Driller Killer - Will's Review

An odd one this week, that I think fancies itself as an art movie, with some lingering (Carefully composed) shots, and extended musical cutaways.

It centres around Reno - an artist who lives in a studio apartment with his girlfriend and his girlfriend's girlfriend (yes, really). Reno is broke, but working on a "masterpiece" that he believes will change all that... Oh, and he's going slowly mad.

I say "going mad", "Going madder" would probably be more appropriate, as he is obviously not entirely untroubled from the beginning of the movie, having  a serious aversion to homeless people, and being prone to violent outbursts at the slightest provocation. Oh, and a love of the word "man".

A balanced man, that one!

Reno's already tenuous grip on reality isn't helped what a No-Wave / Punk band move into the studio below his and use it as a rehearsal room - apparently to rehears just one song.

I quite liked the band, but I do have a lot of time for down-and-dirty garage punk, so your mileage may vary, but even I got board of hearing the same song - with 2 or 3 more, the music angle could really have helped this film along, but alas, it was not to be...

Somewhere in the mists of all this, the lead singer of The Roosters (the aforementioned band) commissions a portrait, Which Reno somehow manages to paint despite his subject dancing around singing from Crowley's Goetia when he's supposed to be posing, and then shagging Reno's girlfriend right in front of him...

A big turning point for Reno is when he catches a TV advert for a "Power-Pak"; you see, battery drills weren't up to much back then, but the "Power pak" is a (20 dollar!) 110v battery with enough amp-age to run any plug-in appliance, including electric heaters and, of course, power tools! Armed with a Power-Pak and his trusty drill, Reno goes on a rampage through New-York's homeless population.

Murder seems to give him the munchies, as at one point he manages to start a row by eating most of a large pizza, then asking his girlfriend is she want's a bite with peppers - thus causing her to sling a slice at his head and storm off (!) whatever, he obviously feel bad about this, as he paints her a beautiful apology picture:

No, honestly, his other stuff is rally quite good...

I won't ruin the end, as the movie is so readily available to watch for free, But I'd just like to say (although it seems an odd thing to say especially here)  that the murders add NOTHING to the film and, in fact, it would have been a more compelling movie without them...


Body Count: 12
Boob Count: 2 Pairs
Animal Body Count: 1
Most Memorable Death: The first (where he appears to be dry-humping the tramp while killing him)

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Driller Killer - Lisa's Review

***SPOILERS***

I watched this one FREE on Youtube as instructed by Will. I didn't know the full version was on there. Quite often you get 'Kill' videos and clips of movies, but this time, there is a full unedited version of the movie, so go get watching!

Sooooo, what did I think? Well the movie had elements that I enjoyed and elements that I didn't. I probably shouldn't say this during the nasties review, but I think this movie would have been much better with the crap kill scenes taken out.

I found this movie to be much more about a mans mental breakdown than the kills. I enjoyed the lead character (Reno's) acting, but the rest of the cast were just abysmal. The music was gawd awful (and thats coming from a fan of a lot of punk music).

The basic premis is an artist (who reminded me a lot of the guy from Dexys midnight runners but better looking... with a very cool jacket... sorry I deviate) who lives with his girlfriend and her lesbian lover... yup I shit you not. I think this is just an excuse for gratuitous lesbian scene, which to be honest is no great shakes (no crap double entendre intended) anyway. On a side note, Renos girlfriends lover is probably the skinniest women I have ever seen in a movie not set in a POW camp.

Back to Reno.... He's skint and getting skinter with no money to pay the bills and a very annoying, very loud (and in my humble opinion, very crap) punk?!! band having just moved into his building. Everything builds up, culminates and sends him out onto the streets with a drill and a rather fetching battery pack belt (which we co-incidentally saw advertised on TV when he was going crazy). For some odd reason he sets his sights on homeless guys and bums. The kills are awful... not gorey awful, just crap. The blood looks like ketchup, the actors are hamming it up and don't even have the courteousy to look frightened and the overall feeling of the scenes is just rushed and cobbled together.

So we trawl through the movie of awful music, crap makeup and unconvincing kills and find some little pieces of good acting and I enjoyed how one tramp, irritated by some noise one member of the aforementioned punk band was making (and I'm with him there) was drilled to the wall in exactly the same pose as Carries mother in one of my favourite movies Carrie.

Our ears are not even free from the incessant noise when Reno is painting the musician as he plays guitar and sings when he is meant to be posing for a painting!! In another bizarre scene he then gets it on with Renos girlfriend in front of him.... very odd.

Reno drills his way through the movie killing tramps and eventually moving on to his landlord. I wonder in part if this had anything to do with the over the top negative critique of his finished Buffalo painting. It wasn't the best painting sure, but I don't think it deserved quite the scathing reception it received.

The movie ends as Renos girlfriend finally fed up with him, decides to go back to her ex husband. He pursues her there and drills the beardy ex before slipping into her bed (as she finishes in the shower, weirdly covering herself in case anyone see's when there is no-one else there). The movie ends as she climbs into bed and the screen darkens. I really do wish they had ended the movie with a whirring drill noise though.

In conclusion, I liked Renos performance, I like the darkness in places, I liked the elements of madness, I liked some of the paintings. On the other hand though, I hated the music, the kills, the rest of the cast, most of the dialogue and the weird inclusion of some scenes which made no sense to the rest of the movie (see the first scene).

Would I recommend it? Probably. Did I enjoy it? In places. Would I rant about it? Most definately not.

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