READERS THOUGHTS ON TOBE’S TOOLBOX
As you know, the Creature Corner has been following the developments of Tobe Hooper’s The Toolbox Murders: his latest horror endeavor starring May’s own sweetheart Angela Bettis as well as Sheri Moon (House of 1000 Corpses) and Juliet Landau (Ed Wood).
Toolbox screened Saturday (November 1st) night in Hollywood, and thanks to the folks behind the film the Corner was able to offer a number of passes to its readers and give them an exclusive first-look at what could possibly be Hooper’s gradual return to form.
One of their devoted readers put pen to paper and whipped up his thoughts on the film…
‘I was lucky enough (thanks creature corner!) to catch the screening of ‘Toolbox Murders’ on the Paramount lot this past Saturday night. The audience consisted of cast and crew, including Tobe Hooper, Angela Bettis (May rocks!) and Rance Howard, as well as guests like Rob Zombie, Eli Roth and Mike Mendez. The screening was introduced by the films producer and the presentation was all-digital with perfect sound.
The movie is a balls-out homage to giallo films like ‘Deep Red’ and ‘Bird With The Crystal Plummage.’ And while it isn’t perfect (it drags in the middle and there’s an unnecessary supernatural angle that never really pans out) it’s a pretty entertaining slash-fest, with some kick-ass kills and hardcore jump scares. (I assume we saw the unrated version, which is the one you should hold out for. There’s a scene where a buzz saw meets someone’s face that just won’t be done any justice by an R rating.)
Young newlywed couple moves into dilapidated Hollywood apartment complex with a history. The bored housewife overhears things in the other apartments and starts to suspect what we already know: somebody’s killing the quirky tenants one by one in grisly ways and covering up the crimes. Her curiosity gets the best of her and she finds herself investigating the ‘disappearences’ personally, quickly getting in over her head and discovering secrets about the building itself (and the killer) that might be best left unknown.
Angela Bettis further proves her range, playing a complete 180 from her role in ‘May.’ Who knew she’d be such a great leading lady? Credit should also be given to the DP, who shot a gorgeous film and managed to sap the creepy locations (the Ambassador Hotel in L.A.) for all they were worth.
I thought it was fairly hit and miss until the last half-hour, but then it goes over the top with the gore and the kills and I felt completely satisfied. The movie is equal parts funny and scary and really had that ‘giallo’ feel (complete with synthesizer score). I give it three out of four stars. Thanks again to the corner for getting me in!!’
Courtesy of Creature Corner
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