this a few years back. Not great.
ReplyDeleteSo this film definitely freaks me out. My sisters boyfriend was watching in our family room circa 1981 and I walked in at a particularly gruesome scene. Needless to say, that image is still with me today and I will never forget that snippet of the Driller Killer.
ReplyDeleteIt's those type of personal stories that really make me love horror and to hear everyone's story of "this is how I remember this film". The type of stuff that sticks with you.
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