Customer Reviews

Driller Killer / The Early Short Films of Abel Ferrara

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

I have to agree with the reviewer before me. I would only recommend this movie to an avid fan of the horror genre. A casual horror fan probably would not appreciate this type of film as much.

I looked all over for this film for years and finally purchased it. Well honestly the movie wasn't great by any stretch but I didn't find it awful either.

Reno Williams(Abel Ferrara) a struggling artist, trying to make an honest living finds himself driven to insanity by his two roommates, the inability to pay his bills, and of all things a punk rock band living beneath his apartment. When he finally snaps he Reno takes to the streets, killing delinquent bums with a power drill. Some of the killing scenes are decent but from all the hype you may have heard about this movie you may expect to see much more gore and violence than there actually is. The movie is poorly lit and moves at a slow clip but the ending is decent.

If you are an avid horror fan then Abel Ferrara's cult classic "The Driller Killer" needs to be added to your horror collection. Otherwise I would suggest seeing it before you buy it.

Abel Ferrera's Driller Killer is one film that I think every horror fan should have in his collection. The film is low budget, and you can obviously tell that when you start watching it, but I think this helps the film alot. With the sort of grainy picture against underground New York. Now the film is not just a slaughter fest, where the main character goes on a rampage right away for no reason. You go threw the film seeing all the little things that add up to drive Reno (main character) crazy. Then he takes out his frustations with the drill, but dont worry there is still plenty of gore. On to the DVD package. Cult Epics did an awsome job putting together The Driller Killer. It comes in a 2-disc set with 3 unreleased short films by Abel Ferrera, a trailer, a commentary by Abel Ferrera, among some other stuff. It also comes with a trailer for one of Abel Ferrera's earlier porn films that he directed. I personally think that the trailer did not need to be included, but hey I guess other people might find it amusing. The package that Cult Epics put together is limited to 10,000 copies. So if you get one on the back there will be a spot that tells you what number your copy is.....trust me, it will make you feel special.

Synopsis:An artist slowly loses his mind as he and his two female friends scrape to pay the bills. The punk band downstairs increasingly agitates him, his art dealer is demanding that he complete his big canvas painting as promised, and he gets into fights with his girlfriends. When the dealer laughs at his canvas he snaps, and begins taking it out on the people responsible for his pain and random transients in the manner suggested by the title.

[The Good] Ferrera does an awsome job slowly declining into his mad state of mind. The sound-track is pretty good also if your into punk rock. If your not it is still cool seeing them play. The film is not just a random killing machine film either. Its sort of a art-house/horror film.

[The Bad] The gore effects might lack a little bit, but that is not really a problem at all. I cannot really think of anything wrong or bad with this film, aside from the unwanted prono trailer (but that would be more about the packaging of the dvd). All I can say is, that this film might not be for everyone, but if your a fan of low budget, or 70's horror, then this is a film you should enjoy. Kind of weird that Im not really posting anything bad in "[The Bad] section", but thats because I love it!

RUN OUT AND GET THIS FILM NOW!

First off sorry about the poetry. I have a workmate who keeps saying stuff like this, so I think it's rubbing off on me. I considered banging my head against the wall in frustration, but decided against it on the chance that a strong blow to the head could cause me to become normal (ha ha).
DRILLER KILLER opens with the notice: THIS FILM SHOULD BE PLAYED LOUD. The film makes the feature directing debut of cult legend Abel Ferrara, and along with MS .45 remains in my opinion among his finest work. Ferrara is also the lead actor, under the pseudonym Jimmy Laine, Ferrara plays Reno Miller; a struggling artist, living in a cheap apartment with his roommate Carol (Carolyn Marz) and her lesbian lover Pamela (Baybi Day).
Reno is currently under a lot of pressure at work. He has been given one week to complete his next painting or he will find himself unemployed. That may sound bad enough, but to make matters worse for Reno if he doesn't pay his rent on time his landlord (Alan Winroth) will evict him. Add to this a deluge of mentally ill vagrants littering the streets outside his apartment block & a Z- grade punk rock group (The Roosters, who sound like The Jesus Lizard, only crappier) rehearsing above his apartment. Despite Reno's complaints the building superintendent won't do anything about it. The noise doesn't bother HIM! All these distractions don't exactly help fuel Reno's creativity, in fact his artwork is not progressing well at all & gets to the point where he has psychotic episodes in which his art "talks" to him.
However one night while sitting around watching TV with his roommate & her lesbian lover, an ad comes on for a $19.95 proto-pak drill.
Reno's first victim is a poor defenceless wittle bunny wabbit which he kills by bludgeoning it with a hammer.
This leads to Ferrara's notable homage to Roman Polanski's "Repulsion", which the movie is more comparable to, rather than its expected slasher or "video nasty" tag of course bestowed by paranoid nitwits who never bother to watch the movies. David Lane: Are you reading this?!
Then he gets his drill... I mean the movie's called DRILLER KILLER, so a hammer wouldn't work. How about a remake with Stallone as Reno? They could call it HAMMER SLAMMER, and Sly sells his own paintings too! Though it's a safe bet his wife pins them on the Stallone family fridge.
Actually, the murders themselves come off as more amusing as opposed to revolting (Watch the movie & you'll understand). PASSION OF THE CHRIST is ten times bloodier than this. Seriously.
A word of warning to first time viewers: It's been noted in some reviews here that others have been disappointed by the film due to its lack of gore. In fact there's only two scenes of graphic violence in the entire movie, & the first drilling, (in which a bum gets it in the forehead) doesn't happen until 40 minutes into the movie & even then, by contempory standards at least, the gore is minimal.. In retrospect its downright bloody daft how this was originally banned in the UK & NZ because a couple of stupid old biddies (namely Mary Whitehouse & Patricia Bartlett) saw a couple of movie posters, & donned their Nazi regalia spewing forth a blatantly fabricated tirade of lies and paranoia to make England & NZ boring, conservative & ignorant just like them. While I'm on the subject of censorship, I think this could have come very close to getting an R16 in NZ if it were cut (something I'm seldom in favour of). Ferrara also composed the Roosters songs under the Lane moniker.
The movie is also chock full of unintentionally hilarious dialogue aided by Ferrara's (presumably) reefer induced performance. Add to that a good lesbian shower scene thrown in for no other reason than to show some T&A.
The Australasian DVD bonuses only include trailers (but not the trailer for DRILLER KILLER), Ferrara's filmography & an intro by Xavier Mendik, Director Of The Cult Film Archive at the University College Northhampton. Sounds like my dream job! But alas, alack, he's a pretentious twonk. And the Vidiot hates pretense. The intro's only about five minutes long, but Mendik is a huge bore with his analysis of the themes of "urban decay" in the movie. I'm annoyed that the Australasian release wasn't the same as the one available here with a Director's commentary and Ferrara short films. That's my only complaint about this.
In summing up, the films detractors will be shocked to know that DRILLER KILLER is not as earlier said, a video nasty; it's not really a slasher and it doesn't actually belong in the horror category either. In actuality DRILLER KILLER is, in my opinion, one of the maverick film-makers best features along with MS .45. It mixes a gritty bargain basement look and feel with some brilliant camerawork, an effectively menacing atmosphere and a number of simple but very effective setpieces, all of which adds up to a movie that you really ought to see at least once. I'm definitely going to watch it again at some point in the future.

with one of the finest director's commentary's in the league, this one is not to be missed. a must for the aspiring seeing as it is truly a corner cutter. tony coca cola and the roosters playing the grand street stomp could be a high point in documenting the nyc hiv punk circuit. ferrara hit the bullseye with this beauty.

Alright,so maybe,just maybe this isn't the greatest movie ever made but it is still a great movie. Like other directors first movies it has the raw strength of vision and commitment compares well with Scorceses-'Mean Streets'.It's also a brilliant documentation of mental disintergration comparable with Scorceses 'Taxi Driver' It's also somewhat gory and frightening in it's intensity like 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre'. If you like disturbing films,go ahead and watch Abel Ferarra's first feature and get inside his head.

Another reviewer got it right when she wrote that this movie benefits from repeat viewings. This is not to say that it isn't great the first time around: from the very beginning, when the audience is informed that the movie should be played 'LOUD,' to the glam-punk music, classic dialogue and characters, it should be apparent that this movie is not to be taken very seriously. At times, it verges on satire. Ferrara's commentary seems to bear this out -- how anyone could interpret his comments to be 'pretentious' is beyond me.

Seriously, folks. This film, at times, is hilarious. Reading the reviews I saw that others had found some of the dialogue to be memorable, at least. "You don't know nothin' about painting!" "First thing I'm gonna get is snakeskin boots." "Guy's some degenerate, some bum, some wino, some nobody." Et cetera. Watch the movie with an open mind, don't expect tons of gore or half-naked female victims (as an old video cover hinted at), and don't assume that all the humor is unintentional.

well, first of all let me point out that this is NOT A HORROR FILM. there is precious little gore or suspense and a low body count. well what is it then? Hmm . . it's a strange mixture of a film. For the most part the film is a Warhol-esque depiction of a troubled artist (Fererra under the pseudonym Jimmy Lane) descending into madness and paranoia, padded out with art-lessly shot footage of drugged out punks and all set against a heavy rock soundtrack. However the film is not without its artistic moments - the opening scene in a church, the reccuring television advert driving our artist insane, the almost freudian dream-like images of him covered in blood drilling an un-seen victim, and the soundtrack relentlessly crying 'Reno' as his madness takes its toll.

While not entirely devoid of violence, this film is definitely one for the obscure art-house film-buffs, not for the gorehounds. And, incidentally, don't bother getting this supposed 'special edition' dvd - the director's commentary is absolutely dreadful. Just get hold of some cheap nth generation VHS - the picture/sound is going to be terrible whatever.

Folks, this movie is indeed a low-budget slasher with a confused message about life in the big city. Some of the scenes drag, and some are a little too self-indulgent for my taste. However, in my opinion, this movie is a terrific showcase of the punk scene in 70's New York, as well as a realistic snapshot into the life of a struggling artist. It is RAW and powerful in this respect, an aquired taste but once it grows on you there's no stopping it. It seems that few reviewers out there understand that the grittiness of the movie and its impromptu, drugged-out sequences are all part of its charm. Plus, if you buy this edition, you get one of the most entertaining and personable commentary tracks out there. It's not one of those high-falutin' Hollywood guys being smooth and talking big but instead a REAL PERSON, and you could almost swear he was in there with you, watching his first film. Plus, he's a little self-deprecating and can be very, very funny.

driller killer has, without question, the best director's commentary of any dvd i have ever seen. although driller killer is a far cry from his second film "ms. 45" it is a classic. reno can't seem to buy a thrill. despite the fact that he lives with two bombshells he can't get his painting finished to collect for the rent. his agent's reaction to his finished painting is absolutely priceless. what's worse is that his landlord has allowed a punk band to move in upstairs, adding insult to injury. the band, tony coca cola and the roosters, play "the grand street stomp" a guitar riff that has a great driving force. this film really documents the viallge punk circuit at the end of the 1970's. conventions are borrowed from polanski's "repulsion" and cassaveetes' "shadows". the handheld mingling with the street people of the period shows how filthy NYC was at the time. Lots of fun. Driller Killer was meant to be listened to loud!

Fully realizing I'm in the minority as I write this, I think "Driller Killer" is actually one of Able Ferrara's best films. It doesn't have the polish of his later work, nor does it have the same level of craftsmanship evident in films like "King of New York." What it does have is attitude and lots of it. Ferrara is about 50% filmmaker and 50% free-thinking outlaw, and that comes through crystal clear in this film. It's gritty, messy, filled with errors and the occasional lapse in judgement - just like Ferrara. The single most important aspect of this film is that it's atmosphere and style is perfect. The punk rock band featured throughout is the key to understanding the film. It approaches a mass murderer story from what is actually a fairly unique perspective, but it does so within the American hardcore aesthetic of dirty realizing, brutal honesty, and over-the-top emotions.

Think about your favorite hardcore band - maybe it's Black Flag, or the Bad Brains, or whatever - their records sound awful, they're unpolished, raw, and totally brutal. Any idea of good taste gets dragged on stage and beaten to a bloody pulp. "Driller Killer" is essentially the same thing. The film is visually interesting, but it looks grainy and dim. Ferrara was using the tools available to him, just like hardcore bands used whatever cheap equipment they could scrape together.

The characters will undoubtedly annoy many viewers. One of the two female leads is constantly talking in this annoying, nasally tone, saying the stupidest drivel imaginable. The thing is, you couldn't get the best actress in the world to portray this character in the same way. This person is real. She is actually an airhead. Similarly, other people in the film are basically playing themselves. Ferrara's character is reprehensible, but he plays him with such reckless abandon that you can't help but be impressed. He's loud, brash, and usually in the midst of some sort of rant, but he's also believable.

There are lots of films that deal with mass murderers, but the formula is usually the same. In this case, a man is driven over the edge by a complex array of factors including the very real struggle of the artist for autonomy, plus catholic guilt and annoying neighbors. Ferrara's character simultaneously envies and despises the band. He would love to have their recognition, but he can't.

While the film doesn't look stellar, I'm confident that Cult Epics restored it to its best quality. At some point, a grainy film just isn't going to get any better. The DVD is loaded with extras, the most amusing of which is Ferrara's hilarious commentary track. That guy is truly unhinged! He's not above revealing flaws in the film and in himself, as when he comments that the lesbian shower scene was entirely him wanting to get two girls naked in a shower together.

The second DVD compiles his early shorts. They're probably of limited interest to all but the biggest Ferrara lovers, but it's still nice to see them once or twice. Again, Ferrara contributes commentary tracks to his early short films. Overall, this is a DVD set worth buying. If you're really not interested in the short films, Cult Epics also has a single DVD version with the film by itself.

If you enjoy the punk aesthetic, you'll have the best chance of enjoying "Driller Killer." Fans of mainstream mass murderer films will probably become annoyed with the unusual aspects of this film, but those who love the genre and all the strange forms it takes will appreciate the film, even if only in a limited extent. This is a tough film to love because it's so raw and confrontational. It's not a pleasant experience, but it is an experience. It's not a film that immediately grabs you, and you'll definitely need to see it more than once, just so the initial shock of some of the images won't mask the subtleties of the film. If you're an adventurous viewer looking for something completely original, "Driller Killer" certainly fits the bill.