Review #446: 'The Toolbox Murders' (1978)

In a small apartment complex that contains an alarming amount of beautiful women living on their own, a masked killer stalks carrying a toolbox full of weapons. Women are butchered with a hammer, a nail-gun, and a power-drill in a short period of time, and Detective Jamison (Tim Donnelly) is assigned to investigate. The killer, Vance (Cameron Mitchell), also kidnaps Laurie Ballard (Pamelyn Ferdin), a 15 year-old girl who bears an uncanny resemblance to his dead teenage daughter. With the inept Jamison refusing to believe it's kidnapping, Laurie's brother Joey (Nicolas Beauvy) starts to investigate the disappearance along with Vance's nephew Kent (Wesley Eure).

Traditional gore-hounds tend to turn their noses up at this movie, as after the extremely bloody opening half an hour, the film grinds to a halt and spends time developing it's somewhat tedious plot and characters. But the opening murders are very well done, with Donnelly taking time to develop the set-pieces, and they're usually played out with crooning music in the background that works well as a contradiction to the bloodshed. The killer isn't an unseen madman that seems to have supernatural powers of movement which is usually the norm in slasher flicks, but he is clumsy and awkward, bumbling his way around the room with a lop-sided ski mask, which makes him all the more real.

Another plus point is the performance of Cameron Mitchell. Like so many veterans of 1950's and 60's Hollywood, Mitchell ventured into European horror and TV in the 70's and 80's, as his old-fashioned style of acting didn't suit mainstream Hollywood, yet added the required gravitas to many a low-budget horror. His obsession with Laurie forms the most interesting aspect about the film, but it is criminally underdeveloped, and is resigned to just one extended scene. It spends far too much time focusing on the rather crap detective skills of her brother Joey, and his homoerotic relationship with Kent. I'm all for a horror film to slow down and take time to develop its characters, but they're executed with such an alarming blandness that the film becomes simply boring. But the film is well worth a look for a strong opening and Mitchell's performance, as well as the sight of the red-headed victim, who is one of the most stunning victims I've ever seen in horror.


Directed by: Dennis Donnelly
Starring: Cameron Mitchell, Pamelyn Ferdin, Wesley Eure, Nicolas Beauvy
Country: USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie