- Actors: Angela Bettis, Brent Roam, Juliet Landau, Greg Travis, Rance Howard
- Directors: Tobe Hooper
- Format: PAL, Widescreen, DTS Surround Sound, Dolby, Digital Sound
- Language English
- Subtitles: English
- Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9 - 1.85:1
- Number of discs: 2
- Classification: 18
- Studio: Anchor Bay
- DVD Release Date: 25 April 2005
- Run Time: 91 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B0007WAG64
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 23,656 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
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Horror/Mystery from director Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chainsaw Massaacre; Salem's Lot; Lifeforce), starring Angela Bettis (Sparrow; May; Carrie).
A historic Hollywood hotel houses a supernatural evil. It's been subdued for decades - but when renovations start, a series of murders take place. It's up to our heroine (Bettis) to solve the mystery
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
All the elements of good 70s horror - but this isn't the 70s,
By Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER) (TOP 100 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: The Toolbox Murders (Special Edition) [DVD] [2003] (DVD)
In the opinion of this certified horror fan, 2003's Toolbox Murders falls far short of greatness. I've never been a Tobe Hooper fan, and this supposed resurrection of his horror career does nothing to change my way of thinking. I always feel weird when I go against the opinion of some great horror fans, but I cannot understand the accolades heaped upon Angela Bettis for her performance here. I found her character incredibly annoying and, if anything, a negative influence on the film. I had problems with other characters, as well. In addition, I would have liked to have a little more information on the source of all the horror here. I haven't seen the Toolbox Murders film from 1978 (which apparently does differ significantly from Hooper's "reimagining" of it), but this new film itself seems mired in the 1970s, giving the fright scenes a predictability that renders them benign and, in a sense, boring.The story takes place in the Lunsford Hotel, which is full of "history" and "character" (which means it's begging to be condemned by this point). Steve and Nell Barrows (Brent Roam and Angela Bettis) move into the place and quickly realize that signing the lease was a big mistake. Nothing works right, the whole place is supposedly being remodeled (which apparently means the crud is being shifted around against a backdrop of constant hammering), the landlord is a prissy jerk, the maintenance man is one step up from a Neanderthal, and the residents are weird and loud. Nell begins hearing things left and right, but everyone treats her like she's just paranoid. When she actually makes a friend, said friend quickly disappears, and Nell is convinced something happened to her. She explores the history of the building, finding out that the strange symbols all over the place actually represent some kind of spell. Like an idiot, she explores the mystery up-close and gets a lot of people killed by the inhuman murderer (whose identity I can guess but not confirm). The fright scenes might make some folks jump once or twice, but the "look out behind you" tactics of the 1970s just aren't that impressive here in the twenty-first century. Alongside several holes in the plot, a lot of details bothered me. First and foremost, what husband is going to lease an apartment without talking to his wife first - that's a recipe for marital unhappiness in and of itself. Then you have Nell going down to wash clothes on the night the Barrows move in. Who, I ask you, brings along dirty clothes on a move and insists on washing them before unpacking has really even begun? And that incredibly weird maintenance man Ned - talk about your obvious suspect. We're missing what's really important here, though. That would be the inclusion of Juliet Landau, the sexiest vampire to ever grace the screen (as Drusilla in the Buffyverse). She was certainly one of my main motivations for seeing this film. Much to my surprise, though, she has nothing of the Drusilla aura about her, looking quite pale and sickly early on (except when compared to the emaciated Angela Bettis). Still, she brings a presence to the film that no other character begins to match. I don't have a problem with the gore - you can never have too much gore, in my opinion. It would have been nice if the lighting had actually allowed me to see more of it, but I appreciate it being there. Sadly, that's about all there is to this movie, though - gore and 70s-style scares. The Lunsford building doesn't even have a strong presence of evil (despite the fact that the actual location is the Ambassador Hotel where RFK was assassinated) - it's just too depressing to be scary. I'm glad that some other horror fans enjoyed this movie, but Toolbox Murders just didn't too all that much for me.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Creepy and scary,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Toolbox Murders (Special Edition) [DVD] [2003] (DVD)
This is a gory, graphic, scary remake directed by Tobe Hooper. Although better on the second time watching, this film is only worth buying if you see it for less than a fiver. Great death sequences (hammer hits to the head, a head sawed in half, acid powder on the face, drill to the back of the head and a death by nailgun). A bit sick, but that's the way I like it.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Nothing new,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Toolbox Murders (Special Edition) [DVD] [2003] (DVD)
Hooper does his best with the material but it's a rubbish script with no grounded logic or plot. So even if we suspend disbelief and accept the boring "cursed building keeping madman alive" routine what on earth is his motive for all the killings? It's such a lazy premise I'm amazed anyone put up any money to turn it into a feature. C-movie junk from the washed-up Tobe Hooper once again.
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