Product Details

• Actors: Cameron Mitchell, Pamelyn Ferdin, Wesley Eure, Nicolas Beauvy, Tim Donnelly
• Directors: Dennis Donnelly
• Writers: Ann Kindberg, Neva Friedenn, Robert Easter
• Producers: Jack Kindberg, Kenneth Yates, Tony DiDio
• Format: Anamorphic, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 1.0)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Image Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: September 3, 2002
• Run Time: 93 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00006FMCC
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #219,707 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "The Toolbox Murders" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bob Vila's Favorite Film!, December 25, 2004

By 

Stanley Runk "Runkdapunk" (Camp North Pines) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Toolbox Murders (DVD)

Back in the day Phil Donahue devoted an entire show to violent films and their alleged harmful effects, focusing mainly on The Toolbox Murders. This type of horror film was still quite new at the time, Halloween still being a year away and Friday The 13th three years away. I can understand how Phil and Co. thought this was appalling at the time, but any hardcore horror fan will say, "what's all the fuss about?" Actually I'm surprised they singled this out and didn't devote the hour to Last House On The Left. I guess Phil didn't watch that one. Imagine his reaction if he saw Cannibal Holocaust! Anyhow, as you'll read in other reviews, people really think this is a stinker. Most of these folks are young horror fans exposed to this film for the first time since it recently got a dvd release expecting an all out bloodbath coz of the film's reputation. Yeah, if you have those expectations I can almost guarantee you'll walk away disappointed. the actual "toolbox murders" occur from the getgo and go on for about a half hour or so, then we're done with the slasher flick portion of the film. The film totally switches gears at this point, right after the killer abducts a fifteen year old girl. Ya see, this guy feels he's doing God's work by killing women he finds immoral and dirty. All victims are from the same apartment complex, and do cool stuff like dance in lingerie right in front of the window. How come this never happens in my apartment complex? Although I did hear a couple going at it last summer. Anyhow, that's not important, back to the story. He kidnaps this girl to save her from these evils, but also becomes convinced that she is his daughter who had died some years before. I've seen this film a time or two before, so I know about the psycho-drama part of the film. Quite frankly, I enjoy it. Cameron Mitchell does an adequate job, looking like a psycho Tom Jones. Lots of acting bashing here, but the scenes showing him and the girl in a father/daughter type mind game aren't too bad and even a bit disturbing at that. Gore? Confined to the first half hour mainly. The murders aren't barf bag sick or anything, but unpleasant enough. Don't hold your breath for the infamous nail gun scene, coz it's nothing to write home about. The tub scene preceeding it is an attention getter, but if you see enough slasher films, the nail gun's not so shocking. It's only famous coz it's a nail gun, which is something that had never been used in a horror film before. I would recommend The Toolbox movies if you're a connoisseur of old horror and exploitation films. It's a minor classic in it's own right, so what could it hurt to say you've seen it? Once again Blue Underground's devotion to the restoration of crappy films comes through nicely here. This film probably didn't look or sound this good upon it's original release! Watch it in your underwear with a full stock of Funyuns for full effect.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An Original...., April 18, 2005

By 

GOREHOUND LARS "decay-decor" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Toolbox Murders (DVD)

Fan of good old 70's sleazy, slasher, drive-in horror movies? Then look no further, it's got enough T&A and blood to keep most slasher fans happy, can be brutal at times, has a much better over-all feel than the big budget remake/re-do. Would recommend this over the remake ANYDAY!!

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dennis Donnelly's The Toolbox Murders, June 3, 2002

By 

Charles Tatum - See all my reviews

This review is from: Toolbox Murders [VHS] (VHS Tape)

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.