Now on Blu-ray everywhere is Blue Underground’s The Toolbox Murders, a hi-def release of the classic 1978 film from director Dennis Donnelly. In a quiet apartment complex in Los Angeles, a deranged handyman goes on a killing spree, savagely murdering ‘immoral’ women with the tools of his trade – claw-hammers, screwdrivers, power drills and even a deadly nail gun! But these gruesome massacres are just the beginning of this landmark epic of violence and depravity that was vilified by critics, banned by censors, and treasured by splatter fans worldwide. This is… THE TOOLBOX MURDERS!
The Film

In the 1980’s, the UK government introduced the Video Recording Act which imposed a strict code of censorship on films that were criticized for its violent content. It backfired soon after popular culture embraced these “indecencies” which made the dreaded Video Nasties list. 1978’s The Toolbox Murders was one of them. Aside from the brutal nail gun sequence, the film is relatively tame compared to the string of “torture porn” flicks that’s bombarded the market these past few years.

This post-Texas Chainsaw Massacre flick is a fairly routine slasher for the first act. It’s essentially a string of violent set pieces with zero plot or any attempt at anything resembling character development. Of course, exploitation fans will find some twisted enjoyment out of watching the ski-masked antagonist knocking off an apartment complex filled seemingly with only “impure” women. The nail gun at crotch level shot is classic slasher raunchiness. There really isn’t a central protagonist which makes the aimlessly dull second act a real chore to sit through.

Once the third act kicks in and the antagonist and his motivations are revealed, the film is somehow redeemed. It quickly descends into a dark and complex character study that somehow justifies its seedy beginnings. Everything gets exceedingly more bizarre and interesting from that point, right up to the haunting climatic shot.

The Toolbox Murders will never be mistaken as the pinnacle of genre filmmaking but its wildly unpredictable and insane final half places it a notch above the crowd. Yes, it’s fairly campy and over-the-top but it’s interesting nonetheless. The film is unapologetically sleazy, injected with a layer of psychological depth, a feat rarely seen if ever in exploitation cinema.

6 out of 10

Video

The Toolbox Murders is presented in a pretty impressive MPEG-4 AVC 1080P, 1.66:1-framed transfer. While there are some minor specks and dirt here and there, the print has been fairly cleaned up. Colors are fairly rich and the black levels are surprisingly deep. While inconsistent, there is some nice detail present. There are moments when the picture can be a tad soft but it’s most likely do to the source material. Grain is present throughout but never as distracting. If anything, it preserves the film look which is a definite plus. Blue Underground’s restoration efforts must be commended considering this little exploitation flick has never looked remotely good on home video till now.

7 out of 10

Audio

The film comes with three audio options; DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 EX and Mono but you’d be hard pressed to find much of a difference. The tracks are clean but with the 7.1 and 5.1 mixes, the sound is regulated to the front channels with barely any separation. You’d have to go right up to the rear speakers to hear anything substantial. Thankfully, Blue Underground stays true to source, devoid of the urge to make it more “attractive” to modern film lovers like unnecessary newly recorded sound effects (Yah, I’m looking at you, “The Terminator”).

6 out of 10

Supplements

The features here are ports from the 2002 DVD minus the poster, still gallery and the Cameron Mitchell bio. There is a commentary with producer, Tony DiDio, Director of Photography, Gary Graver and co-star Pamelyn Ferdin. The track has some interesting info on the film’s creation but they spend far too much time reminiscing about other projects and Cameron Mitchell. This is the kind of commentary you listen to once and completely forget afterwards. The best feature on the disc is the “I Got Nailed in The Toolbox Murders: Interview with Star Marianne Walter” featurette (480p, 8:06). Marianne Walter has some amusing anecdotes about the making of her memorable scene, as well as, a solid retrospect of her career. The remaining features are two Radio Spots (1080p, 0:31 & 0:30), a theatrical trailer (480p, 2:19) and a TV spot (480p, 0:32). They’re vintage grindhouse.

4 out of 10

Final Thoughts

The Toolbox Murders is a minor entry in the slasher genre. It’s uneven but with more than enough fascinating attributes scattered throughout to make it stand out. It’s definitely worth a view for the slasher fan base. If you own the previous DVD edition, the HD upgrade is the only new addition. Thankfully, it’s a good one. So if you’d categorize yourself as a hardcore fan of this film, it’s worth the upgrade. More than likely, it’ll be the best A/V treatment it’ll ever get.

6 out of 10