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Driller Killer (1979) NR

2.5 out of 5 stars (39) IMDb 4.9/10

A struggling artist is trying to complete his latest painting when he finds himself distracted by a punk rock band that moves into the downstairs apartment and continuously plays its music.

Starring:
Abel Ferrara, Carolyn Marz
Runtime:
1 hour, 34 minutes

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Product Details

Genres Thriller, Horror
Director Abel Ferrara
Starring Abel Ferrara, Carolyn Marz
Supporting actors Baybi Day, Harry Schultz, Alan Wynroth, Maria Helhoski, James O'Hara, Richard Howorth, Louis Mascolo, Tommy Santora, Rita Gooding, Chuck Saaf, Gary Cohen, Janet Dailey, Joyce Finney, Butch Morris, Paul Fitze, John Fitze, Karl Metner, Chris Amato
Studio Synergy Ent
MPAA rating NR (Not Rated)
Purchase rights Stream instantly and download to 2 locations Details
Format Amazon Video (streaming online video and digital download)

Other Formats

DVD
$7.24

Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars"Jimmy Laine" goes insane as "Reno Miller"- THE DRILLER KILL
By BD Ashley on August 13, 2004
Format: DVD
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.Read more ›
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3.0 out of 5 starsinteresting - but not for everyone
By Charles Read on April 29, 2000
Format: DVD
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.
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5.0 out of 5 starsLighten up! It's tongue-in-cheek!
By A Customer on November 9, 2002
Format: DVD
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.
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4.0 out of 5 starsYES, it's gritty, but oh, the commentary track!!!
By A Customer on February 26, 2001
Format: DVD
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.
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1.0 out of 5 starsA completely pointless and forgettable slasher.
By TechnoMachinima1996 on September 19, 2014
Format: DVD
What can one truly say about this highly exploitative and utterly mindless piece of garbage? Well how about wtf?! Was there really a need for this movie in the first place? Let's just see.

This movie centers around a troubled New York City painter named Reno Miller. Reno is struggling to find an inspired concept for his latest painting, his art dealer is a rude, pompous elitist who puts a lot of pressure on him, his landlord expects rent money from him soon, his relationship with his girlfriend is becoming strained, and on top of that a loud rock band moved in his apartment building only to make a lot of noise on a fairly regular basis. To make matters worse Reno's landlord doesn't care a bit about the noise that the rock band make.

As a result Reno who was initially passive and emotionally numb, just snaps. The incomprehensible thing about his emotional breakdown is he takes all of his frustrations out on the homeless. Come that point of the movie, the whole thing falls apart. And that's when he goes from Reno Miller the painter to Reno Miller "the Driller Killer". I mean I get his aggravations with other people but why the homeless? What did they ever do to him in the first place? He just invades any alley, street corner, or alley seeking out any homeless person he can find and slaughters them with his drill. WTF?!!

The acting is this movie is terribly lackluster in that everybody in it is amateurish and wooden in their performances, the characters are mostly annoying and forgettable, there are way too many filler characters and filler scenes that prove a distraction to the already going nowhere plot.

The sound quality to the DVD is dreadful and requires one to turn their tv up a little high.Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars"It is absolutely worthless! Who thought it would come to this?...

Tedious. Dull. A disjointed mess signifying little if anything. The story features a struggling artist (Abel Ferrara, who also directed) of dubious distinction, who suffers some... Read more

Published 11 months ago by Einsatz
1.0 out of 5 starsHE TOUCHED MY HAND

Reno (Abel Ferrara) is a disagreeable artist who lives with two women. He has both money problems and anger management issues, imagine that. Read more

Published 19 months ago by The Movie Guy
3.0 out of 5 starsit's really just for horror completists

Nine Things about the Film “The Driller Killer”

1. This movie is about a New York artist named Reno who can’t handle the daily pressures of life and has strange... Read more

Published on January 31, 2014 by Paul Donovan
1.0 out of 5 starsThe Driller Killer

Initially I thought this would be good.

An artist flips out and runs around killing people in NYC because a punk rock band practices in his building all night long, day... Read more

Published on December 9, 2013 by Bartok Kinski
1.0 out of 5 starsMild Waste of Money

I recieved my copy of The Driller Killer within only a few days of purchase. Great quality and great shipping. Read more

Published on April 29, 2012 by JP Dieter
1.0 out of 5 starsannoying

i watched the movie at work since i was bored and has spare time..not to mention it was free..and it was annoying. Read more

Published on September 11, 2011 by Bookworm936
2.0 out of 5 starsPower Tool Abuse

This movie initially seemed to have a lot of promise in the slasher flick category. You have a guy quickly going crazy because of stress and punk rock. Read more

Published on May 8, 2011 by Lonnie E. Holder
1.0 out of 5 starsThe Driller Killer

Initially I thought this would be good.

An artist flips out and runs around killing people in NYC because a punk rock band practices in his building all night long, day... Read more

Published on May 25, 2009 by Bartok Kinski
4.0 out of 5 starsIf he'd put on a suit and didn't mumble, he could've had De Palma's...

Yeah, and? Exactly. I'd love to see what Abel Ferrara's illustrious contemporaries could create with the meager budgets he works with. Read more

Published on May 6, 2008 by KJ
2.0 out of 5 starsNot up to Ferrara's normal standards.

The Driller Killer (Abel Ferrara, 1979)

Abel Ferrara and Nicholas St. John have been working together for a long, long time. Read more

Published on November 30, 2005 by Robert Beveridge


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