Customer Reviews

Toolbox Murders

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

i thought this was a horrible movie.low budget and it shows.the camera
lingers for a very long time on all the killing scenes,way too long.the
acting is poor, the plot is ridiculous and full of inconsistencies and
holes you could drive a couple of semi trucks through.but really the
movie is just pointless,gratuitous gore and violence.truly,truly,sick
and demented film,in my opinion(and not in any good way).some people
might like it,but it didn't do anything for me. 0 out of 10

In the opinion of this certified horror fan, 2003's Toolbox Murders falls far short of greatness. I've never been a Tobe Hooper fan, and this supposed resurrection of his horror career does nothing to change my way of thinking. I always feel weird when I go against the opinion of some great horror fans, but I cannot understand the accolades heaped upon Angela Bettis for her performance here. I found her character incredibly annoying and, if anything, a negative influence on the film. I had problems with other characters, as well. In addition, I would have liked to have a little more information on the source of all the horror here. I haven't seen the Toolbox Murders film from 1978 (which apparently does differ significantly from Hooper's "reimagining" of it), but this new film itself seems mired in the 1970s, giving the fright scenes a predictability that renders them benign and, in a sense, boring.

The story takes place in the Lunsford Hotel, which is full of "history" and "character" (which means it's begging to be condemned by this point). Steve and Nell Barrows (Brent Roam and Angela Bettis) move into the place and quickly realize that signing the lease was a big mistake. Nothing works right, the whole place is supposedly being remodeled (which apparently means the crud is being shifted around against a backdrop of constant hammering), the landlord is a prissy jerk, the maintenance man is one step up from a Neanderthal, and the residents are weird and loud. Nell begins hearing things left and right, but everyone treats her like she's just paranoid. When she actually makes a friend, said friend quickly disappears, and Nell is convinced something happened to her. She explores the history of the building, finding out that the strange symbols all over the place actually represent some kind of spell. Like an idiot, she explores the mystery up-close and gets a lot of people killed by the inhuman murderer (whose identity I can guess but not confirm). The fright scenes might make some folks jump once or twice, but the "look out behind you" tactics of the 1970s just aren't that impressive here in the twenty-first century.

Alongside several holes in the plot, a lot of details bothered me. First and foremost, what husband is going to lease an apartment without talking to his wife first - that's a recipe for marital unhappiness in and of itself. Then you have Nell going down to wash clothes on the night the Barrows move in. Who, I ask you, brings along dirty clothes on a move and insists on washing them before unpacking has really even begun? And that incredibly weird maintenance man Ned - talk about your obvious suspect.

We're missing what's really important here, though. That would be the inclusion of Juliet Landau, the sexiest vampire to ever grace the screen (as Drusilla in the Buffyverse). She was certainly one of my main motivations for seeing this film. Much to my surprise, though, she has nothing of the Drusilla aura about her, looking quite pale and sickly early on (except when compared to the emaciated Angela Bettis). Still, she brings a presence to the film that no other character begins to match.

I don't have a problem with the gore - you can never have too much gore, in my opinion. It would have been nice if the lighting had actually allowed me to see more of it, but I appreciate it being there. Sadly, that's about all there is to this movie, though - gore and 70s-style scares. The Lunsford building doesn't even have a strong presence of evil (despite the fact that the actual location is the Ambassador Hotel where RFK was assassinated) - it's just too depressing to be scary. I'm glad that some other horror fans enjoyed this movie, but Toolbox Murders just didn't do all that much for me.

Along the years,hollywood has had the habit of remaking or reworking scripts of old films into new ones.This time,it's
1978's cult film THE TOOLBOX MURDERS that gets a makeover.

Nell and steven rent an appartement in a high building.
Murders are and have been taken place in the building without the knowledge of most of
the tenants because the bodies are hidden in a secret passage between the walls.
The first murder,while probably still in the limits of an R rating is probably the most gruesome and concerns a killing with a hammer.
The masked man hits the woman
(she is mostly out of the camera range behind the killer)multiple times with the hammer which
has the victim's blood on the edge.We heard
the sound of the blood,skin being ripped,bones crushed and finally a big splash of blood splatters on the window.
The next murders are with a nailgun and a drill and are less gory scenes.
Later on,when nell finally discovers the secret tunnel's stairs,a man gets his head tops cut by an electrical saw,another gets stabbed with a giant metal cutter and a man gets his face tortured when an acid substance is dropped by the killer on it.
Some of the lighting for those scenes isn't very good and we can't always clearly see what's happening at every second.

Like most films by horror director TOBE HOOPER,this is a very uneven film.There is 3 non blood scares(suddenly a person shows up and a sudden musical cue tries to scare us)and there is a little bit of tension here and there but if you're expecting nudity like the 78 version,you'll have to get your thrills elsewhere because this 2003 version contains none at all.

(if you want nudity,you'll have to go with TOBE HOPPER's LIFEFORCE,a big science fiction flop which is only saved artwise
by the scenes featuring a naked female vampire.But it's still 25 times better than that other science fiction desaster from TOBE HOOPER called INVADERS FROM MARS!)

As a matter of fact,apart from the fact that murders are being committed in an appartement block with tools,i don't think that this 2003 version of TOOLBOX MURDERS has much in common with the 78 original.

In conclusion,this film reminds us of other films and doesn't break any new ground in the horror film category in terms of suspense or originality.Another easily forgettable horror film from TOBE HOPPER!